Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Densification near a BRT sounds great in theory. But as you say, you need to look at the details.
Glenmore Landing is already extremely busy. And not just at rush hour - go there at 11 am on a Tuesday and the traffic is a ####show. It can only be accessed from one side, because the other three sides are blocked by Glenmore Park and the BRT. The only side that’s accessible to traffic has two right-lane turns in, and one set of lights out. I haven’t seen the plans, but I don’t know how they’ll increase capacity in and out of the development.
And any notion that because it’s on a BRT the residents will use transit most of the time is delusional. The big commercial and restaurant zone nearby is Macleod Trail, and the BRT doesn’t go to Macleod Trail. Residents aren’t going to take the BRT to Heritage Dr, then a bus to Heritage Station, then the C-Train to go shop at Chinook or eat the Keg. So most of the residents will have cars and they’ll drive those cars. Go to Glenmore Landing today and imagine it with 1,000 more vehicles using it on a daily or near-daily basis.
A much more sensible densification project is the one being developed at the Oakridge Co-op. The site has access from three sides, and the development will add three new mid-rise residential complexes totalling 250 units. Unsurprisingly, there was little to no community opposition.
|
This is exactly it. It's not that everyone is against density. We have these things there, and plans for more in the coming years aside from Glenmore Landing. The JCC has plans, the Coop development and that's on top of the towers across 90th and the townhouses there as well. It's understandable.
But you can be fine with density and still be against a particular project because it's not sensible. It's easy to paint people opposed to this as NIMBY's, but it's just not the case.
I went to the engagement thing and told them that I think that the redevelopment itself looks great. I'm in favour of Glenmore Landing being redeveloped and redesigned, just without the 6 towers. No one aside from RioCan who actually uses that place or travels near there regularly could see the current problems associated and think "you what would help here? 3000 more people."