GuelphToday recevied the following letter from a reader regarding the ongoing discussion about the height of new buildings in the city.
On Feb. 18 GuelphToday journalist Adam A. Donaldson penned a balanced, neutral and very informative Market Squared article under the caption 'Do we look stupid?'
Mr. Donaldson’s comments were primarily focused on the planning process itself. In summary I gathered that the article was purposed to shine a light on the planning process and the pending impact of the Provincial government’s proposal to mandate the City build 18,000 new housing units in the next eight years. No matter how you look at this task, given our economic environment, the city will soon find itself on the proverbial ‘horns of a dilemma.’
In my opinion Mr. Donaldson was simply performing his time-honoured job as a journalist, comforting the potentially afflicted, our community; and afflicting the perceived comfortable, the developers, city council and planning staff.
A few days after Mr. Donaldson’s article a Guelph Reader, Ms. Sheila McClelland submitted a letter under the caption “Let’s not build Toronto style high-rises here.”
Ms. McClelland penned a simple, concise and succinct opinion that nothing should be built more than 5 stories tall. She added that creating wind tunnels and blocking the sun is a Toronto answer to keeping developers happy. She ended her comments with the statement that low rise is the best answer going forward and Community is very important. In my opinion Ms. McClelland limited her comments to the singular issue of building height.
She is entitled to her opinion and expressed it without the need for a long-winded explanation and had nothing derogatory to say about the project itself or the people involved in the development planning process. I fully support her right to voice her opinion and personally did not find Ms. McClelland’s letter warranted the opinion-shaming that followed in a subsequent submitted to the Editor.
On Feb. 21 2023 I read a follow up Letter to the Editor penned by Jarred Blanchette of Guelph under the caption 'Build Market Rate Housing Where People Want To Live.'
Mr. Blanchette was responding to the letter submitted my Ms. McClelland and at the outset I would like to acknowledge that I respect and support Mr. Blanchette’s right to express his opinions. I believe that undertaking to be consistent with regard to the purpose of this forum and the privilege afforded the reader’s of GuelphToday.
Mr. Blanchette stated that ‘To prevent the construction of housing where people want to live is either foolish and ignorant; selfish and short-sighted; an attitude akin to I got mine and everyone else be damned; the fear of personal asset depreciation; or a well-meaning but misguided desire to mostly build affordable homes.’
Mr. Blanchette laments that the remedy is simple. Build market rate housing where people want to live. He neglected to mention that the residential component of the proposed development is marketed by Fusion Homes as a luxury condominium and it would have been both informative and fair to differentiate between the development options of market rate housing, affordable housing and luxury housing.
Mr. Blanchette goes on to make the blanket statement that ‘He supports any and all construction of housing in or near downtown. Higher density is simply the best way to do it and higher density, among other things, allows for the preservation of green spaces while providing the creation of an equal or greater number of housing units.’
An alarm bell just sounded when I read the phrase ‘the preservation of green spaces’ but before commenting on that point it would be appropriate to reiterate here that Ms. McClelland’s letter focused only on her concerns about building height and nothing more. I acknowledge that she does not need me to come to her defense; however I trust she will forgive me as will Mr. Blanchette for expressing my thoughts and opinions after reading both letters and journalist Donaldson’s article.
Back to that alarm bell I mentioned earlier. To my knowledge there is no mention of the provision or preservation of green space in this downtown development proposal before the planning committee and council. This is a hot button topic today given premier Ford back tracking on a promise to protect and preserve our Provincial Green Belt. He is in the process of releasing 2,995 hectares of green belt, in 15 GTHA locales, for the construction of 50,000 housing units. It appears that notwithstanding the broad public opposition to inviting the development of housing for people to live on the green belt, the premier and Mr. Blanchette may be in lockstep with respect to the unrestricted construction of housing in general.
No, Mr. Donaldson, you are not stupid and neither is Ms. McClelland or Mr. Blanchette. The jury is still deliberating on me, but we are all in the same boat and I guess it is just human nature not to want to be treated like we are stupid.
Michael Douglas, Guelph
