More rules needed for infill housing

I found the letter to the editor by Michael Katz (Infill housing a boon, not a blight, July 15), in regard to infill housing, quite amusing.

There is only one group benefiting from these infill units and that is the owners who are reaping the reward of high-density housing on a 25-foot lot that was intended in most instances for a singlefamily dwelling. These new units provide housing, but nothing else. They don’t provide for off-street parking for their tenants, most of whom have one and sometimes two vehicles. They provide no play space for children, as there are no yards to speak of.

The City of Regina is at fault for not having regulations about neighbourhood conformity. Many of these three-storey units are built in neighbourhoods where bungalows predominate, so they tower over their neighbours, eliminating all the sun from side windows and totally blocking views up and down the street. Whenever high-density housing is considered, it should be mandatory that off-street parking is allotted to the tenants and the effect of the buildings themselves should be taken into consideration for the in-place residents. I know people who have had to move just because they didn’t want their home blocked in by these towering monsters that add to the noise and traffic congestion in previously quiet residential neighbourhoods.

Bill Dickin, Regina