Following the largest public hearing in Calgary’s history, City Council made a future-altering decision to empower Calgarians and provide the opportunity to develop middle housing. Just a few months earlier, Edmonton City Council was met with little opposition when they made a similar change, despite even more aggressive policy. So, what was the difference? We made the trip to Edmonton to ask Mayor Sohi.

Follow us on social media.
Instagram: @mddl.co
LinkedIn: @mddlco
TikTok: @mddl.co

Subscribe for more middle housing content or visit www.mddl.co for more information.

#MayorSohi #HousingCrisis #Housing #Rezoning #ExclusionaryZoning #Middle #MiddleHousing #MissingMiddle #SingleFamilyHomes #GentleDensity #PopulationGrowth #EdmontonHousing #Alberta #YEG

This week Al is talking with Tye Reidie, Principal at Canada ICI (aka, Al’s “finance guru”). In this episode, Al and Tye talk about Canada ICI’s work, how to find financing for middle housing projects, managing debt for a project, the Canadian rental market, interest rates and what it actually takes to participate in middle housing.

Want to learn more about middle housing development? Sign-up for the mddl School waitlist: https://www.mddl.co/#Event

Show notes:

• 02:00 – How Tye supports middle housing projects.
• 03:00 – Finding the best interest rates.
• 07:00 – Will Canada’s rental market continue to grow?
• 09:00 – Are these programs actually helping affordability.
• 10:20 – The lack of upward mobility in Canada’s housing market.
• 14:00 – The biggest impact Calgary’s rezoning will have.
• 16:00 – What does it take to participate in middle housing?
• 18:00 – How mddl School can support you.
• 19:40 – Being a tenant in your own property. How middle housing changes home ownership.

Learn more about Canada ICI: https://www.canadaici.com/

Jared Chamberlain is the Team Lead at Chamberlain Group, a Calgary-based real estate group that services Calgary and the surrounding area. Jared joins Al to talk about Calgary’s citywide rezoning, the city’s fast expansion, what is happening with interest rates and when people considering buying property should take the plunge.

Show notes:

• 00:30 – Calgary’s citywide rezoning and the public hearing.
• 02:00 – What it has been like seeing the city expand so rapidly.
• 04:00 – Calgary is no longer a secondary market for real estate.
• 05:00 – What is actually happening with Canadian interest rates? Should you buy property?
• 07:00 – Will housing get anymore affordable?
• 11:30 – Are there negatives to consider about citywide rezoning for real estate?
• 14:30 – How fast middle properties rent out.
• 16:00 – Middle housing fills a gap for families.
• 18:30 – How to empower homeowners who get equity trapped.

Chamberlain Group: https://www.chamberlaingroup.ca/

Want to learn more about middle housing development? Sign-up for the mddl School waitlist: https://www.mddl.co/#Event

UPDATE: Coffee In a Cocktail Bar is now Meet in the mddl. Thank you for subscribing!

Calgary recently approved citywide rezoning, one of 98 recommendations a task force put together with Ward 8 Councillor, Courtney Walcott. In this episode, Courtney talks with Al about how the 98 recommendations came to be, what level of involvement the city has with property development projects, how the rezoning will be monitored long term and more.

Want to learn more about middle housing development? Sign-up for the mddl School: https://www.mddl.co/#Event

Show notes:

• 00:30 – What’s Courtney’s “why” for getting into politics?
• 03:00 – Courtney’s experience growing up in Scarborough and when he moved to Calgary.
• 06:40 – What it has been like working for Calgary while Alberta has boomed.
• 13:50 – The City of Calgary’s Housing Recommendations; where did the 98 recommendations come from?
• 18:30 – Why citywide rezoning was proposed and how it creates opportunities for middle housing.
• 23:50 – What percentage of housing in Ward 8 is actually middle?
• 28:00 – How Calgary can introduce gentle density housing in a way that balances the needs of homeowners and those seeking homes.
• 31:00 – How the recommendations will be monitored long term.
• 33:00 – How adding gentle density with middle housing increases land value.

More about Courtney Walcott: https://www.calgary.ca/council/ward-8/warddefault.html

Mike Payne is a partner and the Client Services Director at Arcade Studios, an award-winning Calgary-based digital agency. He joins Al to talk about Calgary’s housing options for families, wanting to live around the hub of a city and middle housing.

Show notes:

• 00:30 – How Mike ended up in Calgary.
• 01:30 – Mike’s experience with housing in Canada and the U.S.
• 06:35 – Why Mike is keeping his family in Calgary’s inner city.
• 09:00 – Does Mike have safety concerns living in the inner city?
• 11:30 – Why Mike’s family is choosing to rent.
• 15:30 – How middle housing creates an opportunity for people in Mike’s stage of life.
• 19:15 – What would it take to get young people engaged in the housing discussion?

Arcade Studios: https://www.arcadearcade.ca/

Want to learn more about middle housing development? Sign-up for the mddl School waitlist: https://www.mddl.co/#Event

Richard White is the writer behind the blog, Everyday Tourist. He is always searching for new experiences and surprises as he wanders the streets, parks, plaza and alleys of Calgary and other cities. Richard worked a variety of roles over his career, including an urban development consultant. He joins Al to talk about his stance that senior Calgarians want larger, more accessible spaces.

Show notes:

• 00:30 – Why Richard has chosen to stay in the inner city.
• 04:00 – What Calgary gets wrong defining the “inner city.”
• 06:00 – Thoughts on the downtown office conversions.
• 12:00 – Why we’re seeing an unprecedented demand for row houses.
• 14:00 – Accessible housing for seniors.
• 16:00 – Why it’s important to give owners the power with the rezoning process.
• 20:00 – The importance of immigration in Canada.

Everyday Tourist: https://everydaytourist.ca/richard

Want to learn more about middle housing development? Sign-up for the mddl School waitlist: https://www.mddl.co/#Event

Alice Lam is a commercial portfolio manager, business owner and founder of several non-profit initiatives. She has lived in all four quadrants during her time in Calgary. She joins Al to talk about Calgarians’ housing needs, how middle housing affects property owners and the impact density has on small businesses.

Show notes:

• 00:40 – Alice’s experience growing up in Calgary.
• 03:20 – How Good Neighbour and the Community Fridge were started.
• 07:30 – Balancing working in both the non-profit and the for-profit spaces.
• 09:50 – Calgarians getting pushed down the housing spectrum.
• 12:00 – Calgary’s 98 housing recommendations.
• 15:00 – How middle housing will affect property owners.
• 18:00 – Small businesses thrive off of density.

Want to learn more about middle housing development? Sign-up for the mddl School waitlist: https://www.mddl.co/#Event

Jeffrey Cox is a realtor in Calgary who works with clients across a spectrum of ages and housing needs. He joins Al to talk about what the realities are around housing affordability in Calgary, if middle housing projects detract buyers from neighbourhoods, why “city wide rezoning” sounds more daunting than it is and why he’s excited for mddl School.

Show notes:

• 00:20 – A bit about Jeffrey and his work as a realtor.
• 01:50 – The challenges young people face buying property in Calgary.
• 03:45 – Where Jeffrey’s clients are buying property.
• 04:30 – How to get affordability back.
• 05:30 – Are more people renting longer?
• 08:30 – Is middle housing detracting people from buying in certain neighbourhoods?
• 13:00 – Jeffrey’s personal middle housing project.
• 17:00 – mddl School and how it can help people new to the industry.

Want to learn more about middle housing development? Sign-up for the mddl School waitlist: https://www.mddl.co/#Event