I came across this poster — related to this development application — over the weekend:
And I think it raises a number of important questions:
- Is 2 storeys appropriate for next to a subway station and next to an existing mid-rise building?
- Is a mid-rise building truly unprecedented in this context? See below.
- Are mid-rise homes inappropriate for “residential streets?”
- How does building height factor into flood plain concerns? Wouldn’t lot coverage be more relevant?
- And when does a mid-rise become a “high-rise?”
For more context, here’s the proposal and its immediate surroundings:
I fully appreciate that there’s little incentive to support new development in a place where you already live — even if you happen to live in a similarly-scaled building across the street. And I am sure that I’ll receive a number of emails following this post.
But optimizing the use of land around our existing transit stations is one of the best things we can do as city builders.
Update: I have redacted the contact information on the above poster.