Calgary city council has rejected a RioCan proposal to build six mixed-use high-rises at the Glenmore Landing shopping centre in the city’s southwest.

The rejection came after days of heated debate during a packed public hearing, CBC reported.

The proposal aimed to add 1,165 multi-residential units in a transit-oriented development along 14th Street S.W. and 90th Avenue S.W., just south of Heritage Park. Although the project’s proponents highlighted its ability to provide housing amid Calgary’s growing population, council defeated the proposal in an 8-6 vote.

The plan had sparked fierce opposition from community members and several councillors, who raised concerns about traffic congestion, environmental risks, and the project’s impact on the nearby Glenmore Reservoir.

Following the vote, Mayor Jyoti Gondek expressed frustration with councillors, suggesting the rejection sends a poor message to private developers at a time when Calgary needs more housing.

“They’ve sent a very clear signal to the market that we don’t want your private sector money, we don’t want the millions of dollars you’re going to be investing into infrastructure,” Gondek told reporters. “I guess they’d rather have us do that, which means they’re actually going to charge taxpayers more for infrastructure that the private sector was willing to contribute to. Bizarre decision.”

But Kevin Taylor, a representative of the Palliser Bayview Pumphill Community Association, praised the council’s decision, calling it a victory for residents who had rallied against the proposal.

“I can tell you that council got it right, they listened to the citizens,” Taylor told reporters. “We’re not opposed to development. We want responsible development that’s going to protect, we say our drinking water, but our park, our reservoir park.”

Taylor added that he expects Toronto-based RioCan to refine its plans and return with a less ambitious proposal.

The proposal’s defeat revealed a stark divide among council members. Gondek and councillors Kourtney Penner, Jasmine Mian, Evan Spencer, Courtney Walcott, and Gian-Carlo Carra supported the plan, arguing it represented much-needed density in a transit-accessible location.

“All of the answers to all of your debate were there,” said Penner, the area’s councillor, during a council debate, who represents the area in question. “We can’t talk about an underutilized [bus rapid-transit hub] and then not put people where it is.”

However, opponents on council questioned the development’s alignment with transit-oriented principles. Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean argued the density was excessive and dismissed the site’s designation as a transit hub.

“This was just too much density in a small area. It’s not, in my opinion, transit-oriented design because it’s not a CTrain, it’s a bus stop.”

Concerns over the project’s proximity to the Glenmore Reservoir and its potential impact on Calgary’s drinking water were a major sticking point for several councillors.

“Our water is something that we have to be very mindful and concerned about,” said Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness, citing environmental risks as her primary reason for voting against the proposal.

Penner, however, dismissed these concerns as unfounded, criticizing her colleagues for what she called a reliance on “disinformation.”

“Our water services team takes our water quality very, very seriously … we have elected officials who are not standing up for professionals, and that is the demise of good governance,” she told reporters.

Pictured: Glenmore Landing shopping centre

Photo: RioCan