City Council declared a housing emergency in 2020. It didn’t declare an ugly buildings emergency.
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The city should scrap the esthetic standards and focus on function. This also helps planners meet the streamlined site-plan approval process recently mandated by the province. No, doing so won’t create a wild west of unreasonable buildings. Zoning still provides rules for setbacks and heights. The Building Code still governs building standards. We still have a tree protection bylaw. Architects still have expertise and pride in their work.
But what about neighbourhood character? Well, character is more than building form; people matter too. Take Alta Vista, where residents opposed higher density targets in the New Official Plan. Its modest homes are being replaced by guideline-conforming mansions. Meanwhile, the neighbourhood’s population has decreased 12 per cent since 1981 as the population ages and the birth rate declines.
By regulating style, the city is appeasing homeowners anxious about change at the expense of getting more homes built where they’re needed. Is that an unintended consequence of the guidelines, or the point all along?Share this Story:
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