I didn’t write a post last night. I wanted to, but it was an exhausting day, and I just didn’t have the energy to write when I got home.

Last night I went to a community meeting being chaired by Councilman Alan Sheffman regarding more development in my neighbourhood. I shouldn’t have been surprised that it was a “community meeting” and there were less than 15 people there from the entire community. I know that it was posted in our elevators in the condo, but I don’t know what other kind of advertising there was about the meeting. More people SHOULD care, but it is the same when we have our AGM meetings or other meetings that require attendance, it is the same 15 – 20 people that always show up at the meetings.

This was to discuss the piece of land that is just north of Centre street at New Westminster. If you are familiar with the area – on the west side of the street you have No Frills, Winners and Homesense. On the East side of the street you have the Constantia Retirement residents and then a large empty parcel of land, well, it doesn’t really look like a large parcel of land….until they show you what they want to build.

I knew that this area was going to have a lot of high rise development but I didn’t realize how much when I bought my little piece of pie in the sky back in 2004. My complex was supposed to consist of what was supposed to be 7 buildings. They are currently working on buildings 7 – 9 and there are two more to come to end the project. That will be 11 high rise, high density condos.

The next project is this one I attended last night, which is to have two more buildings (not going up at the same time) high density, high rise condos. The are applying to the city to ‘ammend their application’. The application they currently have is not for the maximum height allowed for a high rise, which is 22 stories. Their current application is for 18 stories, and they want to have it be the full 22 stories.

If you drive up and down Bathurst Street you are familiar with the green fence that borders the parcel of land from Beverley Glen and Bathurst to the Shoppers Drug Mart. That is purchased land that has been zoned for low rise development. They too have also recently applied to ammend their application to the city. They want to change their zoning from about 400 units to close to 800 units in that small area.

I wrote on the weekend about taking the subway “into the city” and the downtown core, and I realized that I am living in “downtown” Thornhill. In the next 5 – 7 years the landscape of Thornhill around the area that I live in is going to change drastically. There will be more high rises, and the arrival of the Rapid way transit system. They think that people are going to stop driving and get on the transit…..

Could be interesting for investors looking for properties to buy as they release the new buildings.

Time will tell…..but I do wish that this area had one thing that it is lacking….affordable housing. I would love to have a home of my own, in this area, but that is not remotely possible.