The Homekey project at 1237 San Antonio Road has been in the works since fall 2023, when city and state leaders touted its importance in addressing the local and regional housing crisis.
I understood at a very early age how much place matters and how impactful government services can be on one's life. The Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice was really focused on working with agencies to think about how they're addressing inequity, whether it's through budget as a lever or personnel as a lever, procurement, policymaking. But land use is a lever as well.
Galliard Homes reduced the amount of affordable housing in the project's housing stock from 35 per cent to just 10 per cent, citing increased construction costs and changing building regulations as key factors.
Good urbanism should transcend politics. Socialists and capitalists can walk the same neighborhood and agree it's a pleasant place to live. They can each appreciate the tree canopy, the corner café with people spilling onto the sidewalk, the mix of ages on bikes and on foot, the architectural details of older buildings, and so on.
The persistent 'flight to quality' creates a profound and escalating challenge for owners of older, non-prime office buildings. As corporates from high-value sectors consolidate into modern, ESG-compliant buildings, the demand for secondary space contracts to smaller local businesses, back-office functions and start-ups - all of which are highly price sensitive and have more options.
