Calgarians are beginning to ask City Council, what’s the point of detailed Local Area Plans, bylaws and community standards if council is simply going to ignore them?

That’s what we’re hearing in our neighbourhood of West Hillhurst and in other communities.

Residents of West Hillhurst have been very clear about their feelings towards a proposed development on the West side of 19 Street NW between 3 and 4 Avenues.

A developer has submitted a plan to tear down four single-family homes and replace them with 36 dwellings. It required changing the zoning of the site to something called Housing – Grade Oriented (H-GO).

More than 800 people have signed a petition opposing the development. The West Hillhurst Community Association has opposed the plan. Objections have been raised by residents at every stage of the approvals process.

We’re not expecting our views alone to be enough to derail the project. We support increased density for our community and understand that rezoning is needed to allow for that increased density.

What has taken the community by surprise is that this development has gone through the approvals process to the final stage at a council meeting on July 16 without anyone at City Hall addressing the elephant in the room – that this plan violates the Riley Area Local Plan, as well as numerous bylaws and community standards.

We’re not talking about minor violations either.

Density: The maximum number of residential units for H-GO zoning is 75 units per hectare, but this development has a density of 180 units per hectare. That’s the same density as a high-rise apartment. If the density rules were followed, there would be a maximum of 14 dwelling units on this site, not 36.

Missing-middle: Missing middle is the term applied to developments that are supposed to fall between single-family homes and apartment buildings. Three-bedroom rental homes have been identified as a priority, but the upper and basement units at the back of the development are all two-bedroom dwellings.

Drainage: This prevents storm runoff from draining into adjacent properties, but the development fails to provide a permeable area near some of the units for drainage, putting other units at risk.

Snow removal: The plans do not show enough space to shovel and store snow on the property.

Light: Light from one property cannot shine into the living or sleeping areas of neighbours, but the designs show that problem has not been addressed.

Trees and green space: The City requires 36 trees and 54 shrubs for a development of this many dwellings, but there is nowhere near enough space and there is no clear plan for managing what little green space is provided. Residents will be living in a concrete jungle.

Waste containers and collection: Not enough space has been set aside for the residents to store their garbage, recycling and compost, which is required by the City.

Painstaking work to create land use bylaws and Local Area Plans

We know that many people at City Hall have worked hard with community stakeholders to develop the Local Area Plans, bylaws and community standards.

The questions then are: Why bother? What’s the point of all those discussions, all that planning if the City simply allows developers to ignore so many of the rules and guidelines it has so carefully drawn up?

Our research shows that the City has approved other developments in other communities that violate the density bylaws and other regulations, particularly when it comes to this type of development, commonly called “slot” housing.

This type of development allows for row or town homes to be built on the front and back of housing lots, with separate basement units. A small, dark slot, devoid of any real garden or light, divides the buildings. How else can you squeeze 36 dwellings on the site of four old, small homes?

What will happen if Calgary continues this path? We need look no further than Denver, which allowed similar developments to proceed unhindered until slot homes were banned in Denver by a unanimous vote at that city council, but only after a lot of damage was done to many communities.

We believe West Hillhurst will benefit from increased density, but only if City Hall can be persuaded to follow its own rules.

• Deborah Kowbel and Anila Samji are residents of West Hillhurst, Calgary