City ready to accommodate suburban growth of 114,000 people

Calgary has enough serviced and zoned land to accommodate an expected 114,000 people in the next five years.

In a new growth forecast and according to land supply numbers released by the City, there is enough serviced land with approved zoning for 18,846 single-family homes and 26,793 multi-family units.

"As the City seeks out the best areas for new growth, it is important to have reliable information on the existing supply of land ready for development and to know how much development we will need moving forward," said Rollin Stanley, general manager of Planning, Development and Assessment. "WE can see from this recent report that there is enough serviced land to accommodate our short-term growth, and we are constantly working with the development community to plan for and invest in Calgary's long-term growth as well."

A release from the City said the majority of land ready for new development is located on the northern and southern edges of the city. Focusing investment in key areas is a way to ensure new communities are completed sooner, infrastructure is used to its full potential and operating costs are more efficient.

The growth forecast and land supply inventory was reported in the City's annual Suburban Residential Growth report based on the City's economic forecasts and planning data. The report measures the amount of land with an approved area structure plan and approved zoning for development and services.

The report also looks at forecasts such as population, with a look ahead suggesting Calgary's population could grow to as many as 1,273,800 people by the year 2018, an average growth of almost 25,000 per year. With that population growth, the approximately 114,000 people moving to the city will result in 70 per cent of the total city-wide increase in housing units and 78 per cent of all the new single and semi-detached units in Calgary.