There is a lot of truth in this letter to the editor.
Dear Editor (NS News, Sept. 7th):
There is no shortage of voices from the density wilderness, but the majority are overpowered by those of the pro-development lobby: made up of developers themselves, municipal councillors, and City Hall bureaucracy.
Most councillors gladly accept donations from developers at election time. It is no surprise, then, that they happily nix the Official Community Plan and obligingly rezone at their behest.
Likewise, our bureaucracy is dependent on development fees and the higher taxes that can be collected from higher density developments to support their overstaffed departments and handsome salaries. Municipal unions also donate generously to most councillors at election time, meaning councillors and bureaucrats are very much on the same page.
The general public is too busy earning a living to take much interest in civic politics. They readily accept the myth that new developments provide affordable housing for young families, seniors and low-income earners of the North Shore, in addition to the myth that it is greener than low density.
Conveniently overlooked is the fact that higher density will mean thousands of additional automobiles idling at traffic bottlenecks, especially at the approaches to North Shore's two bridges.
What is really needed here is a slow-growth party to field a slate of candidates come election time.
Reimar Kroecher North Vancouver
Building for density without the proper infrastructure in place, first, is asking for trouble. Growing development along the Sea to Sky Corridor can also be added to the mix of growing density. We are simply at the mercy of our two bridges across the strait.
