​​What to expect as a homeowner in a TODA ring

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• Constant solicitation - land assemblers use scare tactics to pressure homeowners to sell now or have property de-valued later  

• Development can take years before starting, and houses behind blue steel construction fences become abandoned and derelict​

• Existing residents will be pressured to exit as surrounding areas densify

• As high density development happens, single family homes adjacent to new apartment buildings become overshadowed (loss of privacy and natural light)

• Parking and traffic congestion will become major issues (no parking requirements within 400m and only 0.5 stalls per dwelling unit are required within 800m)

• Federal government regulations may reduce all parking requirements to zero for new development within the 800m radius ring

• Concerns about over-densification and potential for expropriation strips away the traditional sense of home security that typically comes from home ownership

• Values will be concentrated in the land rather than the homes

• Densified areas will become less attractive to families looking to set down roots in a community

• In some cases, the marketability of a house/lot may be limited to developers

• With land assemblies, not all homeowners will receive equal compensation for their properties and not all properties will be targeted for densification - there will be winners and losers

• With land assemblies, some homeowners will look to get out early while others may wait and risk being stuck while densification occurs around them

• Well established communities can become destabilized as the number of abandoned structures waiting for for development increases, and interactions with neighbours diminish

 

Detrimental impacts to the Brentwood Community due to a TODA designation

 

• The current character of our 70-year old neighbourhood would be destroyed

• Most but not all of Brentwood Park is located in the 800m TODA ring - our community will become divided and bifurcated 

• Green space and trees would be lost to boxy structures and concrete and asphalt surfaces which in turn will have negative environmental impacts on both flora and fauna

• More renters in the neighbourhood may be squeezed out by property owners hoping for re-development

• Property taxes will increase:

  • Property taxes are assessed based on highest and best use which is now for high-density development

  • Funding for infrastructure upgrades for high-density development will partially come from existing residents through higher property taxes

  • Single family homeowners near the Lougheed Mall TODA have already experienced 70% increases in property taxes

• Community services (education, childcare, healthcare, senior services, recreational programs) that are already over-capacity in Burnaby will experience greater pressure with overwhelming population growth

  • how many more portables can they fit on school grounds?​

  • will there be any school grounds left after all of the portables are built?

• City of Burnaby infrastructure (sewer, water, power, storm-water management and transportation system) upgrades will be required even for modest densification - who pays for this?

• Municipal governments and local citizens no longer have an influence in local land use planning

• Over-reach by the Provincial Government and lack of transparency and due process leaves one concerned about the future of democracy - meaningful collaboration between citizens and their local government is a hugely important democratic mechanism that was ostensibly removed by various pieces of provincial legislation mid-way through the current terms of your elected municipal politicians. Did your last municipal vote really count?!

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