05-04-2022, 12:23 PM
(05-04-2022, 12:09 PM)jamincan Wrote: Call me a NIMBY, but I'm not really convinced that a lot of these new projects like the TEK Tower are making even a tiny dent in the issue of housing affordability. I can't even comprehend who would consider buying those shoe box units for those prices to the point that I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that we're filling our cities with the real estate equivalent of hyped-up NFTs. I'm not sure a moratorium on development is the right response, but I'm also not sure that loosing the reins is the right response either and the conservative part of me is that it's better to wait and do nothing for the time being than it is to barrel ahead without better understanding of the problem and live with the wrong thing for the rest of our lives.
Doesn't have to make you a NIMBY - its possible to be pro-development and simultaneously concerned that certain developments are not held to a sufficient quality or merit standard. Every TEK tower that goes up is setting back the argument that quality and livable condo/apartment developments are reasonable for 1-2 bed household units when they aren't all created equal.
To me: its less about loosening the reigns than it is whether we're wasting staff, council and public time on piecemeal battles over every development that leads to a proposal to just block them all indefinitely, vs. a clear eyed identification of what the actual supposed problems are and what can be done to adjust and focus work on system level changes.
The unproductive, stagnating preference of a vocal portion of opponents that would see a pause as a chance to catch up and block these kinds of higher density projects wholesale are not truly motivated by affordability, family oriented developments, or changing zoning. If they were, they would be concerned with the lack of as-of-right zoning permitting 3-6 story multi units in their heritage encirclement of downtown or the continued existence of enormous parking land use.