80-90 Empire Avenue

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The City's Affordable Housing Strategy, outlines a commitment to identify city-owned vacant land for potential redevelopment as affordable housing.

Four parcels of land have been expropriated and identified for potential redevelopment as affordable housing to date. These include 245 Forest Road, 80-90 Empire Avenue, 375 Waterford Bridge Road, and 28 Eric Street. A project is already planned for 28 Eric Street. There are currently no planned projects for the other three sites. Council has not approved developing these sites. They have only approved doing engagement about the potential redevelopment of these sites. We would like to engage with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders about these parcels of land.

This page is for comments and feedback about 80-90 Empire Avenue. Use the tools below to provide your feedback or sign up for our virtual meeting (check out the key dates for details).

The City's Affordable Housing Strategy, outlines a commitment to identify city-owned vacant land for potential redevelopment as affordable housing.

Four parcels of land have been expropriated and identified for potential redevelopment as affordable housing to date. These include 245 Forest Road, 80-90 Empire Avenue, 375 Waterford Bridge Road, and 28 Eric Street. A project is already planned for 28 Eric Street. There are currently no planned projects for the other three sites. Council has not approved developing these sites. They have only approved doing engagement about the potential redevelopment of these sites. We would like to engage with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders about these parcels of land.

This page is for comments and feedback about 80-90 Empire Avenue. Use the tools below to provide your feedback or sign up for our virtual meeting (check out the key dates for details).

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

Have questions about the City's Affordable Housing Strategy? Can't find what you are looking for on this project page? Post your question here and someone will get back to you soon.

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    Hi, I was in the engagement session last night, and you brought up some research that says that crime does not increase with affordable housing. Could you post that here? Also wondering if you could possibly combine some of the Ideas. There seems to be 1/2 people who have posted over and over again.

    debbiewiseman asked over 2 years ago

    Hi, thanks for your question. The research brought up was about property values not decreasing with affordable housing. However, there are studies that discuss affordable housing/supportive housing and crime (largely based in the US but some in Canada as well). The largest study of this in Canada was in Toronto between 1997 and 2006, which found that during this time period, crime rates dropped at a rate that was equal to the rest of the City, suggesting no impact of affordable housing. In Vancouver, they reviewed complaints filed with the City’s Licenses and Inspection Department and Vancouver Police Department and found that there was no increase in crime in neighbourhoods where supportive housing was located. See below for some resources. 

    Regarding combining ideas, this will be done in the What We Heard document. For any perspective that you don’t feel has been voiced, please email engagestjohns.ca.

    de Wolff, Alice. We are Neighbours: The Impact of Supportive Housing on Community, Social, Economic, and Attitude Changes, 2008, Wellesley Institute, p.iv. Microsoft Word - Executive Summary (homelesshub.ca)

    Culbert, L. (2008). Studies Don't Support Fears of Social Housing. Vancouver Sun. Vancouver. Studies don’t support fears of social housing « Les Twarog Vancouver Real Estate and Condo Blog (sonjapedersen.com) – Referenced on p. 16 of this Vancouver doc as well Revised Supportive Housing Strategy for Vancouver Coastal Health’s Mental Health & Addictions Supported Housing Framework 2007-05-22

    Affordability and Choices Today (2009). Housing_In_My_Backyard_A_Municipal_Guide_For_Responding_To_NIMBY_EN.pdf (fcm.ca)

    Albright, Len, Elizabeth S. Derickson and Douglas S. Massey. 2013. ‘’Do Affordable Housing Projects Harm Suburban Communities? Crime, Property Values, and Taxes in Mount Laurel, NJ’’, City & Community, vol.12, no.2, June, p.89-112. Do Affordable Housing Projects Harm Suburban Communities? Crime, Property Values, and Taxes in Mount Laurel, NJ (rupco.org)

    Lesneskie, Eric G. 2013. Public Housing and Lethal Violence: An Analysis of the Effect of the Presence of Public Housing on Homicide Rates, Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), State University of New Jersey, May. Public housing and lethal violence (rutgers.edu)

    Lens, Micheal C. 2013. ‘’The Impacts of Housing Vouchers on Crime in U.S. Cities and Suburbs’’, Urban Studies, vol. 51, no.6, May, p.1274-1289 Lens 1 Vouchers and Crime.pdf (ucla.edu)

     Lens, Michael C. 2013. ‘’The Limits of Housing Investment as a Neighborhood Revitalization Tool: Crime in New York City’’, Journal of the American Planning Association, vol.79, no.3, Summer, p.211-222. The Limits of Housing Investment as a Neighborhood Revitalization Tool: Crime in New York City: Journal of the American Planning Association: Vol 79, No 3 (tandfonline.com)

    Galster, G., Pettit, K, , Santiago, A., Tatian, P. (2002). "The Impact of Supportive Housing on Neighborhood Crime Rates." Journal of Urban Affairs 24(3-4): 389-315. (PDF) The impact of supportive housing on neighborhood crime rates | Anna Santiago - Academia.edu

    Goetz, E. G., Lam, H. K., & Heitlinger, A. (1996). There goes the neighborhood? The impact of subsi-dized multi-family housing on urban neighborhoods. Minneapolis: Center for Urban and RegionalAffairs, University of Minnesota

    There Goes the Neighborhood? The Impact of Subsidized Multi-Family Housing on Urban Neighborhoods. (umn.edu)

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    Looks as if you are building down into the greenspace which is used by so many. Why? Please do not put an apartment building if you must build. Use similar housing to what is already on Empire. Small townhouses perhaps. Dense housing would effect the traffic flow on Empire. The city has already disrupted the traffic on Empire enough! Many people use Empire to cross from the grrenspace into Geirge Town. How will extra traffic effect this. How many trees will be sacrificed to build the housing?

    skeough asked over 2 years ago

    There is no planned project on the site at this time. If a project does proceed on this site, we won’t know what portion of the site is impacted until designs are in place (such as number of trees impacted). The outline of the site indicates the property boundary, not necessarily the portion to be developed (if Council approves development of this site). Regarding the traffic – if a development does proceed on this site, like any new development, the proposal must meet the City’s planning and development standards. In the case of development generating a significant amount of traffic, a detailed transportation impact study would be necessary. This study would examine any potential transportation impact associated with the project including access locations, traffic volume and any surrounding transportation system improvements required. The site is near many amenities: grocery store, pharmacy, schools, employment opportunities, recreation, near public transit and a trail system, which reduces the need for a vehicle.

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    I’ve noticed over the years what I believe is the settling or sinking of this parking lot and wonder about it’s suitability as a building site. Could the city possibly add some gravel to bring up the level of the lot at the curb area where it seems to be down 3-4 inches all the way along?

    Ricksmith99 asked over 2 years ago

    Any unsuitable material would be removed and replaced if required prior to any construction if in fact this site is chosen for a development.

    Staff will review the existing conditions and determine if fill is required for the parking lot in the interim.

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    Please provide details about how this (and other proposed sites) fit with plans to develop better cycling and other active and accessible transportation infrastructure as well as public transit. Affordable housing becomes a lot less affordable if it come with the need to buy and run a private auto.

    robinw asked over 2 years ago

    These sites are located near transit stops and trail networks. They’re also located near other amenities such as schools, grocery stores, pharmacies, recreation areas, retail, and/or employment opportunities, etc. The City’s transportation engineers were consulted prior to identifying these sites for potential redevelopment as affordable housing. If Council approves a development on any of these sites, further consultation with the City’s transportation engineers would be done to ensure alignment with transportation plans and initiatives.

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    There are some amazing old trees at the property line of 94 Empire. Will this project preserve them?

    ae asked over 2 years ago

    There is no planned project on this site at this time therefore we cannot comment on the impact to those trees. We can include in the “What We Heard” document to Council that there is a desire to preserve these trees should any development proceed on this site. Any development on this site is subject to Council approval.

Page last updated: 12 Mar 2024, 03:11 PM