Lake Bonavista Restrictive Covenant (RC) Initiative


Restrictive Covenant Information Meetings

In Person

Saturday, February 8 at 1pm

Friday, April 4 at 6:30pm

Willow Ridge Community Association

680 Acadia Dr SE

Virtual

Thursday, Feb 27 at 7pm

Meeting Link: meet.google.com/adb-vyfs-cpk

Thursday, April 10 at 7pm

Meeting Link: meet.google.com/isp-ceef-mad


This site is dedicated to the initiative to add a Restrictive Covenant to the property titles in Lake Bonavista to protect the character and nature of our community as one of single-family homes with big trees and quiet, safe streets. More Information about the rationale behind ths effort was published in the August 2024 Bonavista Bugle

As of August 6, 2024 Blanket R-CG Rezoning for the majority of housing in Calgary is in effect, including Lake Bonavista.

RC-G on a typical 50ft lot

Since the new zoning has come into effect, the following have been proposed in neighbouring communities:

Queensland

652 Queensland Dr SE

Development Permit

Rowhouse Building (4 units), Secondary Suite (4 suites)

3 storey (approximately 10 metres) in height

City News Article

Lakeview

2612 66 Ave SW

Development Permit

Townhouse Building (4 units), Secondary Suite (4 suites), Accessory Residential Building (1 building, garage)

2.5 storey (approximately 10 metres) in height

Braeside

11027 Bradbury Dr SW

Development Permit

Rowhouse Building (4 units), Secondary Suite (4 suites)

3 storey (approximately 10 metres) in height

Curtis Marble from Carbert Waite LLP was retained to draft a Restrictive Covenant (RC) for property owners of Lake Bonavista to prevent this type of development. Curtis Marble is also working with several other Calgary communities on their RC initiatives.


In the News

CBC: Court challenge of Calgary rezoning bylaw rejected

Council acted within its powers, fairly, and with sufficiently open minds, judge decides

Calgary Herald: Judge sides with city in ruling to uphold blanket rezoning

In the ruling, Justice Michael Lema wrote that the Municipal Government Act empowers the city to enact blanket rezoning and it did so in a procedurally fair manner, while providing sufficient notice to the public

Calgary Herald: Nelson: City council discovers we’re not sheep after all

Step by step, the Calgary we used to know, with its sense of shared community, disappears

Calgary Herald: Homeowners against blanket zoning turn to restrictive covenants to block redevelopment

A growing number of households in Calgary are registering restrictive covenants on their land titles, pushing back against new city zoning regulations that allow for higher density in older communities.


Call to Action


Restrictive Covenant Signing Meeting

Sunday, November 24, 12pm - 4pm

Lake Bonavista - Bonavista Room

757 Lake Bonavista Dr SE

This meeting is for those who sign up by November 20, 2024.

If you cannot attend, please sign up and email info@bonavistarc.com to attend a different session.

There are three steps and a $500 fee to register the Restrictive Covenant on your property:

  1. Fill out this form to provide:
    • Name(s) on title
    • Street address with postal code
    • Phone number
    • Are you legally married? Yes/No. If you are divorced or your spouse has passed away please let us know that too.
  2. E-transfer $500 to etransfer@carbertwaite.com and assign password CarbertWaite.
    • Include your name, address and our file number 124384.001 in the comments section.
  3. Attend a Signing Meeting
    • Bring government issued ID
    • Spouses must attend signing together

At the signing meeting you will be asked to sign:

Sign up for the RC

“As a realtor for 23 years, now retired, I sold many homes in our community. My big emphasis was always to protect our lake, after all, it is the lake that gives you value in your property. We all should be proud of the community we live in and need to protect what we purchased. I strongly encourage you to consider having an RC on your property for the benefit of all.”
- Beverly T, Retired Realtor

“If I’m not willing to put an RC on my property to help protect my street, how can I expect my neighbours to follow suit? It’s a team effort.”
- Lisa M, Retired Teacher

““My wife and I signed the RC because we wanted to step up and do what we could do to protect and maintain the quality of life in Lake Bonavista that we have known and loved since 1991."
- Dr Roger D, Retired Economist

““I signed the RC as I was very upset that city council went against the wishes of the majority of residents of the city they supposedly represent. A single-family lot could be redeveloped to accommodate up to 12 families, with 1/2 a parking spot per unit, no mention of where the new 36 bins would be placed. This RC initiative would make such redevelopment very difficult. In order to ask my neighbours to sign the RC, I need to do so as well. Judging by the animosity towards this rezoning shown during the meeting at the rec centre, this gives the community a way to fight back.”
- Nora B

“My wife moved into long-term care two years ago and I don’t know how much longer I am going to be in my house. I am signing the RC for my neighbours so they don’t have to face the uncertainty of what could eventually happen with my property when I no longer live here.”
- Herbert S, Longtime Homeowner

““My wife and I moved to Lake Bonavista in early 2023. We love the neighborhood and moving to this community was largely because we wanted to Iive in this community. We enjoy the wide streets, large lots and weekends at the lake in the summer and winter. We wanted to be in an area where our child could have a sense of community, similar to what we enjoyed as children. We moved from a nearby neighbourhood which has many multi-family homes mixed in with single family homes. The difference in the community here versus our prior neighbourhood is night and day. ... There are parts of the city where increasing density makes sense but for our lake community it does not fit in. We believe having an oasis of single-family homes with an ever-busier City of Calgary will actually drive these house prices up, not limit an ultimate sale price. If a resource (like single family homes with large lots) becomes even more rare,”
- Dan T, New Homeowner

See More Testimonials