Project is railroading church neighbours

Re: “Oak Bay housing plan long overdue,” letter, Jan. 4.

Thank you to the letter-writer for deciding what is right for my street.

I’m sure that if a low-cost, high-density apartment building were proposed within 100 metres of your front door, you’d welcome it without reservation. A hundred more cars on an already-congested road wouldn’t concern you, nor would the additional load on a deteriorating infrastructure.

For your information, the neighbours here acknowledge there is a housing crisis and that this land might be better utilized. But the issues involved are complex. Many of them are identified here: ccn-oakbay.com.

I approached the development with an open mind and hope that good could come from this. However, my optimism was quickly dampened by the cavalier and dismissive treatment my husband and I encountered at the so-called community consultations.

My conclusion is that those of us most affected by this project are being railroaded to accommodate the ambitions of a consortium of considerable real-estate development, political, legal and even religious muscle, partially funded by B.C. Housing. Using hot buttons such as “housing crisis” and “affordable housing,” this group seeks knee-jerk, often illinformed support to push their agenda forward.

Yes, let’s make all neighbourhoods more inclusive, but in doing that, let’s not destroy what brought people to live there in the first place.

Maggie Bolitho Oak Bay