Calgary council rejects Meridian site for Home Space supportive housing
Council rejected the planning commission's 5-2 recommendation for the one-acre parcel at 2612 – 3 Avenue SE, leaving the 60-unit project without a site.
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Calgary council voted against the Meridian site for Home Space Society's 60-unit supportive housing complex, rejecting a planning commission recommendation that had approved the one-acre parcel.
The city had agreed to sell the land to the provider. The facility would offer 24/7 wraparound care for residents with complex health and housing needs.
The planning commission voted 5-2 on Sept. 24 to recommend the land sale and redesignation. Commissioners Shawn Small and Jacob Weber opposed, with Small objecting to disposing of the municipal reserve without an equal exchange of space nearby.
Marcus Berzins, manager of housing investment with the City of Calgary's Chief Housing Office, told council the city assessed 17 sites against criteria over nearly three years and that a commercial or light industrial area was a better fit than residential. "Diligence has been plentiful in this work," he said.
Opponents said the site did not fit. Jonathan Ryder, speaking for property owners, said the green space serves more than 3,000 employees in the business park, including Stantec, Wood Group and AltaLink, and that no usage data supports the city's claim it was underutilized. Alison Karim-McSwiney, executive director of the 12 Community Safety Initiative, called the location "incompatible," telling council, "You're placing a supportive residential care facility inside an active industrial business park, which is really structurally untenable."
