Calgary council approves trimmed down Springbank Hill housing development

A housing development in Calgary’s southwest that has stirred up some controversy has been given the green light by council to move forward.

Council voted in favour of Augusta Villas in the city’s Springbank Hill neighbourhood on Tuesday, redesignating the land to allow for more housing.

According to the developer, without the redesignation, only 19 homes would be allowed.

Area residents have raised concerns about the development, including the density the project brings to the area.

The developer says they have brought down their plans from originally 56 townhome units to 35 units that would be comprised of detached and semi-detached homes.

“Over the weekend, we agreed to come down to a much lower number. We also know the form was very important. They were very concerned about having too many townhomes in their area, and certainly we recognized that,” said Kathy Oberg, the president of B&A Studios.

Despite the changes, some area residents, like Sara Austin, are still opposed to the development.

“We live on a quiet, rural road. This is a street that does not have adequate sidewalks, where on a daily basis, children are walking down this road to go to school. There are daily near-misses that put children’s lives in danger,” she said.

“Adding 70 new cars to the street is unsustainable.”

Ward 6 councillor John Pantazopoulos, who voted in favour of the development, says he’s satisfied with the consultation the developer undertook with the community.

“This is a template on how things need to get done in the City of Calgary when it comes to engagement and assisting communities,” he said.

“You got a 38 per cent reduction in density, but more importantly, listening to community.”

Mayor Jeromy Farkas recused himself to prevent an appearance of a conflict of interest since he has family members who live in the area.