So it begins. Yes, it’s a trickle today, but a much bigger trickle than a year ago.

There are consequences for city council’s decisions and we’ll watch them play out across Calgary neighbourhoods in the months and years ahead.

By recently approving blanket rezoning, council upended the long-held assumption that your neighbourhood would keep its essential structure and your quality of life wouldn’t be challenged by developments on your doorstep. In May, that premise and assumed promise between those paying taxes and those spending the proceeds was tossed out. Instead, it’s open season for developers wanting to erect duplexes, townhouses and row housing next to your bungalow.

The first whiff of Calgary’s future arrived with the tallying of recent development applications for those exact types of multi-family dwellings. Between May 14 and Aug. 12, City Hall received 51 such applications, which is more than double the 24 from the same timeframe last year.........

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