Suburbs to see 94% of Calgary's growth in next 5 years
City report predicts 118,600 new Calgarians, mostly in new suburban communities
A new forecast predicts that 94 per cent of Calgary’s population growth will be in the suburbs during the next five years.
According to the 2013-2017 Suburban Residential Growth report released Tuesday by the city, Calgary will grow by 118,600 residents over that period.
The report predicts 50,600 new housing units will be built with 77 per cent of them going up in suburban areas.
"The city’s long-term goal, as set out in the Municipal Development Plan, is to strike more of a balance between inner-city redevelopment and new suburban development," the city said in a written release.
"However, striking this balance is very challenging based on current growth patterns."
Calgary has 10 to 12 years’ worth of land inventory for future residential use.
It can accommodate 310,834 people in a mix of single and semi-detached units and multi-residential units, the city said.
In the next three to five years there is enough serviced land — with approved uses in place — to accommodate 130,047 people.
The city plans to add more land to this inventory this year.