Luxury condo won’t help housing crunch

Re A NIMBY’s tale, Editorial, Aug. 31 The Star is pretty naif when stating that a “modest” eight-storey, 16-unit condominium at 321Davenport Rd. “is precisely the sort of building of which the city needs more.”

Who do you think will occupy these units but the same privileged segment of the population who can afford 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot, multimillion-dollar condos?

You are wasting your time advocating between two groups of millionaires — those who are already there and those who would eventually move in.

It would be better for the Star to promote intensification along many of Toronto’s thoroughfares, such as Avenue Rd. and Queen St., by replacing the current two-storey buildings with fourto eight-storey ones.

This would preserve the stores and streetscape, but with the added benefit of a variety of housing options. This is what makes European cities so livable and attractive. Peter Krysmanski, Oakville Re Midrise housing has bright future in Toronto,

Hume, Aug. 31 The trouble with midrise buildings is the wide range of storeys, from four to 11. A four- or six-storey building in your neighbourhood, under certain circumstances, might not be too disruptive, whereas an 11-storey building would be. There is a big difference.

As citizens, we have the right and urgency to complain about inappropriate developments, no matter how we see it. We cannot just sit by and let the powers that be dismantle our city.

This city, regardless of its world standing, is slipping and people who live here know it. The city is becoming way too big for its infrastructure.

So, we are becoming a bigger city, then what? We are even outgrowing our parks, like High Park, which is threatened by overuse.

We used to be able get around the city by car with limited traffic inconvenience. Not now, and we love our cars, don’t we? Greg Prince, Toronto