Alberta orders Edmonton to scrap 2024 zoning reforms within three months

Alberta is forcing Edmonton to abandon most of its 2024 zoning overhaul, reversing rules that had expanded housing types and density across the city.

Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that Edmonton must restore zoning rules in place before 2024 within three months, including minimum on-site parking requirements that had been eliminated in 2020. The rollback targets rules around housing types, density, building heights, and parking — effectively halting the city's shift toward allowing duplexes, rowhouses, three-storey apartment buildings with up to eight units, garden suites, and backyard suites in areas that previously allowed only single-family homes.

Edmonton's 2024 bylaw, which took effect Jan. 1, had consolidated 16 residential zones into six and expanded where daycares, home-based businesses like corner stores and cafes could operate. Smith said the province heard concerns from Albertans about "high-density infill, including parking, traffic, building size, and how new developments fit into established neighbourhoods."

"Responsible infill development must be appropriately scaled and supported by adequate utilities and water infrastructure," Smith said in a statement. "We can build more homes without asking people to give up the things that make their neighbourhood a place they want to call home."

At a news conference Thursday, Smith acknowledged that Edmonton had already made some amendments to lessen infill impact in established neighbourhoods but said "the overall approach to infill remains in place." She emphasized that the goal "should not simply be more housing, but more housing that is planned and integrated in a way that works for both existing residents as well as future families."

The city will have 18 months to conduct a broader review of its land-use bylaw, including public consultation and work with industry. Calgary has been directed to maintain its current pre-2024 bylaw framework and create an overlay identifying lands restored to previous low-density residential zones.