The ongoing debate over affordable housing in Arlington Drive, as important as it is on its own, represents a much larger issue in St. Albert.
Both sides in the debate have extremely important points to make. The Akinsdale residents who oppose the Arlington Drive plan are quite rightly concerned about the number of homes that will be cramped into such a small space and the negative effects this would have on their neighbourhood. On the other side, business and social groups alike have both stressed the need for more affordable housing, pointing to the fact that many St. Albert residents struggle to make ends meet, including keeping a roof over their heads. The support of our chamber of commerce for the Arlington project, for instance, comes from its members’ desire for more local residents to work at their businesses.
What Arlington Drive highlights however, is the fact that we as a city have not had a full-on debate about affordable housing. Where will we construct such housing, if not in Akinsdale? Are there other places in St. Albert that would be a better fit? Would breaking new ground in areas such as North Ridge and Ray Gibbon Drive be a better place or should we be going for infill in established neighbourhoods? Should we be building duplexes, townhouses, apartment buildings or single-family dwellings? How much land can we devote to affordable housing, without making things unnecessarily difficult for developers?
Affordable housing is not even the only issue we face as a city. As disgusting as the letter by Chris and Karleena Perry is, it has opened up debate over the kind of community St. Albert is. Are we seen as a wealthy gated community? The comments directed our way by critics elsewhere in the Capital region in response to the Perrys’ suggests that we have this reputation in some circles. Do we demand “gold-standard” services from the city? The St. Albert Taxpayers Association has criticized the city for attempting to do this, while at least one now-retired city staffer claims that much of the populace suffers from “affluenza” in expecting such levels of service. What is the appropriate balance of green space and industrial development, when the city is wrestling with density targets and the desire to attain an 80/20 tax split, while environmental and recreational groups desire more walking trails and playgrounds?
There are no easy answers to these questions, of course. However, they all highlight the fact that we as a city will have some important decisions to make about what kind of community we wish to become. No one has all the answers, but if we combine our efforts the end result will be far stronger than any of us could achieve alone.
Jared Milne, St. Albert
