R-CG Rowhouse Collaboration with RNDSQR

We've been working with RNDSQR to design a number of townhouse projects that take advantage of Calgary's R-CG district. In collaboration with Turbulentarch, we prepared renderings for most of these projects, and we are pleased to share them here.

KL26

KL26

This project in Richmond has two units that face the street and two that face the avenue. The dual-orientation of the building offers an intriguing new perspective to the typical rowhouse massing, breaking it up the volume of the building and giving interest to each of the street facades. Additionally, the building is designed to soften the distinction between the individual units so the composition of the building as whole is what stands out. 

AL48

AL48

This four-unit project in Altadore, like KL26,  has two units facing the street and two units facing the avenue. The material palette includes black vertical corrugated metal, white stucco and natural cedar in a chevron pattern. The broken-up massing and high-quality materials help make this project fit well within the surrounding neighbourhood.

AL50

AL50

Also in Altadore, this four unit project faces 16th Street SW. The vertical cedar screen is flush to the parapet but has a variegated lower edge that gives the facade an organic, playful feel.

CB05

CB05

This project is on an unusual site facing 5th Street SW, but rather than having a rear lane, it has a lane along the side of the building. Because this put the garages along one side, we configured the entries along a common walkway along the other. While the walkway is at grade, it isn't on the ground. The lower level of CB05 extends past the main entry walls and under the walkway, giving the residents a large flex space that could be used as a third bedroom or a lower entertaining space. This space is daylit by a long window well that extends almost the entire depth of the property. Privacy from busy 5th Street is achieved in part with brick screens that obscure views but allow light to filter both in and out of the unit.

SC32

SC32

In Richmond, a stone's throw away from the Marda Loop commercial district, this four-unit rowhouse building features glazed lofts, and distinct unit facades textured with stone, stucco and cedar. With raked windows and large sliding patio doors, the loft area becomes a large indoor/outdoor space.

SAM Award Winner

Congratulations to RNDSQR and Gravity Architecture for the BILD Calgary Region SAM Awards win this past weekend. The eight unit project the Gravity team designed for RNDSQR in Mount Pleasant won in the category of Best New Design Villa/Duplex/Townhome 1,200 sq. ft. and over.

This project is one of Calgary's first R-CG rowhouse projects. It features seven two-storey-plus-basement rowhouse units, plus an additional two storey unit located above the garages on the lane. The residents each have their own rear amenity space, and also share a common courtyard amenity space in the centre of the property.

Mount Pleasant R-CG Redesignation

We were at City Hall last week for a public hearing on a couple of redesignations. We were happy to have council's support in redesignating a parcel in Mount Pleasant to R-CG for an eight unit townhouse development. 

Some community members thought that this was the thin edge of the wedge to allowing rowhouses in Mount Pleasant, and that the community is going a good job of maintaining their population with current development. As well, Councillor Cabot noted that this would allow the density to double compared to the current land use.

However, Councillor Carra thought it was a great townhouse form, and that this is exactly the kind of lot that the R-CG district was designed to address. Councillor Woolley commented that this project would make living in Mount Pleasant more affordable.

Councillor Farrell expressed that 20th Avenue is the perfect candidate for row housing. The communities of Capitol Hill identified this in their recent ARP. She said that Mount Pleasant has seen significant development of large single family infills and that they also welcomed multi-family on 17th Avenue. What they don't have is product in between the multi-residential and the single family homes (sometimes called the "missing middle"). She said that this street is the perfect candidate for this. She mentioned that Council even discussed this street when they introduced the R-CG land use district. 

Councillor Carra doesn't agree with members of the community that Mount Pleasant should hold their population steady. He believes that inner city populations should be increased and sometimes significantly. Carra declared that "twentieth Avenue is the poster child for the R-CG land use". He said that the missing middle is a very important housing type to introduce to the inner city, and that even semi-detached houses are now out of the price range of normal families.

Councillor Chabot noted that there are a lot of single detached homes on 20th Avenue that haven't been converted to semi-detached. He's concerned that the City is trying to densify the city too quickly. He said that he appreciates where the applicant is going with this, but that he doesn't feel comfortable with doubling the current density that is allowed on the site or quadrupling the existing density. He said "It's going a little to much too quickly."

Woolley noted that Council approved the multi-residential infill guidelines and that this lot fits within those guidelines. He said that "It's a prime candidate for our infill guidelines" and it's a very good location. He said "I'm very supportive of this application."

Councillor Sutherland said that this was a perfect location. He noted that the density was reduced from what was originally proposed.

Councillor Farrell reiterated that this is appropriate development. She concluded that "this is a traditional land form that once developed will fit in very nicely with the community."

After discussion, Council gave three reading to the Bylaw amendments and approved the redesignation.

Unfortunately, on another item, a redesignation to allow a secondary suite in Wildwood will not be going ahead.

R-CG Pre-App Meeting

This morning we had our first pre-application meeting for a potential R-CG parcel. We were very impressed by how open the planners at the City are about this redesignation. As well, the community was excited about it as well.

Because R-CG is not considered a multi-residential district in Calgary's Land Use Bylaw, there are fewer hurdles to jump in order to get an R-C2 parcel redesignated as R-CG. If there is an existing policy, such as an Area Redevelopment Plan, that indicates that a parcel should remain a Low Density use, the R-CG district still conforms. As well, because of its conventional format where entrances are on the street and are not internal to the parcel, neighbours and community associations are less concerned about R-CG developments causing conflicts with adjacent low density development.

Based on the positive feedback from the community association, neighbours and today's pre-application meeting, we're going to move forward with the land use redesignation. We'll keep our followers informed as this development progresses! 

Herald Article on R-CG

Jason Markusoff from the Calgary Herald wrote a short piece about Council's approval of the new R-CG district. This new district allows for R-C2 parcels to be redesignated as R-CG to allow for the construction of rowhouses rather than single-detached or semi-detached houses.

Essentially, by omitting the requirement for sideyards, the R-CG district gives developers more design flexibility in the creation of inner-city freehold projects. As well, the district does not have a parcel width requirement; rather, it has a minimum street facing facade width of 4.2 metres. This gives designers even more flexibility in unit configuration.

We're excited to find out the direction that the communities of Capitol Hill and Banff Trail go with this new district. We think it would be a great fit in their neighbourhoods.

Just a note of clarification: even though it is Stephen that is pictured in front of our Parcside Townhomes, it was in fact Trent that designed this project for Group 905. 

Council Approves Inner City Rowhouse District

Yesterday afternoon, Calgary City Council approved Bylaw 24P2014, introducing the R-CG district. Ostensibly replacing the Cottage Housing District (R-CH) which saw little to no interest from developers and builders, this new district allows for fee-simple rowhouses in Calgary's inner city.

Rowhouses, as described by Calgary's Land Use Bylaw, are residential units that are located side-by-side and face a public street. They are different from the Bylaw's townhouse units, which can be within larger developments and can face internal streets or green spaces. Oddly, rowhouses have been allowed out in Calgary's suburbs since 2008 in the R-2M district. Only with this new amendment have rowhouses finally been allowed within Calgary's inner city neighbourhoods.

This new district is exciting for builders and developers because it fills a niche between the ubiquitous R-C2 district, which allows for single and semi-detached dwellings, and the M-CG district, which allows for lower density multi-residential buildings. There is now an opportunity for a developer to redesignate an R-C2 parcel into an R-CG parcel and potentially increase the allowed density by 50%. This new district does allow for three units to fit on a 50' lot!

There are still challenges for developers. Principally, when this new district comes into effect, there will be no parcels in Calgary with the R-CG designation. This means that a developer will have to apply for a redesignation, and will have to present before Council. While everyone knows that this introduces a delay and uncertainty, the prospective developer should keep the following advantages in mind:

• The new district is consistent with the goals of Calgary's Municipal Development Plan, specifically helping Calgary achieve a more compact city, great communities, and good urban design.
• Neighbours and communities won't likely be as opposed to this district being adjacent to existing dwellings as it uses the same building typology as existing development: street/front yard/house/back yard/garage/lane. The previous option for increasing density—the M-CG district—allows alternative unit configurations that can result in front doors and amenity spaces in sideyards and backyards.
• There is a permitted use Rowhouse Building in the new district, which means that if the proposed design meets all of the related rules, the Building is permitted and is not subject to appeal.
• By increasing the number of units over and above what is possible in the R-C2 district, it is possible to both get more value out of the property and to place the new units in the market under the price of a typical semi-detached unit.

This new district is exciting for communities and homeowners because it encourages modest increases in density and affordability which will encourage more people to purchase new homes in existing neighbourhoods, which will in turn support existing schools and businesses, not to mention decreases in travel times and making transit even more effective.

We at Inertia are very excited to work with our clients to take advantage of this new district.

The Residential – Grade-Oriented Infill (R-CG) District will come into force on October 17th, 2014.