Full marks to Mayor Lyn Hall for casting the deciding vote last week in favour of a development that will see two six-storey apartment buildings built on O'Grady Road in College Heights to house 167 rental units.
It should never have come to needing the mayor to break the tie of a divided city council. Nor should staff have written a report urging council to deny the application. This development is the right kind of housing in the right location at the right time and for all the right reasons.
Rental accommodations are difficult to find in Prince George. Anything decent is scooped up immediately. The scarcity of rentals has driven up housing costs, adding hardship for vulnerable residents earning low wages or on income assistance, and has allowed landlords to charge top dollar and be picky (a polite description for discriminatory) when choosing prospective tenants.
The concerns expressed to mayor and council for area residents about the development are legitimate but manageable. The buildings will tower over surrounding developments and they will bring increased traffic. That being said, neighbourhood homeowners have to bear some responsibility for the traffic, since many of the homes in the area have rental suites. Furthermore, many of those same homeowners may now have to compete for renters, rather than being able to charge what they want to whomever they like.
Meanwhile, the stuffy city staff report droned on and on about the proposed apartment buildings not respecting "the form and character of the existing development in the area." This is bureaucrat speak for "we don't like the look of the conceptual drawings." Hardly a sufficient reason to recommend denying approval.
That rationale also ignores the obvious incentive the developers have to build an attractive apartment complex that will draw in responsible renters wanting a nice place to live with respectful neighbours.
The proponents are willing to spend millions and their return on investment is dependent on doing it right.
The fact this development also has a social value to College Heights and all of Prince George makes it even more attractive. The residents of these apartments will be within walking distance of major shopping outlets and restaurants, meaning these folks won't need their cars to pick up a jug of milk or grab a bite to eat.
High-density housing next to commercial centres is common in larger urban centres because of its obvious environmental and traffic benefits.
The opposition of councillors Murry Krause, Frank Everitt, Brian Skakun and Jillian Merrick to this development is puzzling to say the least.
Merrick's lack of support was particularly bewildering, based on her focus on encouraging residents to walk and bike more and use their cars less. As a young professional with no children and who doesn't own a car, Merrick is the exact kind of renter this development is targeting, along with seniors who are done with tending to big houses and yards and want smaller, affordable housing close to amenities that they can leave for months at a time without needing house sitters.
The area businesses and even the residents are also winners in this equation. Not only will the apartment dwellers frequent the area retailers and restaurants, those consumers will also attract further retail growth. That is a clear gain to area homeowners, who will not only have more consumer choices but will also see their property values benefit from being so close to shopping and dining options.
Denying this application would have sent a signal that would have been heard by builders and developers across the province and Western Canada that Prince George is a backward small city opposed to responsible, modern housing options.
Fortunately, the right decision was made, no thanks to four short-sighted city councillors and a fussy city planning department.
-- Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout
