NIMBYism gone wild?
Seems like we can’t do anything these days without a group of citizens shouting “not in my backyard.” There seems to always be a loud minority who can’t accept that Calgary’s urban landscape has always been evolving and will have to continue to evolve if we want to be a viable and vibrant city for everyone. Let’s stop the madness.
School Yard Bullies
In Scenic Acres, you can’t build a school on a site that had always been intended to be used for a school because some neighbours thought is was going to be a park forever.
In Varsity, 30 residents launched a lawsuit against the Calgary Board of Education to prevent the relocation of the Christine Meikle School for 120 special needs students on land that has been designated as a school site since 1971.
Back story: Since 1957, the Christine Meikle School has successfully operated in Bridgeland with some students even giving back to the community, through its volunteer program. The new site near the Alberta Children’s Hospital means not only a better school to meet the needs of today’s students, but importantly allows as access to special therapy these students often need.
Who are these “schoolyard bullies?” Calgary is lucky nobody lived in Varsity in the mid ’60s when the University of Calgary was being proposed. Can you imagine the stink they would have raised at the thought of building a university for 30,000+ students next to them?
We may never have gotten a university!
School yard bullies vandalizing sign announcing new school illustrates just how childish some adults can be sometimes. Living in a city means sharing space with others.
Living on the Edge
And then there's Edgemont where some residents feel you can’t build a skatepark in a park because there are houses nearby. What’s next - maybe we shouldn’t modernize and expand playgrounds in parks because there are houses nearby? Don’t we WANT skateparks built where there are homes close by so the community kids can walk to the park and play unsupervised?
Sure skateboarding is noisy, but so are lawnmowers, kids jumping on backyard trampolines and dog yapping at all times of the day – perhaps we should ban these also.
While there are 500 people on the petition against the skatepark, there can’t be more than a dozen homes that are actually within earshot of the proposed skatepark. Interesting that in this case the Community Association is onside, but not the immediate neighbours – truly a “not in my back yard” issue.
Skateboarding is one of the most popular activities of young Calgarians. The City has mobile skate parks around the city in the summer but what about the other three seasons. When we have a winter like this one, the kids would be using the park year-round.
Live on the edge; let the kids play!
As you can see there are no houses in immediate proximity to the skatepark site. The closest are those across a busy street and then they are set back by large setback.
Evolve or Die
In Bridgeland, some community members don’t want the 1921 Bridgeland School, which has been sold to developers to be turned into lofts surrounded by townhouses. Personally, I think converting old school sites into mixed residential sites (lofts, townhouses, low-rise condos) is a great idea. It will attract new people to the community something needed continue Bridgeland’s wonderful revitalization. The townhouses will be ideal for young families, who can’t afford the million dollar new infills, yet want to live closer to the city’s downtown. This project is more about diversifying the communities housing stock than density.
The protesters are probably the same people who complain that we can’t close inner-city schools because of declining enrollment, yet they won’t let the community evolve to attract young families. You can’t have it both ways.
Communities must evolve or they die!
The proposal takes two surface parking lots and turns them into town homes, isn't that a good thing? Adds new tax revenues so the City can reinvest in established communities.
Cougar Attack
And then there’s the “Save The Slopes” residents group (mostly Cougar Ridge) up in arms over the Trinity Hills project east of Canada Olympic Park along the Paskapoo Slopes. If you check out the proposed redevelopment, you’ll find out the land is privately owned and people have be using it as recreational space ONLY because the owner has allowed them to do so.
I drive by the site almost daily in the summer and most times never see anyone there. The proposal has 69 hectares of the upper slopes (the most sensitive land) becoming a true park with public access to proper trails for biking and walking that will preserve the slopes.
The proposed village with hotel, retail, restaurants and residential is very synergistic to all of the year-round activities happening at Canada Olympic Park. Seems to me this one is a win-win!
Thank God there was no Cougar Ridge community in the early ‘80s when the city was making its bid for the 1988 Olympics. Can you imagine how they would have attacked the idea of building Canada Olympic Park on the Paskapoo Slopes? We can’t preserve everything!
We would never have gotten the Olympic games, which put Calgary on the international map.
The Outline Plan clearly illustrates how the sensitive upper slopes will remain as green space with all of the development along the bottom with links to Canada Olympic Park.
Six Month Limit
Too often it is the developer who gets pummeled by the community for proposing new developments with new uses and higher density. But in reality, increased density and diversity of uses in established communities has been mandated by City Council, based on extensive research showing that a more compact city is more cost effective to manage.
Recently attending the City’s Open House for the proposed new Currie Barracks development, I was surprised to learn that since September 2013, 39,050 flyers have been distributed to surrounding community residents, and 230 hours of community engagement and four previous open houses had taken place. And still people who weren’t happy. Obviously no matter how much community engagement you have you can never may everyone happy.
While I am all for public engagement, Council needs to realize they can’t please everyone no matter how long we take. The City needs to place a six-month limit on a well-planned public engagement process, integrating community ideas that are feasible based on accepted urban design principles, economic realities and the overall City’s Master Plan. Random personal opinion of what is appropriate should not make for endless debate.
Last Word
There are many different public(s) living in Calgary. Given that, it’s to be expected that people’s wants, needs and wishes are diametrically opposed. Community consultation is currently costing the City and the development community millions of dollars each year in unnecessary unproductive, endless engagement. This cost results in higher taxes and higher housing costs. I’m guessing, few if any of us want that.
Let’s stop the madness now!
If you like this blog, you might like:
West District: Community Engagement Gone Wild?
Make Multifamily a permitted use!
Reform Calgary's Development Appeal Board