Urban Development and Proposals Discussion

[Surrealplaces]

Agree with the screening, but actually defining the screening criteria is very difficult, and opens to a lot of potential lawsuits and advocacy from organizations involved in this space. Claims of bias against certain groups, lack of options for others, etc. makes it much easier to keep the DIC where it's just a free for all with very limited exceptions.

I don't believe the screening would be an issue TBH. We already do screening for various subsidized housing. This would be a level down from the current housing options that have screening, but the precedent exists. You're probably right about the advocacy groups complaining.

Forced rehab should be done, but it'll only work in a few specific cases, there's just too many people that need it compared to the funding available. Unless non-rehab people are ok with the government diverting healthcare resources from other areas to build more forced rehab spaces, which is very unlikely. Providing all these services are very expensive, and frankly I think society's compassion and willingness to help also has its limits.

I agree about the costs of forced rehab. I think people would be against spending the money, but if it can be framed as a way to get homeless people off the street at the same cost as what they're likely already spending, it may sway people.
If we can get a decent lists of current costs that include everything including costs such as strain on health care system or police services, general public safety, the potential for more transit use if the problem was dealt with, etc..

 

[InfrastructureEnthusiast]

I agree about the costs of forced rehab. I think people would be against spending the money, but if it can be framed as a way to get homeless people off the street at the same cost as what they're likely already spending, it may sway people.
If we can get a decent lists of current costs that include everything including costs such as strain on health care system or police services, general public safety, the potential for more transit use if the problem was dealt with, etc..

I seen to recall reading about an old unused mining or forestry camp that was up for sale. I tried searching but couldn't find the story, maybe someone here knows what I'm referring to?

But a repurposed work camp seems like it would be a cost effective way of housing a rehab center. Would offer most of the services needed and would be far outside the city.

Or perhaps it could be a good way of putting some of the smaller dying farm towns to good use. Don't recall the names off hand but I remember reading about a few places with $10,000 homes back in the early 2000s.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

If we can get a decent lists of current costs that include everything including costs such as strain on health care system or police services, general public safety, the potential for more transit use if the problem was dealt with, etc.

Issue with this list is that it includes things that are the responsibility of different levels of government. Need everyone pulling on the same rope, could be difficult to convince the province that the city saving money on policing is a good thing while they spend more on healthcare. The issue costs policing resources but the root cause is a healthcare issue so it is a little complicated.

 

[Surrealplaces]

Issue with this list is that it includes things that are the responsibility of different levels of government. Need everyone pulling on the same rope, could be difficult to convince the province that the city saving money on policing is a good thing while they spend more on healthcare. The issue costs policing resources but the root cause is a healthcare issue so it is a little complicated.

Definitely complicated. The other approach would be to try and combat the root of the issue, in the end another approach that is difficult to solve and comes with costs.

 

[Cowtown]

This is blatantly false. The issue is not that society's too full of bleeding heart liberals. The police are constantly harassing homeless people. The UCP doesn't seem to have any qualms about villainizing the homeless. .

I would say the opposite. Police harassment on homeless is low. Yeah, the police harass them from time to time but only when people complain about them loitering in front of their business or they're a public area with no loitering.
I mean, what else are they going to do? Decide not harass them and let downtown turn into a disaster? (compared to what people think it is today).

 

[DougB]

Come to Texas if you want to see police harassing homeless and addicts. In Dallas, the police will immediately seize and destroy drugs and paraphernalia from anyone consuming in public. I've seen the cops force meth heads to stomp on their pipes and pick up the pieces. The police do not tolerate any tents pitched in public spaces and will request them to be dismantled before calling in a team to dismantle them. I also saw a homeless person cuffed and thrown into a paddy wagon for deficating on the sidewalk.

The approach seems to work.

 

[outoftheice]

Timely to the conversation and actually fits with the Urban Development Proposal thread.... the folks in Royal Oak are getting some new neighbours!

Mandatory drug treatment centre to be built adjacent to Royal Oak area

One of Alberta's two compassionate intervention centres will be built adjacent to the Royal Oak area and the remand centre.

calgaryherald.com

 

[DougB]

Timely to the conversation and actually fits with the Urban Development Proposal thread.... the folks in Royal Oak are getting some new neighbours!

Mandatory drug treatment centre to be built adjacent to Royal Oak area

One of Alberta's two compassionate intervention centres will be built adjacent to the Royal Oak area and the remand centre.

calgaryherald.com

Locating near existing correctional and and mental health facilities should be about as non-controversial as possible. The Spy Hill correctional facility pre-dates all of the area's residential development

 

[FCC1982]

Random skyline shots - from Crescent Heights:

 

[Golfing guy]

Can’t seem to find the project. The lot on 37st/Bowness rd/Veterans way NW is in full development. Drill and many other pieces of equipment at work today

 

[Surrealplaces]

Not a lot of info for that one. It looks to be a 2 storey residential care building.
New: Residential Care (1 building);
2-storey (11 metres) in height; and
24 dwelling units, 2,517 square metres in size.
The current Land Use District allows for this type of development

There's another proposal that was more of a concept also on Veteran's Way, but to the west. At first I thought it might be that one.

 

[ByeByeBaby]

This is a little all over the place, but there's a new podcast by David Zipper (MIT senior fellow, mobility reporter at CityLab, Vox, Slate, etc.) and Wes Marshall (U Colorado Denver civil engineering prof, author of Killed By A Traffic Engineer). The third episode opens with a brief discussion of Wes' recent visit to Calgary and Banff, not a detailed site visit but someone who was here as a tourist taking a quick trip.

Key points about Calgary (there's also some on Banff):
Good stuff:

• Multi-use pathways along the river and separated from roadways
• A really good mix of housing - SFD, apartment, townhouse all together in the same area

On the other hand:

• "Every time you turn around there's another highway"
• "Downtown, they seem to have these five-lane arterials that seem to have almost nobody on them."

The podcast is interesting overall, if you're the kind of person who is interested in a 10 minute discussion about speed humps, which I wager more than a couple of you are.

 

[outoftheice]

It's an interesting question... what happens with such an important downtown heritage asset if the current owner sees no value in it? We see this occur a lot with smaller buildings that just get knocked down but this is definitely a different scale...

Downtown association wants a plan for Hudson's Bay location after RioCan backs off - LiveWire Calgary

Uncertainty over the future of the Hudson’s Bay location on Stephen Avenue has the Calgary Downtown association worried about the gaping retail hole left in the area. After RioCan announced they were pulling away from five former Hudson’s Bay retail locations, including the downtown Calgary...

livewirecalgary.com

 

[darwink]

It's an interesting question... what happens with such an important downtown heritage asset if the current owner sees no value in it? We see this occur a lot with smaller buildings that just get knocked down but this is definitely a different scale...

Downtown association wants a plan for Hudson's Bay location after RioCan backs off - LiveWire Calgary

Uncertainty over the future of the Hudson’s Bay location on Stephen Avenue has the Calgary Downtown association worried about the gaping retail hole left in the area. After RioCan announced they were pulling away from five former Hudson’s Bay retail locations, including the downtown Calgary...

livewirecalgary.com

If it isn’t protected either someone can buy it into protection (including the government) or buy it without protection and do what they want to it.

 

[Urb]

Dear Lord - please keep this away from Strategic...