The City held their pilot session on December 1st on “planning 101”.  The session was very well attended online and City staff did a great job of outlining how the planning process works and how residents can become involved in projects impacting their neighbourhoods.  This was the initial session and the module will become available for wider distribution in 2021.  If you were not able to join on December 1st,  we would encourage you to watch for when the session is repeated in 2021 – the plans are to run it again three times in 2021 – the first probably being January.  We will post when these are occurring on this website and our MHBPNA Facebook page.

In addition to the formal presentation, City staff allowed 45 minutes for a Q and A on the planning process. 

The Q and A session addressed numerous resident questions but these were the major themes impacting our immediate neighbourhood.

1. Parkland plans in the Innovation District and the City’s rules on “cash in lieu of parklands” (where the developer pays a cash levy in lieu of parkland/greenspace).
2. Use of the Bramm Yards (Victoria and Joseph). 
3. How the Committee of Adjustment works, how these decisions are made and by whom and what constitutes a minor variance – particularly apropos to infill/teardowns in the neighbourhood
4. Affordable housing initiatives by the City
5. Laneway and Coach houses in existing neighbourhoods
6. Density targets to increase the number of people/jobs in the downtown and areas surrounding the downtown in Major Transit Station Areas (our neighbourhood)
7. How the Region’s Transit Hub fits into neighbourhood planning.

Keep an eye out for future Planning 101 sessions.

Catherine Owens