Building variances put too much pressure on city

Editor: Special thanks to letter writers Richard Drinnan and Douglas Cebryk for their attention to City Hall building frivolity (Taller building all about profit, not improving city's landscape, Sept. 7 and City to blame for Waters Edge fire – and they're doing it again, Sept. 9).

I am not opposed to growth and construction. I am opposed to council allowing special privilege with variances in density and construction design without regard to our over-taxed resources and infrastructure.

The pressures of any urban overbuild amounts to a future economic burden on taxpayers of tsunami proportions.

We have an increasing population, centred in a dry climate.

With limited water resources, we live in danger of upsetting the water/sewage balance in our basin that is critical to our existence.

Rapid construction growth has already taxed our infrastructure to the max.

Our present system is not designed for the mega development projects now pressed upon our community.

Our fire protection services are not designed for buildings over eight storeys.

The traffic volume demands for parking and emergency travel will soon exceed the safety margins of normal urban requirements. Parks and green space needs are already ignored.

City council should realize that each variance granted to a mega project adds to infrastructure overload.

Maintaining clean air and clean water in a larger urban centre has its own justifiable cost.

Let’s not overburden taxpayers with the unjustifiable costs of poorly planned allowance of overbuild.

Let’s not try to live beyond the limits of our resources, water or otherwise.

Ian Royce Sisett, Kelowna