File photo

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Surrounding bus exchanges with high-density housing won’t fly

Nov 16, 2023 | 5:50 AM

ONE OF THE MORE PUZZLING pieces to David Eby’s dictatorial housing plan is the one aimed at constructing more high-density housing around transit hubs.

This is the same concept being pushed by federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre — interesting to see a socialist premier and a rightwing federal party leader agree on something, but they’re both whistling in the wind.

According to the New Democrats, forcing municipalities to do their bidding will result in 100,000 new housing units in so-called Transit-Oriented Development Areas in the next 10 years.

Really? In Vancouver, a TOD Area is defined as land within 800 metres from a SkyTrain station and 400 metres from a bus exchange. Maybe, as SkyTrain expands, and bus transit expands, such land will become available but transit expansion in the Lower Mainland moves at a snail’s pace.

In a city like Kamloops, it’s wishful thinking. Eby’s plan defines a TOD Area as land within 200 to 400 metres from a bus exchange. Land around both the North Shore and Downtown bus exchanges is pretty much fully developed or committed. The exchanges are in commercial areas because that’s where people want to catch buses.

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 Ways to Heal: Moons

Dec 10, 2024

Question of the Week

Should Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson apologize or resign after it was found he breached a section of council's code of conduct for allowing false or misleading information to be communicated?

Dec 09, 2024

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Donald has it wrong - again

Dec 08, 2024

There’s some housing nearby, including apartments, and lots a little further away, so the transit housing scheme isn’t going to fix anything.

The Kamloops system is already designed to take people to and from where they live, largely in the suburbs. That’s what bus systems are supposed to do.

The NDP says the move is needed because restrictive zoning bylaws and parking requirements, and delayed development approvals, slow down the delivery of homes. But the TOD Area plan is more about lifestyle and parking, and maybe even climate, than about housing.

If cities could start from scratch with a clean slate, they could build the Utopia envisioned by Eby and Poilievre. But starting from today, it will take so long to achieve that the housing crisis will likely be over by then.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

—

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.