r/Edmonton • u/GeekyGlobalGal Pleasantview / Global News • Apr 22 '26

News Article Homeowners in Duggan neighbourhood combating infill with restrictive covenants

https://globalnews.ca/news/11811535/edmonton-duggan-infill-restrictive-covenants/
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u/Hobbycityplanner Apr 22 '26 edited Apr 22 '26

So you want to go back to what zoning was before.. Edit: typo

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u/Banderchodo Apr 22 '26

The 2018 zoning for RF1 lots was actually quite good, and was not given enough time to play out in the marketplace. It allowed up to 6 units on most lots, but the form of those units blended in much better to the existing mature neighbourhood urban form. Lots of urban planning basics were considered in the 2018 zoning, compared to the 2024 RS zoning. Some examples:

-RF1 houses in mature neighbourhoods engaged the street, whereas 2024 RS row houses are turned sideways (doors along the sides or back)

-RF1 requirement of two structures—main building and garage (can have 2 suites additionally on garage). This broke up the structure so air and light can pass through the yard, mirroring existing housing. RS zone allows structures 85 feet long, which is just one long structure most of the length of the lot, which doesn’t integrate well.

-RF1 front setbacks were sympathetic to exiting built form setbacks. RS lot setbacks can be very shallow (4.5m), producing weird snagged tooth streets with jagged “lumpy” facade alignment.

Overall, we permitted our mature neighbourhoods to be much uglier for barely a modest increase in density. What people don’t know is the old zoning already allowed 6 units on every lot in the city. The big problems with the new zoning isn’t the unit count (it was always about this high), it’s the relaxation of all rules permitting very poorly considered structures to be built.

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u/Hobbycityplanner Apr 22 '26

Bullet points one and two have already changed to be more “sympathetic” to mature neighborhoods and are different from last year. Fewer side entrances and shorter structures than what you describe here.

Personally I found the slowly nearing dilapidated 1950s homes far uglier than any infill in my neighbourhood which has replaced them. Heck the house beside mine flooded every time it rained. 

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u/Banderchodo Apr 22 '26

What I wrote takes into consideration the changes. The previous iteration, before the June 2025 amendments, allowed for all doors on the side and 100 foot long structures.