Open letter to city council,
Recently, a number of newspaper articles have appeared concerning local neighbourhoods.
My wife and I have been residents in our home in the Windjammer Drive neighbourhood since April 1978, and have raised two children here. In our neighbourhood, a house sale means the purchase of a lot to build a three-storey, monster/mega house as our lots are too small to be subdivided.
However, from defining and enriching human/social evaluation, this is very destructive! The neighbourhood is being torn apart. If a purchaser is buying a house for a home, this is great!
The current reality is that the longer-term neighbours are at the end of the earning of income stage, and are on rather fixed and deflating incomes. An increase of property value of 12 – 14 per cent in this neighbourhood is economically threatening. One of my retired neighbours has begun to defer his municipal property taxes to maximize his fixed and deflating income, and to remain in his home.
The city council does have the authority and the duty to protect its neighbourhoods. Growth should be measured with human and social criteria as well as economy and density.
Bob Burns
Richmond
