BVCA submission to the public hearing on Palliser Lane Perpetual Affordable Housing
Bow Valley Climate Action Society (BVCA) welcomes the opportunity to submit the following comments with respect to the proposed Palliser Lane Perpetual Affordable Housing DC District Bylaw 2023-36.
BVCA is a group of Bow Valley residents who are deeply concerned about climate change. We are a volunteer organization and a registered non-profit society. We seek to promote civil citizen dialogue that spurs individual and collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of our primary areas of focus is supporting the Towns of Canmore and Banff to fully implement their respective climate action plans.
BVCA supports the proposed Palliser Lane Perpetual Affordable Housing DC District Bylaw 2023-36. From our review, we believe that the proposed DC District is consistent with the Palliser Trail Area Structure Plan Bylaw 2023-22. We were, and remain, strongly supportive of the intents of the Palliser Trail Area Structure Plan. We believe that the Palliser Trail ASP admirably advances the Town’s goals of improving both housing affordability and environmental stewardship.
We are particularly supportive, and appreciative, of the ASP alignment of these sections of the proposed Bylaw:
14.43.9.1 Requiring energy modelling that shows conformance to the energy efficiency requirement of Section 4.3 of the ASP. Making homes more energy-efficient is essential to tackling climate change. But just as importantly, energy-efficient homes are affordable homes. Less energy use means lower utility bills. By their nature, energy- efficient homes also provide superior noise reduction and greatly reduced air infiltration. Both of these qualities are meaningfully beneficial to residents living close to the highway and during wildfire smoke seasons.
14.43.8.1 Exempting affordable units from parking minimums as required by Section 5.1 Policy 11.a of the ASP. Parking stalls add significantly to the cost of housing. At the same time, the Town is doing excellent work towards enabling a range of high-quality transportation options. Removing one-size-fits-all parking minimums is an essential first step to decoupling housing from parking and allowing families to make decisions to fit their needs (whether that includes parking spaces or not).
14.43.7.2 Requiring all parking stalls to be roughed in for Level 2 EV charging as required by Section 4.3 Policy 1.c of the ASP. Transportation is responsible for most of Canmore’s greenhouse gas emissions. There is no credible path to climate change mitigation which does not include the overwhelming electrification of private, light-duty vehicles. The adoption of electric vehicles is greatly eased by the availability of Level 2 charging at home. At-home Level 2 charging is also the most affordable charging option for electric vehicles. Retrofitting Level 2 charging after construction can be prohibitively expensive, particularly in multi-family buildings. At the same time, roughing-in penetrations and conduit for future charging installation is very low cost. This policy will ensure that the electric vehicle transition is affordable to future residents of these affordable homes.
14.43.6.7 Setting a maximum building height of 26m as required by Section 3.2 Policy 2 (Map 3) of the ASP. Making the most of Canmore’s limited residential land base (and extremely scarce Town-controlled lands) is essential to maximizing the provision of affordable housing. A 26m height is a reasonable balance between the need for density and the need to avoid undue impacts on neighbouring residents.
We once again commend the Town of Canmore for responding to the need for climate action and for showing strong leadership. The measures contained in the ASP represented a step change in aligning public development with the exigencies of the climate crisis. This proposed Bylaw meets the high standards set by the ASP.
As we have said previously, “the Palliser Trail Area Structure Plan Update presents a unique opportunity for the Town of Canmore to demonstrate real, effective leadership consistent with its Climate Action Plan and its declaration of a climate emergency.” We are grateful to see the Town continuing to work on realizing the ambitions of the ASP and continuing to make progress on the community’s linked goals of housing affordability, climate adaptation, and climate change mitigation.
BVCA urges council to adopt Bylaw 2023-36: Palliser Lane Perpetual Affordable Housing DC District as proposed.
Respectfully submitted,
Bow Valley Climate Action Society