July 13th, 2026

At their meeting on June 30th, Council gave three readings to the proposed amendments to the Zoning Bylaw to update the City’s existing Density Bonus provisions to align with Provincial housing legislation.   

The proposed amendments primarily focus on updating the existing Density Bonus structure of the Zoning Bylaw. These changes align with the updated Provincial legislation framework while improving overall organization, consistency, readability, and administration within the Zoning Bylaw. The amendments generally address:  

1. Density Bonus Provisions in General Regulations: 
2. Transitioning the existing Albion Density Bonus and Town Centre Density Bonus programs to a ‘Historic’ state. This allows in-stream any applications that have received first reading by June 30, 2026 to continue using these provisions through to approval. 
3. Introducing a new Section 402.32 – Density Bonus Framework that aligns with the updated Provincial legislation. New applications, or applications that have not yet received first reading, can make use of this program. 
4. The new Density Bonus Framework is proposed to be broader than the programs currently in place. It will cover development with the Town Centre Area Plan, the Lougheed Transit Corridor Area Plan, and the northern portion of the Hammond Area Plan, as well as along key corridors outside of these Area Plans. 
5. Amendments within specific zones: 
6. Existing references to the Albion Density Bonus and Town Centre Density Bonus are either proposed to be removed from the Zoning Bylaw for clarity and ease of administration, or to refer to the new Density Bonus provisions being added. These amendments are largely administrative in nature. 
7. Schedule Additions: 
8. Adding and refining applicable schedule references related to the Hammond Area Plan and Lougheed Transit Corridor Area Plan.  

Due to challenging housing market conditions and the understanding that the existing density bonus rate does not negatively impact current project viability, staff are proposing to retain the existing cash-in-lieu rates at this time. The funds collected through the framework can be used as follows: 

• Albion Area funds can contribute to a number of eligible amenities within the Albion Area Plan geography itself, including the construction and maintenance of parks, multiuse trails and civic facilities. 
• Town Centre & Major Corridor funds have a reserve fund for the provision of affordable housing, and these rates were calculated on market-oriented strata floor space in 2019. The most recent economic analysis, completed in January 2026, reaffirmed that these rates do not negatively impact financial feasibility today. Staff will prepare minor amendments to the Reserve Fund Bylaw for Council’s consideration to clarify the purpose of the fund. 

Additional information can be found in the full report by City staff.