Internal Review Finds Canmore Zoning Rules Too Complex, Town Launches Full Rewrite of Its Land Use Bylaw

The Town of Canmore has launched a full rewrite of its Land Use Bylaw, the rulebook that governs what can be built, where it can be built, and how development must take shape across the community.

The effort is expected to run through 2028 and will replace the current bylaw with a new version built from the ground up. According to internal Town reports, the existing system has grown too complex, too inconsistent and too difficult to use, not just for developers and designers, but for residents trying to understand what is allowed in their neighbourhoods.

Those reports describe a bylaw that has expanded through layers of amendments and special cases over time. The result, staff conclude, is a document that is harder to navigate, harder to interpret and not fully aligned with today’s housing, climate and environmental priorities.

One internal review found that even basic access is a problem.

“At over 600 pages and provided only in PDF format, the Bylaw is not optimized for online use,” the report states. It adds that it is “hard for residents, applicants, and staff to quickly find the information they need.”

The same review found that similar areas of town are often governed by very different rules.

“Even similar land use districts vary considerably,” the report says, leading to “uneven expectations and confusion.”

A System Built on Custom Rules

A major finding is how much of Canmore is regulated through site specific zoning instead of standard zones.

“More than half of developable land in Canmore is regulated through customized Direct Control districts,” the Town analysis states. These districts are intended for special situations but are now widely used across town.

Direct Control districts function like custom zoning rulebooks for individual sites. While flexible, they tend to be longer and more negotiation driven. The report says this adds “length, complexity, and negotiation-heavy processes.”

Another indicator that the rules may not match on the ground reality is how often projects need formal exceptions.

“Many developments consistently require exceptions because the rules may not fully reflect current market demands or site constraints,” the report says.

When variances become common instead of rare, staff suggest it signals that base rules may be misaligned with real conditions.

Why This Matters Beyond Developers

Zoning bylaws are often viewed as technical documents for planners and builders. But the Town’s own findings connect the rewrite directly to resident priorities, including housing diversity, affordability, sustainability and wildfire resilience.

One section of the internal review states plainly, “The current Land Use Bylaw may not be serving the community as effectively as it could.”

The report says gaps between policy goals and zoning rules limit the Town’s ability to deliver on its stated priorities.

“Gaps or inconsistencies between the Bylaw and the Municipal Development Plan may limit our ability to achieve community priorities, notably housing diversity, affordability, sustainability, and wildlife coexistence.”

On housing, the review points to a mismatch between Canmore’s growth plans and its zoning map.

“Exclusionary or low-density zoning is prevalent in several areas of Canmore, often limiting development to detached single-family dwellings and preventing residents of different income levels from finding suitable housing in a given neighbourhood.”

The report also notes that smaller and more flexible housing formats are encouraged in policy but often blocked by technical standards in the bylaw itself.

“Various regulations … prevent alternative designs from being practical or viable,” including minimum lot sizes, lot widths and setbacks.

Climate and Sustainability Conflicts Inside the Rules

The internal review also flags several places where zoning rules work against the Town’s climate and sustainability goals.

“Sustainability is one of three foundational values” in Canmore’s long term planning framework, the report notes. But current zoning contains “potential gaps” that pull in the opposite direction.

Among the examples listed are design rules that discourage energy efficient construction and parking minimums that do not reflect changing transportation patterns.

The report highlights that current floor area calculations can penalize thicker, better insulated walls by counting them against allowable building size. It also notes that some mechanical equipment tied to electrification faces barriers.

“Side yard setbacks disallows air conditioners” and “air source heat pumps and other AC units are essentially prohibited,” the internal findings state.

Wildlife and Fire Risk Gaps

Environmental protection is another area where staff say policy and regulation are out of sync.

The Town’s planning policies call for protecting wildlife corridors, habitat areas and sensitive lands. But the zoning bylaw does not clearly translate those goals into enforceable standards.

“The current Land Use Bylaw lacks sufficient regulations to ensure the Municipal Development Plan’s goals will be achieved,” the report says. It adds that the rules “fail to provide clarity to applicants on what is expected and required of development” near wildlife corridors and sensitive areas.

FireSmart principles are also not well integrated.

“FireSmart is largely absent from the bylaw,” the internal review notes, and adds that some landscaping and design provisions may conflict with wildfire resilience practices.

A separate internal best practices report recommends that future rules should “integrate wildfire resilience into development permits” and remove regulatory barriers to safer construction.

A Different Structure Ahead

In addition to identifying problems, Town staff reviewed how other municipalities have modernized their zoning systems.

That research points to clearer writing, simpler zoning categories and more user-friendly digital tools. One recommended change is to use fewer main zone types, with a small number of special overlays for things like hazards or sensitive areas, instead of dozens of highly customized zones.

It also recommends moving away from static PDFs toward interactive, web based zoning bylaws that are searchable and easier for the public to use.

“Web-based bylaws improve transparency, equity, and efficiency,” the report states, and “reduce reliance on staff for basic inquiries.”

For residents, the rewrite will shape the fine print behind growth, housing options, building form and environmental protection across Canmore. Town staff describe it as a rare opportunity to replace a rulebook that has become difficult to use with one designed for how the community plans to grow.