As Bowness development continues, residents reflect on changing community

Amir Said · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 22, 2025 1:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

What was erstwhile a tiny bungalow successful Bowness has made mode for a caller rowhouse improvement designed for up to 8 families.

It's lone 1 of galore high-density lodging projects underway successful the northwest Calgary neighbourhood, which has been sought aft by developers since metropolis assembly approved broad rezoning past May.

The argumentation alteration was contentious, as the determination was preceded by Calgary's longest-ever assembly gathering that saw implicit 700 residents talk astatine a nationalist hearing. Some successful the metropolis person continued to situation the argumentation passim the twelvemonth pursuing council's decision.

The decorator down that rowhouse development, Cesar Amaya of Amaya Design, told the Calgary Eyeopener the broad rezoning bylaw has been a gamechanger.

"It's redeeming truthful overmuch time," said Amaya. "Before, we had to spell done the rezoning process to beryllium capable to physique thing similar this, and for them to conscionable beryllium capable to spell consecutive to applications with this, it's been amazing."

LISTEN | Developer discusses wherefore he's gathering successful Bowness:

The improvement was approved by the metropolis past June, just nether a period aft assembly approved broad rezoning.

Amaya said he landed connected gathering successful Bowness owed to the neighbourhood's earthy beauty, arsenic good arsenic its proximity to downtown and the mountains.

"It's conscionable a large spot for families to determination into," helium said.

With up to 8 families moving into a portion that antecedently held one, Amaya acknowledged there's been pushback from immoderate residents owed to concerns astir issues similar parking.

"It isn't a cleanable solution," Amaya said connected broad rezoning. "But I deliberation it's a needed solution for the lodging situation we're surviving through."

Blanket rezoning was billed arsenic a effect to Calgary's increasing colonisation and concerns astir lodging insecurity, but immoderate residents stay unconvinced.

Aging infrastructure successful a increasing neighbourhood

Bowness nonmigratory Jean Woeller, 1 of the 736 speakers astatine past year's nationalist hearing, told the Calgary Eyeopener she considered broad rezoning a "cop out," due to the fact that it doesn't relationship for the circumstantial needs of antithetic communities.

"I didn't judge that broad rezoning was existent municipality planning," she said.

LISTEN | Bownesian raises concerns astir broad rezoning:

Since metropolis assembly approved broad rezoning, Woeller said Bowness — which had been attracting improvement licence applications agelong earlier council's determination — is "radically changing."

 "Even earlier the hearing, you'd spot signs of developers consenting to acquisition your location each done the neighourhood," Woeller said. "[Now] each country batch is being converted into multiplexes."

She pointed to the strain a higher colonisation density could enactment connected the community's aging infrastructure as 1 of her concerns astir accrued development.

Woeller, erstwhile portion of the Bowness Community Association readying team, said she felt the neighbourhood wasn't properly consulted astir broad rezoning by the city. With a municipal predetermination approaching this fall, she said she hopes a caller assembly is elected that volition reverse past year's decision.

Nature, concern and a consciousness of community

A trio of Bowness residents shared a scope of opinions connected improvement successful their assemblage with the Calgary Eyeopener.

LISTEN | Three Bownesians sermon surviving and moving successful a changing community:

"I'm a instrumentality of gathering up alternatively of gathering out, truthful I bash admit that we're doing it. I conscionable deliberation it needs to beryllium smart," said Michelle Edworthy, a Bownesian of 15 years.

Edworthy, who has a inheritance successful agriculture and biology education, said her concerns revolve astir societal issues and the environment.

"There needs to beryllium thought astir however to physique for the radical who are already here," said Edworthy, expressing interest astir whether existing residents could be priced retired of the assemblage arsenic it grows.

She said that she and galore others were drawn to Bowness owed to its earthy scenery, which improvement whitethorn enactment astatine risk.

'We're losing beauteous trees," Edworthy said. "How bash we scenery successful a mode that honours this abstraction and our continuity with the parkland space?"

Shawn Graham, proprietor and relation of Bona Roma Little Italian Eatery, welcomes maturation arsenic an accidental to summation his lawsuit base.

"The much mouths that determination into Bowness, the much I get to feed," helium said.

As a section restaurateur, maturation is bully for Graham. But aft surviving successful the neighbourhood for fractional a century, helium doesn't privation to spot Bowness suffer what makes it Bowness.

"I don't needfully similar the tearing down of beauteous aged homes, the architecture, the trees," helium said.

"We're conscionable going to person to enactment harder to effort and prolong immoderate of it. Things get torn down mode excessively fast.

Fellow Bownesian concern proprietor Melba Seto said she wants to guarantee the assemblage keeps its tone arsenic it grows.

"It's our work arsenic Bownesians to truly animate radical to proceed the traditions that we already have," said Seto, proprietor of Bowness Soapspace.

Seto said she considers maturation to beryllium important, but she expressed concerns astir "very assertive development."

"People determination to Bowness due to the fact that they privation to person that consciousness of community, and that enslaved betwixt your neighbours and your friends," she said. "When you person specified an assertive build, you person radical that don't person that accidental to really physique those relationships."

Responding to accelerated colonisation growth

Reid Hendry, the city's new chief lodging officer, called the gait of improvement successful Bowness a "natural response" to the colonisation maturation Calgary's experienced successful the past mates years.

With higher-density lodging units being developed passim Calgary, Hendry said "the mean authorities of cities is change, is growth, is adaptation."

He applauded broad rezoning's implementation, arguing it removes a time-consuming measurement successful a process done which the overwhelming bulk of improvement licence applications are approved anyway.

But Hendry acknowledged residents' concerns around the changes that travel with accrued development.

He urged developers to consult communities and guarantee "what we are designing and implementing is working, [while also] recognizing that alteration volition occur."