High-Rises in Austin Heights are in the Plan, but What Happens When the Plan hits the Pavement
Austin Heights needs revitilization and redevelopment….it would appear that almost everyone is in agreement on this point.
The planning process for revitilization technically started in December 2008 (one of the first things I approved on Council). The first order of business was to initiate an engagement process that included forming a community public advisory group, followed by community workshops and open houses, and a communication plan that included posting information on the home page of the website, local media, bulletins, electronic distribution lists and progress reports to council. The process was later enhanced to include some additional open houses because Council was hearing that some residents didn’t identify with living in the Austin Heights Neighbourhoods and they were concerned about some of the housing choices that were being considered. If you click on the Austin Heights Neighbourhood Plan, you can see all the activities that have gone into developing the plan.
The only form of communication missing from this arsenal was social media and although I personally do make use of it and I look forward to the day that the city makes use of it, I am not sure it would have reached those residents who were at the public hearing for a 24 story high rise at Austin and Blue Mountain. The majority of the 150 or so who were there to oppose the project complained that they were either not aware of the plan or not aware that high-rises were a part of the plan.
While I hear their concerns for the impact that such a building could have on their neighbourhood and I am pleased that many found the time to express their concerns, it was much harder to hear their blame and accusations that Council did not take greater steps to inform them of the plans for their neighbourhood. I know that we are all busy with work, commuting, kids activities, aging parents and whatever else is going on in our lives, but I am not sure what else Council could do to engage its citizens. I am open to ideas and suggestions but I am skeptical that doing more would actually increase engagement.
It is hard to get people engaged because we are busy and it is hard to stay on top of everything that is going on around us. But I do have a theory about what it takes to get our attention so that we make the time to participate.
I think that when we talk about a vision and a plan and it’s just on paper it seems clear and sounds okay but mostly it is just a plan. There are notes throughout the Austin Heights Neighbourhood Plan plan about high density along the Austin corridor with a series of three and four story buildings “punctuated by a series of high rise towers”. There are drawings and photos throughout the plan that depict highrises (some really high) that could be built along the Austin corridor for clarity and examples, but it’s just a plan on paper, but when that plan hits the pavement it becomes a whole other ballgame. Reality strikes at ‘what will it mean to me and to my family if this very specific, very real project occurs’. This is what is challenging about community engagement, the engagement happens when there is something real on the table and we manage to find the time to pay attention when we see how something might impact us. (The same process happened with around homelessness in the community when the Cold Wet Weather Mat Program was first being introduced).
I am glad that folks are paying attention – I only wish they had been paying attention a little sooner.
[...] Apparently the contents of the long planned Austin Heights Neighbourhood Plan caught many members of the Austin Heights community by surprise. Yes, when you are going to add density to an area, it generally means building up. Selina Robinson has some theories this week as to why some members of the community weren’t pa…. [...]
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