Calgary developer’s caught with pants down - Nenshi white knight or not?

[Kavvy]

Well...just because this Forum doesn't have enough discussion on suburb vs inner city development

http://www.calgaryherald.com/busines...164/story.html

n a letter sent Thursday, Nenshi informed the Calgary branch of the Canadian Home Builders Association that its members are sidelined from city advisory committees — until its president recants statements he made to an industry dinner last month.

Nenshi told the Herald the city would continue to work with the development industry and home builders, but it “will find our representatives from the home building industry elsewhere” until they clarify comments the mayor contends contain “misleading and inaccurate information.”
...
He told the group increasing density in existing communities shouldn’t be done “at the expense of suburban growth. Ensuring proper and adequate housing in all areas of our city should be our main focus - and not a byline of a grand experiment in planning.”

[psicodude]

I still don't understand exactly what was said to justify the punishment.

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by psicodude

I still don't understand exactly what was said to justify the punishment.

Re-reading it, it seems a bit harsh, however, I love this:

The CHBA is an influential organization whose members build the houses and condos of Calgary’s suburbia, and also redevelop existing neighbourhoods. They’re a top lobbying force in the city, and its home-builder members are among the top civic campaign finance donors.

I love that our mayor would go against one of the groups with some of the top civic donors. I can disagree with a mayor, but if I see signs that corruption doesn't exist, they get my vote

[First Lady]

Apparently this has caused a bit of buzz on social media over the weekend.

Couple of blogs on the topic.

From CP's own charper

Booting the CHBA is wrong

Excerpt:

Booting the CHBA (Canadian Home Builder’s Association – Calgary Chapter) from advisory bodies and task forces was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

This unilateral action has put at risk much more than the relationship between the development industry and the City of Calgary, which I might add is already shaky. It sends the message that to disagree with the Mayor is to risk removal from participation in key initiatives and be sent to the penalty box.

How can any participant or representative organization participating in a City initiative or task force speak honestly to its members after the removal of the CHBA?

And from my pain in the....errr, I mean my husband.

Calgary’s Petulant Purple Peacock is pouting.


Excerpt:

Last week Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi took great umbrage when Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs Doug Griffiths implied that with an election looming that Nenshi would be prone to puffing up like a peacock on issues. It appears that Griffiths’ statement was quite prophetic as Mayor Nenshi is indeed puffed up and posturing at the Calgary Home Builders Association in what can really only be considered a temper tantrum on the part of the Mayor.

Naheed Nenshi took Calgary’s mayoral throne in the 2010 municipal elections thanks to a vote-split by the center-right and an impressive galvanization of the normally electorally apathetic hipster population of Calgary. Nenshi has since enjoyed something of a love-in from national left-leaning media outlets such as the CBC and Toronto Star since then but the realities of his role as the mayor of a major city are beginning to cut through the limelight for Nenshi and they are clearly getting on his nerves.

[Northendzone]

I think the mayor finally noticed that somehow every home builder wins a home builder of the year award because they have about 600 categories of home builder of the year.

[stampsx2]

You build wherever the demand is otherwise your just increasing values of existing homes. Economics 101.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Calgary’s Petulant Purple Peacock is pouting.

You're married to Rick Bell?

[Bunk]

I'll chime in on this tomorrow. There's a lot of false information floating around about this.

[Smartcar]

Originally Posted by Kavy

Re-reading it, it seems a bit harsh, however, I love this:
I love that our mayor would go against one of the groups with some of the top civic donors. I can disagree with a mayor, but if I see signs that corruption doesn't exist, they get my vote

That's why we have unchecked urban sprawl. There's no tax credit for municipal campaigns, so the only donations (other than friends and family) are from businesses that can expense them - developers, consultants (eg. architects, engineers). I think it's great that we have a mayor who is willing to bite the hand if that's what it takes for better planning around here.

[cam_wmh]

Good on our Mayor.

[Ozy_Flame]

First Lady - does your husband really think Nenshi is in power because of hipsters? He had a message that caught fire with many types of people. I remember being in line to vote and it was all families and corporate types. That's just my observation though.

[cam_wmh]

Hipsters is a loosely used term for those who often have a disconnection from modern culture. Yknow, fun types.

[pylon]

This seems like a very childish reaction by Nenshi. "How dare you disagree with my vision, so get out. And you better say you are super sorry, and bow down to me, your leader in a written apology before you are allowed to grace my committee again." And I was actually starting to like the guy. But this is the same BS cronyism of years past.

I really have to agree with a lot of what is said in the article posted by First Lady. Not everyone wants to live in Nenshi's version of a Hong Kong Calgary. Where we all live on top of each other. I am all for Urban Sprawl. We can keep expanding for decades. And big companies are starting to move out of the core to accommodate this. That is what makes Calgary great IMHO. I live in a condo now, because it is just me, and it is convenient...for now. But I am getting really tired of walking down a hallway, smelling cigarette smoke from one suite, someones massive crap that is wafting under the door of another, and some rancid cuisine from from unpronounceable island nation from the person next door. I also do not like having to listen to my whale of a next door neighbour getting stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey every second night. Some have a huge boner for that type of melting pot environment, and want to gather in the common area to sniff each others buttholes, and pick bugs out of their dreadlocks. But I pine for the day, I have an excuse to build a giant, energy hog house, with double insulated exterior walls, and a 10 foot fence, on a 1 acre lot so I don't have be forced to listen, see, smell, or interact with disgusting people I have nothing in common with, and no desire to get to know. Not everyone wants to live like a Sardine, and have a house 6 feet away from their neighbour.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by pylon

This seems like a very childish reaction by Nenshi. "How dare you disagree with my vision, so get out. And you better say you are super sorry, and bow down to me, your leader in a written apology before you are allowed to grace my committee again." And I was actually starting to like the guy. But this is the same BS cronyism of years past.

I really have to agree with a lot of what is said in the article posted by First Lady. Not everyone wants to live in Nenshi's version of a Hong Kong Calgary. Where we all live on top of each other. I am all for Urban Sprawl. We can keep expanding for decades. And big companies are starting to move out of the core to accommodate this. That is what makes Calgary great IMHO. I live in a condo now, because it is just me, and it is convenient...for now. But I am getting really tired of walking down a hallway, smelling cigarette smoke from one suite, someones massive crap that is wafting under the door of another, and some rancid cuisine from from unpronounceable island nation from the person next door. I also do not like having to listen to my whale of a next door neighbour getting stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey every second night. Some have a huge boner for that type of melting pot environment, and want to gather in the common area to sniff each others buttholes, and pick bugs out of their dreadlocks. But I pine for the day, I have an excuse to build a giant, energy hog house, with double insulated exterior walls, and a 10 foot fence, on a 1 acre lot so I don't have be forced to listen, see, smell, or interact with disgusting people I have nothing in common with, and no desire to get to know. Not everyone wants to live like a Sardine, and have a house 6 feet away from their neighbour.

This part had me in stitches. You have a wonderful way with words pylon!

[peter12]

I used to do some consulting work on the fringes of the Calgary building scene. There is a lot of corruption there.

[GGG]

There is no proposal for Hong Kong Calgary just that 50% of growth occur in the existing comunities. The biggest struggle to get this done is the inner city communities themselves who fight Condo development at every turn. Us out in the burbs won't notice this at all other than marginally higher housing prices due to a slight drop in supply. The big benefit will hopefully be more inner city 3 bedroom townhouses with garages that are actually family friendly.

From what has been reported, which has been heavily one sided, Nenshi does appear to be being childish. I am interested for Bunks update.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

First Lady - does your husband really think Nenshi is in power because of hipsters? He had a message that caught fire with many types of people. I remember being in line to vote and it was all families and corporate types. That's just my observation though.

You should ask him; he has a comments section for just that reason.

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by pylon

This seems like a very childish reaction by Nenshi. "How dare you disagree with my vision, so get out. And you better say you are super sorry, and bow down to me, your leader in a written apology before you are allowed to grace my committee again." And I was actually starting to like the guy. But this is the same BS cronyism of years past.

I really have to agree with a lot of what is said in the article posted by First Lady. Not everyone wants to live in Nenshi's version of a Hong Kong Calgary. Where we all live on top of each other. I am all for Urban Sprawl. We can keep expanding for decades. And big companies are starting to move out of the core to accommodate this. That is what makes Calgary great IMHO. I live in a condo now, because it is just me, and it is convenient...for now. But I am getting really tired of walking down a hallway, smelling cigarette smoke from one suite, someones massive crap that is wafting under the door of another, and some rancid cuisine from from unpronounceable island nation from the person next door. I also do not like having to listen to my whale of a next door neighbour getting stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey every second night. Some have a huge boner for that type of melting pot environment, and want to gather in the common area to sniff each others buttholes, and pick bugs out of their dreadlocks. But I pine for the day, I have an excuse to build a giant, energy hog house, with double insulated exterior walls, and a 10 foot fence, on a 1 acre lot so I don't have be forced to listen, see, smell, or interact with disgusting people I have nothing in common with, and no desire to get to know. Not everyone wants to live like a Sardine, and have a house 6 feet away from their neighbour.

At the beginning I was all like "I think you're wrong about such and such" but by the end I started to wonder if maybe this was a parody. Still not sure if serious.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by peter12

I used to do some consulting work on the fringes of the Calgary building scene. There is a lot of corruption there.

no sense expanding on this as it has provided me with all i need to know

[Bigtime]

Some of the statistics that are missing from this classic he said/she said may be found in this article in the Herald today:

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...870/story.html

Originally Posted by Rollin Stanley

Stanley, reached Sunday, said the building association’s claims about the city stopping suburban development were “negative toward my staff, who have done terrific work in processing applications for development throughout the city.”


“The planning and development staff and I appreciate the efforts of the mayor in conveying the message of our hard work in meeting the work program set by council that ensures there is a ready supply of land to be developed. In the past year, two large tracts have been presented by staff for tens of thousands of new homes,” he said.


“With a 15 year supply of planned land available, there is plenty of opportunity for new housing of many forms to be built throughout the city. I am confident the city can work productively with the development community across the city to ensure this happens.”


He said statistics from last year show now home permits in Calgary exceeding pre-recession levels.


“For single and semi-detached houses, the 2012 totals were up 33 per cent over 2011. There are right now 1,640 hectares of suburban land serviced for new houses, ready to be built. Calgary is maintaining its share of single family house starts at 76 per cent of housing starts in the region.”

So we know Stanley has a reputation for not pulling any punches when he talks, but on the other hand these stats definitely do not show a suburban development freeze is anywhere near in play.