Well, I’ll tell you.
I had about three hours of sleep and walked into the interview heavily medicated. You know, when the instructions on the side of a package of cold medicine says not to operate heavy machinery it doesn’t really take into account (a) a studio microphone and (b) my brain. I shouldn’t use either of them when I’m getting over a cold.
Thankfully I didn’t have a coughing fit into the mic. I saved that for the long and damp bus ride home.
I talked and talked. The host was Kathleen Petty. (Last might Mark reminded me of her journalism calibre; “She’s interviewed Bill Clinton you know!” Uh, yeah, thanks hon.)
I don’t even remember what I talked about. And of course I didn’t touch on any of the the points I wanted to mention.
1) Why I am keeping track of all of this on the blog? Because people want to know. This site gets hits on this topic every day. People are looking for the information and are not finding it anywhere. Why haven’t plans been released to the public yet? What kind of say is the public going to have over the development? Is it a done deal?
I have a horrible feeling that the 20 homes slated to fill this spot will be $600,000+, each with a double garage, and be populated with DINKS (Double Income No Kids). Â How exactly does that benefit Westboro? Kathleen said we’d be getting new neighbors. Yeah sure, but at what cost?
2) There’s been talk of meetings. What meetings? Who’s been at these meetings? Were they open to the public? Who is making decisions on behalf of the community?
3) The developers shouldn’t be able to do what they want, where they want. New infill homes all seem to be pushing the boundaries of space and design. At what point is the City of Ottawa going to step in and stand up for residents of Westboro?
4) At what point do we decide that our local history is worth saving?
5) Infill housing: Yes, okay, infill housing will ease up on urban sprawl. But why not tear down ugly homes that are already in a state of decay to solve that one? Why start with a gorgeous old building with actual historical value like the Maison Jeanne D’arc?
re: urban sprawl. Why not just plan those new neighborhoods better? Why do they have to look like they do… a jungle of cookie cutter homes, crescents and deadends designed to maximize the number of homes that can fit in one developed area. Why can’t new urban neighborhoods be created on the basis of pedestrian traffic instead of commuter traffic?
Gah. Let me know if you tuned in. And if you were able to glean anything worthwhile from what I said. :)
