Re: “Chamber supports housing proposal,” Feb. 20.
Mike Howes, I didn't see any 4,000-sq.-ft. homes with triple-car garages in Akinsdale. They looked like normal homes, mostly bungalows from the 1970s, that you could raise a family in. These days they're probably considered starter homes. There were also plenty of apartment/condo complexes that would be pretty affordable.
I don't understand why the chamber of commerce would weigh in on this. The issue is about the density of the proposal, not about business staffing issues. Do you realize that Habitat for Humanity clients must be employed before they apply for a home? That means you won't have a larger pool of workers for businesses to draw from. Do you also realize that not all the low-income people in St. Albert who apply may qualify for a Habitat mortgage partnership, depending on debt levels and income?
If there aren't enough takers in St. Albert, they will take applicants from Edmonton or other areas, so you're increasing the pool of low-income housing without actually solving anything. What you're getting is a social agency cherry picking future inhabitants.
I live in Edmonton near Abbottsfield and have seen firsthand the issues that arise when you build low-income housing complexes that are too dense, and the 70 Arlington Dr. proposal makes the Abbottsfield townhomes look like those 4,000-sq.-ft. houses in comparison. How many kids can play in a backyard that is four-feet deep? The average patio is at least twice that size. How much sunshine will they get in that backyard with the six-foot high fence right at the four-foot mark?
How many children would you want to raise in 1,200 sq. ft. with no basement? You would have more room in a condo-style apartment because you wouldn't have to give up space for the utility room and staircase. You would also have better security. There are condos advertised in Akinsdale for less than $140,000. What makes these tiny townhomes worth $200,000? If you take out the rhetoric about affordable housing and look at this proposal and what it doesn't do for future homeowners, you wouldn't support this. If you look at what it does for Habitat for Humanity and Apollo Developments and how it will fill their pockets, well, silly me, you are the voice of business, aren't you? And really, Habitat for Humanity and Apollo Developments are businesses, aren't they?
Toni Seerden, Edmonton
