Summary#

Calgary City Council approved the disposition of seven City-owned sites under the Non-Market Housing Land Disposition Policy. The decision authorizes confidential recommendations for the sites; City staff say the goal is to support non-market housing, with an estimated 500+ units. The public materials do not show the sites, buyers, or sale terms.

• The sites are to be sold below market value to non-profit housing providers through a competitive process, according to the City staff report.
• Within 90 days after each transaction closes, City staff must publicly report that site’s estimated market value, sale price, the difference between them (the City’s land contribution), and the number of non-market units committed in the housing agreement.
• Council directed that closed-meeting discussions and confidential recommendations and attachments remain confidential until the transactions close, with a review by July 28, 2041.
• Council approved the decision 11–4. Councillors Jamieson, Tyers, Johnston and McLean voted against; the minutes do not give their reasons.

What it means for you#

• Non-profit housing providers: The decision allows the seven sites to be disposed of under the program. City staff say the process is competitive, but the public materials do not identify eligible providers or the selection terms for these sites.
• People seeking non-market housing: City staff estimate the sites could support 500+ units. That is an estimate, not a guaranteed number of homes or a promise about who will qualify.
• Calgary residents and taxpayers: City-owned land will be used for housing rather than retained by the City. The decision does not itself create a housing application process or guarantee when homes will be built.
• Public: The City must publish the required figures for each site within 90 days after its transaction closes. The confidential recommendations are not available in the supplied materials.

Money#

The decision involves below-market land sales, but no site-by-site prices or total land contribution are publicly available in the supplied materials.

• City staff say sale revenue will be recorded in the Real Estate & Development Services Operating Program, and net proceeds will go to either the Revolving Fund Reserve for General Land Purchases or the Housing Land Fund.
• The report says the Housing Land Fund has a $20 million annual allocation under earlier Council decisions; this decision does not provide a new funding amount.
• City staff say the sites currently have maintenance costs, but give no amount.

What is unclear#

• The confidential materials do not identify the seven sites, successful providers, sale prices, or specific sale conditions.
• The public report does not show how the competitive process will assess providers or select a buyer.
• The number, timing, and affordability terms of the homes are not publicly specified. City staff’s 500+ figure is an estimate.
• The decision says confidential material is to be reviewed by July 28, 2041; it does not say when each transaction will close or when the confidential material will become public.

Case for#

• City staff say the sites are surplus to municipal needs and suitable for non-market housing, and estimate they could support 500+ units.
• City staff say below-market land can help non-profit providers secure funding from other governments and build housing. The Council Advisory Committee on Housing and HomeSpace Society supported the program on that basis.
• HomeSpace reported that five earlier program projects created 209 homes, and the Calgary Dream Centre described how a previous land sale helped it secure other funding. Those are examples about earlier projects, not results guaranteed by this decision.

Case against#

• The site-specific recommendations and terms were confidential when Council approved them. This limits the public’s ability to assess the land contributions and commitments before the transactions close.
• The City must report prices, estimated values, contributions and unit commitments after closing, but the decision does not set a public reporting deadline before each sale.
• Four councillors voted against the decision, but the supplied minutes do not record their reasons.