Toronto Ridiculous NIMBYism thread

[flonicky]

And they're not just adding a park, it's a step towards completing a park corridor ... in an area with a relatively limited amount of parkland!

 

[TossYourJacket]

I hate to link to BlogTO, but this is so ridiculous I couldn't let it go:

Toronto neighbourhood fighting back against plan to turn parking lot into park

Though Toronto may have been designed with cars in mind, the City has been re-assessing its road infrastructure in recent years, adding dozens of k...

www.blogto.com

"Save our parking / preserve our community"

A friend who sent this to me pointed out that they're doing a reverse Big Yellow Taxi.

I bet most of the people who signed the petition A) own homes, and B) don't live in the area and just don't want to give up cheap parking.

 

[christiesplits]

Not Toronto, but just down the QEW.

A Hamilton city council committee voted against affordable housing on a parking lot. One of the "No" votes was from city councillor Ted McMeekin, the former Ontario Liberal Minister of Housing (!).

View attachment 542468

Hamilton committee chooses parking lots over affordable housing in Stoney Creek - inTheHammer | Local Online News

At stake is two city-owned parking lots comprising just over an acre in Stoney Creek. What to do with them sparked a lengthy and somewhat testy debate at Hamilton’s General Issues Committee Wednesday, with the vote to sell off the lots to make way for affordable housing losing by an 8-8 tie...

www.inthehammer.com

Some notes on the above:

1) This lost on an 8-8 tie.

2) This still goes to Council next week, so its not a done deal just yet.

3) There was a submitted petition to 'save' the parking........that gathered a whopping 1,300+ signatures, the Chamber of Commerce also came out against housing here.

4) It appears several other sites did get declared surplus and those are projected to result in 150 affordable units.

5) What could go here (conceptually):

View attachment 542497

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I'm not clear on what the argument really is for retaining the parking, when you do manage to get 1,300 signatures, there is a suggestion that there is demand...........

Of course, the parking, is apparently free.

While I hope this is reversed; in the alternative, I hope Hamilton moves to charge for the parking, which may reduce demand/enthusiasm for same.

Free parking also creates the problem that there is no way to justify putting any underground for legitimate demand when its free.

Andrea is thinking of using her ‘Strong MAyer’s’ powers to overturn this decision. If so, score one for Doug Ford.

Update: Final decision at council loses on an 8-8 tie. The parking lot prevails.

CBC Hamilton: Stoney Creek parking spots triumph over affordable housing after final council vote

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/stoney-creek-affordable-housing-1.7157360

 

[christiesplits]

Update: Final decision at council loses on an 8-8 tie. The parking lot prevails.

CBC Hamilton: Stoney Creek parking spots triumph over affordable housing after final council vote

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/stoney-creek-affordable-housing-1.7157360

Another update: Mayor Horwath will use her strong mayor powers to veto council.

Twitter

 

[rdaner]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/stoney-creek-affordable-housing-1.7157360

 

[Northern Light]

Update: Final decision at council loses on an 8-8 tie. The parking lot prevails.

CBC Hamilton: Stoney Creek parking spots triumph over affordable housing after final council vote

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/stoney-creek-affordable-housing-1.7157360

This one passed on Wednesday using the above noted Strong Mayor Powers: (8 to 8 vote)

‘It’s going to take us all’: Mayor’s veto advances affordable housing plan in Stoney Creek

But opponents of Stoney Creek project call Horwath’s move ‘undemocratic’

www.thestar.com

From the above:

***

Lots of inflammatory rhetoric from opponents using terms like undemocratic and authoritarian.

And

****

I support this project and found the Nimbyism here off putting.

That said, I do think the essential principle of democracy matters (the inflated hyperbole above being far too much).

Its always a concern of mine that when things are 'forced' on people, you trigger a reaction. This one development isn't likely to cause that measure of blowback, but there is a need to tread lightly
or perhaps a Mayor politically opposite to Horvath will be elected in 2026.

At which point this project and others could be spiked using the same powers.

I don't oppose the use of the Mayor's powers here, and to be clear 50% of Council voted for this; so its not as if there was a clear majority opposed; but I always want to be mindful that one step forward should not lead to
two steps backwards.

 

[Towered]

This one passed on Wednesday using the above noted Strong Mayor Powers: (8 to 8 vote)

‘It’s going to take us all’: Mayor’s veto advances affordable housing plan in Stoney Creek

But opponents of Stoney Creek project call Horwath’s move ‘undemocratic’

www.thestar.com

From the above:

View attachment 559374

***

Lots of inflammatory rhetoric from opponents using terms like undemocratic and authoritarian.

View attachment 559375

And

View attachment 559376


****

I support this project and found the Nimbyism here off putting.

That said, I do think the essential principle of democracy matters (the inflated hyperbole above being far too much).

Its always a concern of mine that when things are 'forced' on people, you trigger a reaction. This one development isn't likely to cause that measure of blowback, but there is a need to tread lightly
or perhaps a Mayor politically opposite to Horvath will be elected in 2026.

At which point this project and others could be spiked using the same powers.

I don't oppose the use of the Mayor's powers here, and to be clear 50% of Council voted for this; so its not as if there was a clear majority opposed; but I always want to be mindful that one step forward should not lead to
two steps backwards.

That depends - is this issue causing uproar across the wider city, or is it confined to a small neighbourhood NIMBY group?