How does The Mustard Seed's proposal align with City Planning principles?
The Mustard Seed has researched experiences in affordable housing from other jurisdictions across North America. Various City of Calgary documents have been particularly useful in developing responsible planning guidelines. Key documents consulted include the Calgary Plan; the Interim Planning Principles for siting of special care facilities1 ; and Thresholds for Affordable Housing. Relevant supporting documentation is cited following each example below.
- At its most basic level, the Mustard Seed’s development is an apartment building, where all residents will pay rent. It is not a shelter. The Seed’s proposal, therefore, must be addressed in the same fashion, based on the same principles, as any other high-rise building planned for the Beltline.
- The Mustard Seed’s proposal embodies an inclusive social environment which fosters capable and diverse communities, promotes social justice and equitable access to resources and opportunities, and provides an adequate supply of rental accommodation for different socio-economic groups in all parts of the city. (Calgary Plan: sections 2-3.2.1; 2-3.2.2C; 2-3.2.2D)
- In the Beltline, the Mustard Seed’s proposal is the only new high-rise development that includes affordable housing. At that, the new building will house only one-quarter of the 800 Beltline residents displaced by recent neighbourhood renewal projects in the area.
- City planning principles encourage higher density in all new developments. Denser neighbourhoods (in terms of residents/hectare) make sense: more efficient costing of utilities, better utilization of expensive real estate, less need for infrastructure. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is also very supportive of this approach. The emerging nature of the Beltline is exclusively high-rise in profile.
- Encouraging mixed-use development including retail, residential and recreational space discourages street-level crime. It stands to reason that with more people housed in safe, affordable accommodation, there will be less people on the street.
The Mustard Seed’s development, in addition to 24-hour security on-site, will have trained floor monitors in residence, similar in function to those typically found in college housing, providing building supervision and community liaison.
- The City of Calgary states that continued financial success for all Calgarians depends on our city’s ability to properly house its people. No one should be forced from their traditional neighbourhood because they simply can’t afford to live there. Lending a hand to help men and women regain independence and dignity benefits us all, today and into the future. (City of Calgary Community Services Report on Community and Protective Services, Sept. 2004)
- A diverse mix of socio-economic strata in a neighbourhood results in higher income levels and better health outcomes for lower-income residents (Thresholds for Affordable Housing).
