Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinbottawa
That was my backwards way of giving you a complement. You don't seem to be opposing projects because it's election season.
I admit, I don't go over councillors' voting records, but most times I read about you in the news it's because you're against a development's height so that's my perception.
Your voting record looks good but you also opposed the two 25 floor proposals for Scott and McRae that are close to Westboro Station. Those proposals seemed thoughtful and directed to where it makes sense.
Supporting the Westgate redevelopment while opposing development near a future LRT station seems odd though. But my comment wasn't meant to convey that you were doing a bad job.
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Thanks, appreciate it.
It's just a question of providing residents fair, upfront planning. Those towers went from a secondary plan that foresaw 4-6 storey buildings there (!) to 25+. People do look at zoning and plans before they buy. If the City's intention in light of the new OP policies and arrival of LRT is to go much denser and taller, then let's transparently put up our hands and vote for that as an update to the secondary plan. It's taken three years, but I'm finally glad to have that commitment.
Let's face it, a secondary plan that was developed 10+ years ago needs to be refreshed. Four- to six-storey zoning across from an LRT station is likely not defensible. But when the evolution of the neighbourhood is done in an ad hoc fashion, it leaves residents uncertain about what's going to be approved next. We know that around the corner on Clifton, developers are assembling parcels. We're seeing the wraparound now at Roosevelt. Tweedsmuir will be next, streets like Edgewood and Wilmont. Does the City intend to stick to the R3 or R4 zoning between Byron and the transitway from IPD to Golden? Or, will it be willing to start approving higher, denser buildings? Density on the edge of a community is one thing, but it makes a difference to the quality of life of many when it starts creeping up the low-rise. What's the plan? If we intend to start allowing that geography to go much, much higher, let's plan for it. At least that will allow people to make buying and selling decisions about where they want to live.
There's also the question of parking. The now-twin towers at Scott/McRae saw their height and density justified by proximity to the new LRT station. Ok, that's legitimate. But, each has a full complement of parking. The traffic is getting worse, the roads are getting worse, and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists is being diminished by the congestion and resulting cut-through - with inadequate resources being added to help us deal with it. I don't think the City should be approving buildings that dump hundreds and hundreds of cars into the neighbourhood when the focus is supposed to be a sustainable, transit-oriented community.
I think rather than just opposing height, I'm trying to be thoughtful about what goes where, and to try to be principled in how we engage with residents. We have good secondary plans like Scott Street and Wellington West that provide for significant growth and height in the right places, and because they're new and modern do a good job of guiding how development proceeds. It's high time we have that for Westboro. Let's put it all on the table
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