Growth & Servicing Plans
The Growth Plan and Servicing Plan took effect August 15, 2022.
Selection of Growth Plan Consultant
The CMRB has selected internationally-recognized regional planning firm HDR Calthorpe to develop the Growth Plan in consultation with member municipalities under the leadership of the Board. HDR Calthorpe is a pioneer in the development and implementation of regional plans that support diverse, walkable, vibrant, environmentally responsible, mixed-use communities across the world.The firm’s long history of high-quality urban design and regional planning give their designers, planners and engineers the skills and vision to build the Growth & Servicing Plan for the Calgary Metropolitan Region.
The Growth & Servicing Plans for the Calgary Metropolitan Region has been approved by the Minister and came into effect in 2022. The plans will serve as a best-practice guide for achieving long-term prosperity in the Calgary Metropolitan Region, providing policies and high-level guidance to municipalities on regionally significant topics including:
Residential, commercial and industrial land use
Corridors for transportation, recreation, energy transmission, utilities and transit
Infrastructure planning and development
Water quality, water use and management (including flood mitigation)
Environmental sustainability and the conservation of agricultural lands
As living documents, the plans will be evaluated and updated to ensure its content is reflective of the changing needs of the people, businesses and ecosystems that contribute to our region’s success.
Key Milestones & Work Completed
October 2019
Development tour of the Calgary Metropolitan Region with HDR Calthorpe.
Workshop 1: Elected officials and senior municipal administration participate in a workshop was focused on information gathering and visioning.
January 2020
Workshop 2: Elected officials and senior municipal administration participate in a workshop to explore preliminary alternative growth scenarios for the Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR).
June & July 2020
Workshop 3 (Review Scenarios): A series of workshops for committee and technical stakeholders on the regional scenarios and analysis.
June 11, with the Land Use and Servicing Committee
July 9, with municipal representatives through the Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs)
July 10, with non-municipal subject matter experts of the External Technical Advisory Group
Public Engagement - Phase 1 (June 24th - September 4th): CMRB asked members of the public to help identify common values from residents across the region to better understand the common benefit that regional planning can provide.
October 2020
Workshop 4 Review Initial Plan and Preliminary Policy: Included a workshop with elected officials (October 16, 2020) and a meeting with the External Technical Advisory Group (October 23, 2020). The purpose of the workshop was to provide an opportunity for a detailed review of the proposed scenario, which will be the basis of the regional growth structure.
November 2020
Public Engagement - Phase 2 (November 5th – 27th): Participants were asked to learn about what was being proposed and share how their communities and ways of life might be affected, and what should be kept in mind when putting the proposed approach into action.
March & April 2021
Public Engagement - Phase 3 (March 18th - April 8th): The opportunities for participants to share their views in the third phase of public engagement were more specific than previous phases of engagement,as they were asked to comment on the specific choices that had been made in the draft growth plan. In Phase 3, participants were invited to learn about the draft growth plan, then comment on some of the key elements of the draft growth plan, such as the concepts of Preferred Placetypes and Preferred Growth Areas.
May 2021
On May 21, the Board approved the finalization of the Growth and Servicing Plans. These plans have been submitted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs for review.
July 2022
The Minister of Municipal Affairs approved an amended Growth Plan which took effect August 15, 2022.