Last week, the city’s planning and housing committee approved a rezoning to Theberge Homes to allow the construction of towers of 32 and 24 storeys at 780 Baseline Rd., near the southeast corner of the farm. A third tower of 24 storeys facing Fisher Avenue had received rezoning approval in the fall.
In a letter to the city last November, Agriculture Canada said the shadows from the towers would affect crop research, although Theberge countered that claim with a study by a U.S. engineering firm that found the shadow effect would be minimal.
More units = more inventory = downward pressure on all units.
Also, that doesn’t speak to the issue of have a farm in the middle of a city that apparently can’t handle some shadows.
I dunno if you’ve ever grown anything, but there are plants that need full sun saturation to grow.
They’re conducting research, not growing turnips to eat, so the condition of each plant needs to be near perfect in order for any study to be replicable.
I don’t know the specifics, but I’d say that the experimental farm probably knows how their plants are going to fare in the shadow of a 33-storey building, which may cover the land for the majority of the day.
Not to mention that even several hundred $3000/month units do nothing to depress unit costs as a whole.
I get the need for controlled conditions. I think it’s ridiculous they feel entitled to those conditions in the middle of a city during a housing crisis.
And yes they do. It’s simple economics. More inventory means more downward pressure on prices. Simple as that.
Simple economics designed by ultra rich, controlled by ultra rich to help the ultra rich profit more.
No one who NEEDS that housing will be able to ever afford it…the company proposing the building has rents for a 500sqft Batchelor for 1600…you think they actually care about affordable? They will throw anything they can in this building to MAXIMIZE profits.
Does Ottawa need more housing? Yes.
Does it need this luxury style crap? No…