Apartment rezoning was wrong call

Re: Editorial titled “Right location, right call,” Oct. 26.

As a College Heights resident for more then 29 years and a resident of Prince George for more then 60 years, you are not correct in saying that council’s approval of building two six-storey apartments on O’Grady Road was the “right location, right call.”

It’s the “wrong location and wrong call.” This will be reflected in the next civic elections. College Heights residents are known for their community spirit and this decision will not be forgotten.

A total of 167 rental units can easily translate to over 500 people (transient in nature).

Just up the road south bound and down the road northbound; about a five to ten minute walk in either direction are established neighborhoods with homes ranging from 400 to 500 plus thousand dollars in value. Homes built on the premise that the neighborhood would be single family dwelling homes in nature.

Now city council goes about changing the community plan to accommodate apartment buildings that changes the dynamics of that whole area and may have an affect on home values.

So why have a community plan when it can be changed willynilly? There has been mention that we must consider investor’s interests. That’s a good point, but are not home owners investors? For most people a home is the biggest investment they will ever make. Does not the city have responsibility to protect those investments?

Two six-storey apartment buildings in that location, which will stick out like a sore thumb, is not “responsible modern housing.” If anything, the city should get the developer to build smaller homes something like the ones just down the hill on Domano across from College Heights secondary, I’m sure there would be people lined up to buy. Edward J. Denicola

Prince George