Civic Affairs
VARSITY CIVIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
December 2025
Civic Election
Congratulations to all successful election candidates for City Council and School Boards and thanks to all who put their names forward. Our election forum on October 6 showcased a very talented group of 6 candidates for councillor and we thank them for participating. Thanks to The Sprawl for livestreaming the event.
Jeromy Farkas was elected mayor with former Ward 1 Councillor Sonya Sharp finishing a close second. Kim Tyres was elected as the new Ward 1 Councillor, Jenny Regal was elected as Calgary Board of Education Trustee, and Myra D’Souza was elected as Calgary Catholic School District Trustee. Thanks to all past members of Council for their public service and best wishes to the incoming Council.
Special thanks to Sonya Sharp for her past 4 years of dedicated service to all the residents of Ward 1 and the city at large. Sonya spent many hours researching the issues, attending meetings, working with communities, and advocating on behalf of all Calgarians. Serving on Council entails an incredible amount of work with very long hours and I’m sure all Varsity residents would like to extend their sincere appreciation for her outstanding commitment and representation to Sonya
Development Permit and Land Use Redesignation Applications in Varsity
We have had a number of development permit and land use redesignation applications in Varsity:
If you wish to view the plans for these sites, go to https://developmentmap.calgary.ca/ and click on the property in question.
132 Varsity Estates Place NW
This is a very controversial application to rezone a property on a cul-de-sac backing onto the golf course to H-GO which is a higher density rowhouse than what would be permitted under the current zoning of R-CG. The developer requested that the meeting scheduled for December 2, 2025 be delayed until 2026. This application will require a public hearing before City Council. Additional information can be found on the Varsity Community Association website.
Repeal of Blanket Rezoning
A majority of the new Council elected October 20, 2025 have pledged to repeal blanket rezoning. A Notice of Motion to repeal will go before Council on December 15. If that motion passes, a new public hearing will be scheduled early in 2026.
Additional City Planning Policy Changes
The City is proposing to amalgamate the Municipal Development Plan and the Calgary Transportation Plan into a new document called The Calgary Plan.
Also, the Land Use Bylaw is proposed to be replaced by the Zoning Bylaw which will contain many new policies including an Open Parking Strategy which eliminates minimum parking requirements for all forms of residential development including apartment buildings. A number of discretionary uses will become permitted uses which would not be appealable. Visit www.calgary.ca/citybuilding for more information.
Restrictive Covenants
Restrictive Covenants are an agreement between neighbours that limit the type of development that can be built on their properties. More information can be obtained at www.varsityrestrictivecovenant.com
Playgrounds
This has been on hold due to other pressing issues but I’m hoping to get the committee activated in 2026. Varsity has 30 playgrounds in need of upgrades