City staff are preparing to submit a Land Use and Outline Plan application for municipally owned lands within the Aurora Area Structure Plan (ASP) policy area.

The City-owned land in the Aurora ASP area (shown in the red hatched area) is currently zoned as “Industrial - Employee Intensive” according to Calgary’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP). But recent changes to the Airport Vicinity Protection Act (AVPA) have opened more options for land use. This calls for a fresh look and rethinking of the plan.

A new LOC application for City-owned land in Aurora will be submitted and reviewed. The site is located west of the Calgary International Airport and Deerfoot TR NE, south of 96 AV NE, and east of Harvest Hills Blvd NE. The review will be against a new Aurora Area Structure Plan that’s currently being developed.

An ASP outlines general land use concepts. On the other hand, a Land Use and Outline Plan application provides detailed information. It identifies where roads, development sites, and public spaces will be located within the ASP area, including potential densities. The Land Use and Outline Plan process also ensures that technical components like water, wastewater, and transportation infrastructure can support the proposed plan.

Aligning ASP and application efforts will help the application follow policy changes more closely. It’ll also create efficiencies and clarify how planning processes relate to each other. Ideally, Council could coordinate approval of the new ASP and LOC in a single public hearing.

After the ASP and planning application processes, engineering approvals and site servicing happen. This includes stripping and grading, installing utilities, and building roads, sidewalks, street lighting, and public spaces.

When development sites are nearly ready for construction, they’ll be marketed and sold publicly. During the DP process, purchasers will propose specific site coverage, building heights, and design through the Development Permit process.

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In Aurora, a significant part of City-owned land—about 83 acres—is anticipated to be preserved as Environmental Reserve. Additionally, 10% of the total developable area will serve as Municipal Reserve.

Other than land set aside for a light rail transit storage facility, recent assessments show that there are no additional land needs for City services in Aurora.

Development sites will be publicly marketed and sold for development based on the approved LOC.

We estimate that the LOC process will take about 1 year. After that, we’ll need another year for engineering approvals. The site servicing will be phased over 2 years. Finally, the phase 1 site sales will take 6 months. So, construction by future buyers will likely take at least 5 years.

Right now, we’re spreading the word about the Land Use and Outline Plan application alongside the concurrent ASP project. We’re also encouraging the public to sign up for project updates.

There will be opportunities for the public to give their input at important stages of the project. Please sign up to get updates and stay informed.

For questions regarding the Aurora LOC application, please contact 311.