Comment 53167

By John Neary (registered) | Posted December 15, 2010 at 15:05:27

What I don't understand about this whole debate is the obsessive focus on James North.

I don't see any substantial evidence of gentrification on cross streets or parallel north-south streets. So for those who think that gentrification is the saviour of the downtown, it hasn't been; for those who think it's the bane of the poor, it hasn't been that either.

Anyone who wants to fight for supportive housing would do well to help the good folks at the Hamilton Downtown Mosque. Their plan to build transitional housing, a larger mosque, and a school on an empty lot downtown was nixed by the police, who wanted the same land for a storage facility (likely surrounded by parking). I don't understand why that issue has generated so little discussion compared to the fate of rather small properties on James North. Is it a less compelling narrative?


Correction:

"nixed by the police, who wanted the same land for parking"

changed to

"nixed by the police, who wanted the same land for a storage facility (likely surrounded by parking)"

Sometimes when you live downtown, you get surface parking on the brain.

Comment edited by John Neary on 2010-12-15 14:23:51

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