Quote:
Originally Posted by J.OT13
retail units are vacant because they are poorly maintained, or the rest is too high, or the owners aren't actively looking for new tenants.
As for the people who live in that apartment block, maybe they are not financially capable of renting something that is 3, 4, 5 times the cost. Are we ready to grow the homeless population?
Yes, there is a housing crisis, but more than that, there is an affordable housing crisis. Someone who can afford $2k-3$k+ per month will find something. Someone who can only afford something below $1k can not.
Unfortunately, current policies accept, even encourage, demolishing existing structurally sound buildings. Current policies do not encourage developing parking lots. They don't force big box developments to include housing. Removing parking minimums is a good start, but we should be working on redeveloping existing parking lots.
I look at Minto's development on 5th, that preserved the heritage retail block at the front and develop the rear with a new mid-rise. I wish we would see more of that.
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Just stop, repeating falsehoods wont make them true.
Ottawa policy focuses heavily on redevelopment of big box retail, and TOD. It's pretty much the only place density is allowed as of right.
But that doesn't mean that's where people want to build or is available for development and the city should not ne relying on one option.
Everywhere needs to be open to redevelopment but instead The new zoning bylaw directly calls out the protection of SFH in is policy.
Remove the trees, remove the old worn down buildings, build higher denser. Build as much as possible as fast as possible regardless of what the locals want, they don't own the property.