A new project focused on discussing growth, change and redevelopment in your community and surrounding local areas is kicking off April 12, 2022. The Riley Communities Local Area Planning project led by The City, requires input from a broad and diverse range of locals (from homeowners and renters, youth to seniors, singles, couples, families, those who are new to the area and those who have been here for a lifetime, local business owners and community and cultural organizations) and anyone else who loves the area and is interested in how it could evolve over the next 30 years.
How do we welcome new people into our communities?
Communities are constantly changing. Trees and kids grow up, businesses change ownership and offerings, homes and buildings age. People's wants and needs, families and lifestyles change as well. People choose to move, renovate or rebuild their home or business to better suit their needs.
As this change occurs, we need to think about how we can welcome new people into our communities. There’s a stage in each community’s life cycle when the choice to rebuild or redevelop homes and buildings becomes more and more frequent (generally as homes and buildings reach 50+ years old).
A lot of change within a short time can start to feel unpredictable or overwhelming.
A local area plan guides how and where change and redevelopment makes sense in communities. Creating a plan to help guide change within communities ensures there’s flexibility (for people looking to make changes), direction (to help guide development when change is proposed), and certainty (for residents to know how their community may change in the future).
Planning for the future together
Working together, The City and local residents, community association representatives, business owners, builders and others will work together to create a local area plan for the Riley Communities area, which includes: Sunnyside, Hillhurst, West Hillhurst and Hounsfield Heights - Briar Hill.
A local area plan outlines a future vision for the area, provides guidance on what growth makes sense where, and includes development direction that residents, landowners, builders and developers, city planners and Councillors can commonly refer to as new development ideas are proposed by landowners in the area.
Your input matters
This is your first of many opportunities to get involved. This initial phase of engagement will focus on discussing the past, present and future of the area and opportunities to provide input are available April 12 to May 8, 2022.
Provide your input online at Calgary.ca/Riley
Check your mailbox for an engagement booklet starting the week of April 12. Each engagement booklet includes a comment form that can be mailed in or dropped off at a local My Idea Station (a My Idea Station map is provided in the booklet and is available online).
Join a virtual engagement session – check out the schedule at Calgary.ca/Riley and register for a session.
Apply to join the Riley Communities Working Group. If you’re interested in participating in more in-depth discussions about your community and the surrounding area with The City and other locals as we work to create the local area plan, apply to join the Working Group. Apply online by May 8 at Calgary.ca/Riley.
Input collected through this phase of engagement will be used to create Chapter 1 of the local area plan, which outlines the area’s history, highlights key features and amenities connected to the area as it exists today, and includes a vision and core values to help guide decisions about growth, change and redevelopment in the future.
Visit Calgary.ca/Riley to learn more, provide input and subscribe for updates.