Frequently Asked Questions

The site was part of the City of Calgary’s land bank program where land is provided to not-for-profits to build much needed affordable housing in our community. Trellis was the successful proponent in securing this land from the City of Calgary as part of a Non-Market Land Sale in 2023. Additionally, Trellis has long been in the community providing services to families and we know that Bowness is known for being welcoming and inclusive. It is a fabulous community to raise a family.

Trellis wanted the flexibility to address some of the issues raised by the community, specifically parking. We understand that there is a high water table in the area and that an underground parkade may not be feasible. The MU-1 land use allows us the height we need to bring all the parking on site as a unique design solution. We have provided a series of modifiers to the base land use to ensure that we fit better into the community context – height of 20.5 m, floor area ratio of 3.0, and a maximum of 50 units. The additional 0.5 m will accommodate a rooftop amenity.

The property was originally acquired by the City in 1973 for future Shaganappi Trail/Bow River overpass that never progressed. The property’s current land use is Residential – Grade Oriented Infill (R-CG). The Bowness Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) was approved by City Council on December 17, 2019, identifying the property as within the “Neighbourhood – Mid-Rise” district, and did not include the parcel in its current or future open space plans. The property was determined to be surplus to municipal requirements and on October 14, 2022, Council approved a Method of Disposition (MOD) that included 6623 Bowness Rd NW as a Non-Market Land Sale #3 (NMLS#3) site. The property was marketed in March 2023 and Trellis Society was selected as the successful applicant. A portion of the proceeds of the sale are to be reinvested into other Park infrastructure elsewhere in the community. Please refer to the 2019 Bowness Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) map for more information.

Area Redevelopment Plans (ARPs) are planning documents that set out comprehensive land use policies and proposals to guide the future of individual communities. The Bowness Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) was approved by City Council on December 17, 2019. The Bowness ARP's planning horizon is 10-15 years and was developed with Bownesian feedback. The ARP indicates that residential land use is a key strategy for Bowness. In Section 6.5 the City of Calgary has indicated that City owned lands presently designated for residential land use should be expedited and re-use to maximize housing choices. The New Home for Families building is on City owned land currently designated as Residential - Grade Oriented Infill (R-CG). Adjacent properties are zoned as Multi-Residential Contextual Medium Profile District (M-C2) and Multi-Residential Contextual Low Profile District (M-C1). In the Bowness ARP this parcel is designated as Neighbourhood Mid-Rise. The City of Calgary Developed Areas Guidebook (PDF) defines this as: predominantly for residential uses; up to six storeys in height; and providing a sensitive interface between higher intensity and lower intensity areas.

Trellis has entered into an agreement with the City of Calgary and title will be transferred once land use is achieved.

As part of the disposition of this land from the City of Calgary, a portion of the proceeds of the sales are to be re-invested into other Park infrastructure elsewhere in the community. We know the current playground equipment is out of date. As Trellis also works, lives, and plays here in Bowness, we value outdoor safe play areas for all children and families. We will work with the City of Calgary to develop a park and playground in close proximity to the current location that is safe and accessible for all children and families. Please refer to the 2019 Bowness Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) open space and schools map for more information.

We understand that parking is a real concern for the community. We also understand that there is a high water table in the community that may make an underground parkade not feasible in this case. We are working on a concept that would allow us to have units fronting Bowness Road and Bowwood Drive and accommodate parking on the same level.

Trellis provides services in many communities across Calgary to a diverse group of individuals and families. We have supports within the community now and do not believe that an additional 50 units of family housing will bring crime to the neighbourhood.

We will complete all the required studies requested by the City of Calgary.

We have hired Chandos Construction as our Construction Manager. Chandos is a construction firm with significant experience constructing buildings within existing communities. We will post our construction plan closer to our start date and will commit to communicating any impacts to community members including those living next to our site.

We will provide a mix of units facing the two street frontages, in addition to units facing east and west, ensuring active frontages along all building façades. Units that have balconies facing shared property lines will have a minimum setback distance of 4.0m from the property line which provides an appropriate separation between neighbouring properties. Window design will be carefully considered to ensure a good level of privacy is provided to and from the building.

Chandos Construction is our construction manager with significant experience on creating safe construction sites. The site will be fenced. We are confident that a safe site can be created during construction.

Our intention is to maintain this building as affordable housing in perpetuity, but we are committed to maintain this housing type for at least 20 years under our grant funding agreements.

We are planning for no more than 50 units of family housing on the site.

Trellis provides services and housing to families in need. It is our intention to house families in need including multi-generational families in our building. We have a number of three-bedroom units as our families tend to be larger and are planning to co-locate studio apartments next to the three-bedrooms to accommodate multi-generational families. Trellis' Bowness Hub in 2023 identified 27 Bownesian families who were at risk of homelessness. Trellis is working to support our neighbours to get the support they need to be safe.

If parking is on the main level e.g., surface parking, we will need an additional 4-5 levels to accommodate all the required housing – up to 50 units.

The national average of all affordable housing stock is 6%, whereas Calgary’s is only 3.6%.[1] In Calgary, the number of households in a housing crisis rose from 2018 by 4,600 to 84,600 in 2021. This means nearly 1 in 5 Calgary households cannot afford their housing.[2] We are working to maximize the number of units on site to meet the need in a small way and at the same time make our financial proformas work. [1] Non-Profit Affordable Housing Land Survey, City of Calgary, 2018. file:///Users/sydneymadi/Downloads/non-profit-survey-july-20.pdf [2] City of Calgary, Housing Needs Assessment, 2023. https://www.calgary.ca/communities/housing-in-calgary/housing-needs-assessment.html

We are planning to use durable materials for the exterior of the building that are both low in maintenance and attractive. Building envelopes have really come a long way and we plan to investigate all options. We too want to be proud of the buildings we own and feel it is critically important that we fit well into the community context. Trellis has been working in the Bowness community since 1976 and want to maintain our presence for many years to come.

The new facility encompasses approximately 59,000 square feet over up to six floors. While the design is not yet complete, we anticipate that there will be units and parking on the first floor with the next five floors housing with up to 50 units. The building will be approximately 20.5 m. Twenty percent of the facility will be barrier-free housing units (10 units).

All garbage containers will be housed inside the building or within a waste enclosure to respect our neighbours.

Our hope is to be in the ground constructing the new building in the spring of 2025. We anticipate 16-18 months of construction with the building opening for families in the fall of 2026.

When we host the open house in September, we will be at the schematic design phase which means there will be opportunity for feedback to be incorporated into the design as we move forward. We started our design after our meeting with the Community Association on June 5, of this year.

Trellis has received funding from the municipal and federal governments and in the application process for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) funding from the federal government. We anticipate that we will also need funding from the community and are working to secure that funding now.