Unliveable

First, an apology. I questioned Councillor Phil St-Jean’s motivations on the affordable housing file over the last two issues. While I remain puzzled by his methods and priorities, I was wrong to interpret them as insincere. He demonstrated his conviction by speaking and voting (in a losing cause) to support a much-needed townhouse project on the north end of Picton last week. He did so with brilliant clarity against a symphony of pushback from neighbours of the project. It took courage to vote his conscience.

The Picton councillor demonstrated leadership that sadly eluded eight of his colleagues.

The eight who killed this project of 238 homes had a basket of stated objections. After telling the developer in January to rework the plan to make it more affordable, some of the same folks now complained that the project was now too dense—too many homes on the same footprint. Others said they wouldn’t support it because it wasn’t affordable enough—spiking what may prove to be the last project to offer homes under $300,000 in the County.

But the most repeated refrain from Councillors Jamie Forrester, Janice Maynard, Bill McMahon et al. was put plainly by Councillor Andreas Bolik.

“This will make Picton unliveable,” predicted the Ameliasburgh councillor.

There is, of course, a constituency of folks who would rather not see any new homes in Prince Edward County. Especially not townhomes. Or apartments. They fear diminishing what they perceive as the “charm” of the County. Their resistance is meant to preserve this place as it is. To stop change.

It won’t work. It can’t work. There are just too many folks who want to live here. Short of blowing up the bridges, demand will always find a path. In the County, that means bidding the prices of a withering supply of homes so high it eliminates middle- and low-income folks from the mix—leaving only the wealthy eligible to live in this community. The evidence is on every sold sign on every street, every lane and road in the County.

Worse, by squeezing this “charm” so tightly, these folks are changing this place in far more profound ways than any subdivision could.

This was illustrated so well by Councillor Maynard’s comments.

“This is really not the vision I have for this community,” said the Ameliasburgh councillor in rejecting the revised plan. “I don’t think this is the vision shared by many of our community members.”

Then she added, “I have a daughter in her late 20s. [She and her partner] have goodpaying jobs. They will not be able to purchase a property in the County for many, many years, if ever. Certainly not to raise their family.”

The councillor surely understands these things are connected. That a glossing up of not-in-my-backyard prejudice (“not my vision” or “unliveable”) is driving the forces that are making the County unaffordable for working families like her daughter’s.

Maynard has been on Council since the median house price was $200,000. Now it’s over $600,000. Maynard has presided over the death of affordability in Prince Edward County.

Other council members are pinning their hopes for restoring affordability in the County on new regulations. They believe new rules will equip them to compel new developers to build a portion of their projects according to Council’s prescription of affordability. They harbour the notion that there is so much demand currently, so many plans in the works for new homes, that they can be choosers. A little of this. A bit of that. None of that, please.

Perhaps. But it is a long shot at best—a hail- Mary pass seeking to overturn four quarters of ineptitude.

Even if some builders accede to Council’s future dictate—keeping the property affordable  beyond the first owner will be near impossible to enforce. It is a short-term sop that may benefit a few lucky lottery winners, but it won’t bend the curve of affordability in any appreciable way.

More likely, these developers will put down their tools and let the land sit fallow—as they have done for the past decade. Tragically, too many council members believe they possess or can manufacture the levers to shape the market in their “vision.” It is naïve and dangerous.

Shaping and influencing markets is a marginal exercise. At best, Council can create incentives, promote options and generally nudge market participants to encourage the community they aspire to. Affordability. Design. Quality. Accessibility. But to do so, they need time. Time to sow such measures, nurture the green shoots and for their efforts to bear fruit. Sadly, they squandered a decade or more sitting on their hands. Terrified the next new home or subdivision might spoil the charm of the place. All they did was ensure it would never be available to their children.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca