Planning commission votes Thursday on 56-unit supportive housing in Meridian

A 56-unit supportive housing facility for Calgary's most vulnerable residents comes before the planning commission Thursday for rezoning approval.

HomeSpace Society, a Calgary-based below-market housing provider, is proposing the facility at 2612 3rd Avenue S.E. in the Meridian commercial office park—north of Memorial Drive, east of Barlow Trail, and west of the Franklin LRT station park-and-ride lot. The site is currently undeveloped greenspace situated between high-rise offices including Alta Link headquarters and Wood office building.

The facility would be staffed 24-7 with social workers and mental health professionals trained to support high-complexity tenants. Bernadette Majdell, HomeSpace Society's chief executive, said the organization targeted people dealt with by Calgary Police and fire in the downtown core around complexity, mental health, physical health and addiction. "We see this facility as likely post-treatment, definitely part of the recovery continuum, really targeting the folks who CPS is dealing with, fire is dealing with, in the downtown core," Majdell said.

The project emerged from a 2024 notice of motion by then-councillors Kourtney Penner and Courtney Walcott directing the city to find HomeSpace Society suitable surplus city-owned land to be sold at nominal value. The city's real estate development team conducted a comprehensive search before settling on the current site, which requires at least one acre—a box Majdell said this location ticked. "We went through quite a number of sites before arriving at this one," she said.

Some surrounding office businesses have voiced concerns about the proposal. Majdell noted that opposition is routine: "Any time HomeSpace has done a project—18 developments—we've never been warmly welcomed by our neighbours." The planning commission decision Thursday will determine whether the rezoning moves forward.