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Calgary Herald

Opinion: City's complex and arbitrary rules stop citizens from having input

Appeals of development permits have spiked, according to recent data released by the City of Calgary. Article content As a volunteer with Bridgeland-Riverside Community Association, I've participated in several Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) meetings in my two years as planning director. The SDAB is a requirement of provincial legislation, which oversees planning processes. Article content Article content Article content Article content For community volunteers, SDAB hearings can be overwhelming. But with time, volunteers can learn the ropes and provide valuable input on development decisions. By doing so, there is an onus to prepare accordingly and participate appropriately. Article content But suddenly, in a recent hearing, I was denied the ability to speak. Article content The problem was twofold: I needed to identify myself at the start of the meeting, but I was not allocated the appropriate moment to do so by the Chair. The meeting unfolded as usual. Near the end, once both parties had provided their presentations and clarifications, I asked to speak. Article content And was told no. Article content Even though the letter I'd written for the case file was discussed by both parties, I was denied the opportunity to provide more information. All because a simple moment was missed by all those attending. Article content Article content This is not the only example of the difficulties Calgarians are encountering at the SDAB. Many have shared online their experiences with board members, who appear at times to arbitrarily decide who can speak, how they do so, and what they can provide as evidence. Article content While the SDAB has discretion, how that discretion is used is increasingly a matter of great concern, especially if more people with little or no experience are appearing before the board. Article content These concerns are in addition to problems encountered at the city's Planning Department, which include but are not limited to delays in processing, convoluted review procedures that minimize or trivialize community input, and development files that are incomplete or do not contain the correct information. Article content In one egregious case, an application was scheduled to go before city council without notifying the community association or the neighbours who were actively involved in the application. The vote was delayed, but only after considerable pushback.