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+--- Thread: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit (/showthread.php?tid=683)
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Markster - 11-20-2017
(11-20-2017, 10:15 AM)greybird Wrote: Or they'd complain about how they have to pay higher taxes now that their property is worth more.
Now this is actually a real complaint.
It's possible to drive someone out of their home through increased property taxes in a desirable area. Being cash poor but house rich is increasingly common in Toronto. Your house may increase in value, but to really access that, you need to sell (or reverse mortgage), which will absolutely feel like a loss.
That said, I'm not sure Preston will see such a dramatic effect for a long while.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - nms - 11-20-2017
(11-19-2017, 10:50 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(11-18-2017, 05:23 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: They also think it would dramatically lower property values in Preston if the LRT passes through
That must be based on the collapse of the property values near the LRT in Kitchener and Waterloo so far ...
Sarcasm aside, I assume that any expropriation uses the current value of the property rather than the new value of the property once the infrastructure upgrade takes place. I could understand that there could be some resentment if property A is expropriated for $500,000, but property B which is identical but not expropriated can be sold for $600,000 the next year due to the improved infrastructure next door.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Canard - 11-20-2017
Don’t expropriations usually result in the land owner receiving a much higher amount than what their property is actually valued at? I thought that was standard practice.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - DHLawrence - 11-20-2017
I thought it was typically lower.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - andrewhann7 - 11-20-2017
If I'm remembering correctly expropriation in Ontario uses the market value, the value the land would be expected to sell for, on the valuation date which is the day the expropriation takes place. This is generally relatively generous because it takes into account the knowledge that the property is to be redeveloped which increases the value.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Elmira Guy - 11-20-2017
/\ This is correct.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Bob_McBob - 11-23-2017
Preston residents, regional council clash over Cambridge Ion
Quote:Kevan Wagner doesn't understand why staff is insisting on a stop near King and Eagle streets in Preston, which he said is not for the benefit of ridership or residents.
"Let's pander to development and infill," Wagner said.
He suggested the section from Sportsworld Drive to Hespeler Road be diverted from the roadways for a faster ride while preserving the heritage and peacefulness of Preston.
"Get the route off the streets and use the old abandoned rail lines," Wagner said.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - KevinL - 11-23-2017
What 'old abandoned' rail lines exist between Sportsworld and Hespeler? There is a VERY ACTIVE CP line, but they are not willing to play ball.
(I do know abandoned lines are planned to be used between the Delta and Galt, but that's not what he's talking about.)
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - DHLawrence - 11-23-2017
The closest thing that comes to mind is that the CP line was originally double tracked all the way through save for the Speed River bridge.
I can think of several sites with redevelopment potential at King and Eagle, but I can't see them putting in anything all that big - not as big as the buildings on the Clare Brothers site at least. The road infrastructure isn't there, even taking LRT into account. And development has started even without it; can't be stopped now.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - dunkalunk - 11-24-2017
Totally pipe dreaming at this point but what if we could just realign the CP right of way out of Downtown Preston?
![[Image: qK2GAIe.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/qK2GAIe.jpg)
You could either put it on a bridge through Riverside Park, or run it at grade and connect to the existing line using the abandoned spur. ION alingnment options along the 401 and through Riverside Park are being considered at this point. While it is absolutely scope creep, it's not completely out of the question to just move CP's corridor to make ION routing easier.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - ijmorlan - 11-24-2017
(11-24-2017, 01:57 AM)dunkalunk Wrote: Totally pipe dreaming at this point but what if we could just realign the CP right of way out of Downtown Preston?
You could either put it on a bridge through Riverside Park, or run it at grade and connect to the existing line using the abandoned spur. ION alingnment options along the 401 and through Riverside Park are being considered at this point. While it is absolutely scope creep, it's not completely out of the question to just move CP's corridor to make ION routing easier.
That’s interesting. However, I’m pretty sure it would be cheaper just to buy all the houses on Eagle St. west of King and on that one block of Moore. Remember, we ’re only talking about four blocks of running in the neighbourhood, so the actual number of people directly affected is tiny and probably not worth re-working the entire project. There are something like 30 buildings total fronting on the affected streets.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - Canard - 11-24-2017
I’m always gobsmacked that some can talk about “buying up homes” like people don’t live there or have lives. “Just destroy them, who cares about them”.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - ijmorlan - 11-24-2017
(11-24-2017, 09:39 AM)Canard Wrote: I’m always gobsmacked that some can talk about “buying up homes” like people don’t live there or have lives. “Just destroy them, who cares about them”.
We’re talking about a project to benefit the entire Region, hundreds of thousands of people. In that context, 30 houses should not stop the project. The point is, even homes (and I use the word advisedly, normally I would use “houses” but I want to be clear that this argument still goes through even though the houses in question are people’s homes) have a market value, and if the market price of buying out the people on those streets is less than the price of moving the CP line to a new alignment, it would be silly to waste money on the more expensive alternative.
Having said that, that is an extreme approach offered more as a reductio. In actual fact, I think we could either take the approach that sometimes people just have to accept that their street will change (and similar to good old Mr. Aissa up on Northfield, I predict we’ll see most of them stay put, thus acknowledging by their actions that LRT tracks down the street aren’t actually that bad), or we could offer the property owners compensation for the change in their street without buying them out. Would those people really still be protesting if they all knew they were each getting $25,000 out of the deal? The total cost of compensation would be something like $750,000 under this made-up-on-the-spot idea. I’ll eat my shirt if it’s possible to move the CP line for that money.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - DHLawrence - 11-24-2017
That part of Riverside Park is a wetland; I'm amazed the region is even considering having light rail run through there.
RE: ION Phase 2 - Cambridge's Light Rail Transit - dunkalunk - 11-24-2017
Frankly, me too.