City council approves new 'gamechanger' housing strategy for Calgary

City council voted 12-3 in favour of a new plan for housing Saturday night, after a marathon three-day committee meeting where 162 residents shared their concerns about this city's housing crisis,

City council voted 12-3 in favour of a new plan for housing Saturday night, after a marathon three-day committee meeting where 162 residents shared their concerns about this city's housing crisis,

The strategy, adopted with amendments, includes an incentive program to create new secondary suites, plans to dispose of city land for new housing units and adopting new zoning rules to allow rowhouses and duplexes anywhere in the city.  

It's intended to help Calgary move toward increasing the supply of market and non-market housing in order to meet demand and improve affordability.

"This is the permission to solve the problem, that's what we did here today," said Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott.

"Administration has it, council has given it. the public can expect it from us. It's a big change."

Amendments made to the strategy call for the City to find two parcels of land which can be used for pre-fabricated housing to help families facing homelessness this winter.

The city also plans to invest $25 million into post-secondary student housing.

In approving the strategy, Walcott said, the city can now begin attacking the housing crisis which has left many people scrambling to find a place to live or struggling to afford to keep a roof over their head.