Developer Pulling the Ol’ Bait and Switch
by admin on Jan.19, 2011, under GUELPH
The redevelopment plan at the corner of Stone/Gordon sure has caught the attention of this city and its residents. This isn’t surprising when you consider that an out of town developer wants to replace an existing hotel with two twin towers of 16 and 14 storeys, next door to mature family neighbourhood.
As expected, most of the vocal reaction to this project has been negative. There have been a few whispers that this project is the type of growth Guelph should embrace as part of a move to increase the density of housing development within the city’s core. While I support increased city intensification to reduce sprawl – this is not the project to embrace.
If you are against this development – get in line. A full gallery at last Monday’s City Council meeting and two well attended community events opposing this redevelopment are proof that the developer – Abode Varsity Living, has awakened the spirit of civic action for which Guelph is known.
So far, the opposition has been primarily concerned with height and density of the building. The fact that Abode is seeking ten amendments to the city’s official plan certainly has sparked resistance as well. While these are certainly valid concerns – I believe the greatest damage this development inflicts upon the neighbourhood is a significant drop of property values. This drop will not come from the size of building – but who lives in it.
Adobe by law cannot discriminate against non-students who may want to live in the buildings. The University of Guelph has indicated that it is no longer building residence due to limited growth and demand. So, it seems rather inevitable that this project over time will move from student purpose to one that is made available to anyone who can pony up the rent. The affordable housing units that this project will soon become will certainly devalue the property values of nearby homes.
Saying that you are against the size and scope of a building is certainly a more popular argument to make than saying you don’t want certain people living next to you and bringing down the neighbourhood. Focusing on the size of this development however, is only going to get you a smaller building. But in the end a building half size of the original, is still not going to add any value to the area.
I believe the overwhelming size of this project is a red-herring and that it’s the builder’s intention to pull the ol’ bait and switch on the City of Guelph and its concerned residents. I doubt the builder has any intention to build a residence of the scope proposed. Hence, the reason it hasn’t done an exhaustive study on the impact of such a large project. The City has been left to order a bunch of reports and complete the due diligence that should have been done by the builder.
I am confident the city will reject this redevelopment on its own merits. My concern is what changes will take place and what the final project might look like.
Arguments against the redevelopment should focus on rejecting this development for reasons that cannot be accommodated regardless of the final size and scope of this project.
Pollution of all kinds, security concerns, decreased property values, and the fact that the development has no connection with the University of Guelph are just a few reasons for the city to soundly reject any version of this plan.
When changes are eventually made to this proposal and the final scaled down proposal is brought forward, Council should keep in mind that the site in question is not just any piece of property. This corner is a gateway to our beautiful city.
It neighbours beautiful, mature family homes that represent the perfect mix of development and green space that sets this city apart. Disrupting this balance for the purpose of intensification would compromise Guelph’s values and standards which are the foundation of this great city.
