The infill working group has been working on discussion items in the LUB that are intended to incentivize front porches. Your community representatives on this working group include members from Parkdale, Calgary Rosedale and Bridgeland Riverside. Below is a summary on the discussion points. Please be advised that these are NOT final and subject to further changes.
Intent of front porches
Discussion focused on encouraging porches that face public streets. Agreed upon principals for were:
- Porches should provide the opportunity for more social interaction by providing residents with a covered outdoor space between the house and the public sidewalk;
- More social interaction with neighbours and more residents watching the street can improve informal security (eyes on the street);
- The porch area must be functional, therefore it must be large enough for residents to comfortably enjoy the space; and
- Incentives should only be for porches that face a street.
Discussion items for Land Use Bylaw (LUB) amendments for front porches (NOT finalized)
- Porches facing a street may project 1.8 m into the required front and side setbacks , but not beyond the district minimum (usually 3 m for the front and 1.2 m for the side)
- The area of a porch that projects 1.8 m or less from the street facing wall of a house will be exempt from parcel coverage
- Porches must be open, except for a railing, on the front and sides
- To be eligible for parcel coverage exemptions, a porch must not be higher than 0.6m from grade
- A balcony would be allowed on the roof above a porch as long as the balcony is not covered and is open on the front and the sides
*if you have any thoughts or comments or needs some clarification, please reach out to Carrie at engageinplanning@calgarycommunities.com or 403.244.4111 ext 210