Fewer zones, bigger buildings: Your questions answered on Edmonton's zoning renewal
Public hearing scheduled at city hall for Oct. 16
Edmonton is set to undergo a massive zoning renewal that will change the shape of the city for decades to come.
Every piece of land in the city is assigned a zone. The city is proposing to shrink the number of zones from 46 to 24 in an effort to align more closely with The City Plan, a long-term outlook that imagines a more dense, environmentally-friendly urban space as the city grows toward a population of two million.
If the new bylaw passes, it would mean rezoning almost all properties across Edmonton to their new, most similar equivalent.
And despite the city aiming to make the language of the document as simple as possible, there is still a lot to go through — more than 700 pages of the proposed bylaw with rationale.
A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16.
CBC News asked readers to send in their questions and concerns. Here are answers to some of the queries we received.
Keep checking our website for more stories on the zoning overhaul.
Where can apartment buildings be built? (Is a six-storey building going up next door?)
This is really going to depend where you live and goes to the heart of why the zoning renewal is happening: increasing density. The new zones will make it easier for developers to build larger infill properties in many neighbourhoods.
There are six proposed zoning specifically for residential (outside rural areas), applying in whole or part to 27 different current zoning designations.
Each of the proposed zones has its own maximum storeys outlined in the bylaw:
- Small Scale Residential: three storeys
- Small Scale Flex Residential: three storeys
- Small-Medium Scale: three or four storeys
- Small-Medium Scale Transition Residential Zone: three or four storeys
- Medium Scale Residential: four to eight storeys
- Large Scale Residential: nine to 20 storeys
There are also two mixed-use zones with their own differing regulations.
More flexible setbacks — the distance from the building to the property line — will also affect the look of the neighbourhood.
What happens to the mature neighbourhood protections?
Mature neighbourhoods are older, as the term suggests, and typically closer to near the river valley.
They've been subject to the Mature Neighbourhood Overlay, designed in 2001, which adds an additional layer of regulations on residential development with an aim to maintain pedestrian-oriented design of the streetscape. It applies to areas that cross over five different zone types.
That overlay is set to be dumped in the proposed renewal. The city promises certain protections will transfer over — namely, those related to alley access and the preservation of sidewalks and boulevard trees — to the new zoning category Small Scale Residential that these neighbourhoods will fall under.
However, most of the regulations around setbacks, height and notification to residents are set to be retired.
This isn't the only overlay going to the bin, however — of the 10 that currently exist, only two (Floodplain Protection and North Saskatchewan River Valley and River System Protection) will continue to exist with a third (Airport Protection) being added.
The city says aspects of the Main Streets Overlay set to be retired will be incorporated under the two new mixed-use zones.
What's the difference between zoning and building code?
Both zoning and building codes set regulations for housing and other types of structures.
Building codes are provincial standards that set out the technical requirements for the design, construction, alteration, change of use and demolition of buildings.
Alberta has adopted the National Building Code with some modifications suited to the province's needs.
Zoning is more about land use — what kind of buildings can go where and for what — and is outlined through municipal bylaw.
Certainly, any project will be impacted by both regulations. If a resident wants to add a secondary suite, for instance, they'll need to see if their zoning will allow for it while the building code mandates it would need separate heating and ventilation systems.
What about trees and shrubs?
Regulations around trees and shrubs first introduced in 2016 are still built into the proposed zoning.
The planting requirements for different housing types of different sizes vary but for many equivalents the proposed bylaw requires slightly fewer trees — typically one instead of two — so it can be more easily implemented for narrow lots.
The proposed zoning includes the caveat that plantings should aim for a ratio of 50/50 deciduous to coniferous trees, in keeping with current regulations.
Plantings requirements can also be met through preserving already existing trees or shrubs under certain conditions.
A minimum of 30 per cent soft landscaping — the natural greenery of lawns and gardens — for Small Scale Residential Development sites has also been introduced.
And parking?
No major changes are planned as the city continues its policy of no parking minimums.
In 2020, it was the first major Canadian city to remove such regulations, although accessible spots for people with disabilities continue to be required.
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