Daphne Bramham has provided an excellent preview of what will likely be the main debate in the run-up to this Fall’s civic election in Vancouver:
There’s no question that the hodgepodge of gardens along CP Rail’s Arbutus corridor are charming and no doubt that homeowners prefer gardens and a leafy walkway to trains.
But are Vancouverites willing to pay $100 million for it? Because that’s how much Canadian Pacific Railway wants for the 66-foot-wide right-of-way that runs for 11 kilometres from the Fraser River almost to False Creek.
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Consider how generous taxpayers may feel toward one of the city’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, a community that already has more green space than most others and where, little more than a decade ago, resident Pamela Sauder declared herself and her neighbours to be Vancouver’s “crème de la crème.”
Consider that the Vision-dominated council’s top priority is ending homelessness. This year, it allocated $16.6 million in its capital budget toward that.
The unfolding hilarity will pit Latte Liberals who have squatted on the CPR land against those demanding more money to fight homelessness. In some cases the same person will be on both sides of the argument! It will fascinating to find out how many of the 4,000+ people who signed a petition to keep the gardens along the tracks as-is will be willing to put their money where their mouths are. A contribution of $5,000 – $10,000 per person would be a good start!
All the Latte Liberals need to do is pull out the chequebook. CPR owns property that other people want – $100 million and it’s theirs – otherwise STFU. It’s not CPR’s problem.
11 km long x 66 feet wide,that’s a lot of Vancouver real estate. It’s probably cheap at a mere 100 million.
And I agree, let those who want it remain a garden pay for it,what’s 4000 people’s contribution to make $100 million? More than I can afford, but then I don’t live in Vancouver and if I did would have no problem with them using the entire corridor for low cost housing for the homeless.
Imagine an 11 kilometer slum!
they should donate pup tents.
CP needs to buy a couple of M62’s from Russia to run up and down that line at all hours of the day and night.
Tax cattle to the rescue of the entitled as usual. Had a better post but it just up & disappeared.
These’ll do the trick quite nicely I think.
http://youtu.be/yG0N58_dUuY
Shouldn’t these Gastown Greenies be concerning themselves with more noble and practical solutions to the earth’s agonies?
http://canadianlandowneralliance.blogspot.ca/2014/07/parrots-wanted.html
Jeez…I know I’m a bit off topic, but seriously, how much dope does a guy have to smoke before he comes up with this?
Well obviously Robert does not think like a gated community commie – there is ALWAYS public money available for the privileged left’s pet projects – you simply borrow it or write IOUs – whatever it takes – this is important dammit! – this is about the “right” people getting their way.
Besides there are plenty of unenlightened middle class sheep to pay the bill for our fun – I mean isn’t that what they’re here for?
My math figures that out to around 55 acres of land at over 1.8 million per acre. The greenies might have to get Enbridge to buy it
55 acres, after road (lane) allowances and utility rights of way would yield about 300 building lots of substantial size. That’s a mere $333,000 per lot. That is a helluva deal. Now, if they built imaginative multi-unit buildings, it could conceivably be a world class development. The hell with the city; where are the RFPs from CPRail?
Couple of weeks and you wouldn’t even notice them. I’ve got the main Ontario N/S CN line(that runs from Windsor to Montreal) 150-200m from my house, the only time I notice that there’s a train going by is when the house rumbles because they’re transporting oil, or other liquids.
CP should just rent a few Cat D9s and run them down the right of way, heck, I’d drive one for free for the fun of it. See which of the latte sippers wants to Rachel Corrie themselves.
Railways, like pipelines and telecoms, are federally regulated.
They can tell Mayor Moonbeam to pound sand, and hard!
CP, build that rail line now and remind Vancourites of the real world out there, not the pixie dus, unicorn, rainbow universe that infests the no-minds of Vancouver Silly Hall
CP should build a pipeline under it and a new railway spur line on top of it, just to grind the noses of those Latte Liberals in some gritty reality for a refreshing change …it’s so much fun watching liberal heads explode!
Shouldn’t these Gastown Greenies be concerning themselves with more noble and practical solutions to the earth’s agonies?
Sorry, Jamie, but wealthy greens are not into self-abnegation. Their favorite charity is themselves. Delivering bennies to the wealthy from the public purse, or by the misuse of gov. regulatory power is the whole reason the wealthy vote for the radical left.
Not sure of the details here, but if this CPR right of way was actually used, then there is a pretty good chance that there will be all kinds of diesel fuel that has leaked onto the right of way over the decades. So one wonders if there is any sort of environmental clean up that would need to be undertaken.
I lived and went to school not far from “the tracks”. There is a lot of prime land there. A lot.
CP is unlikely to get it removed residential but if it could, at current Vancouver prices it would be worth several times the asking price. The city can’t afford to buy it so my bet is that CP will figure out how to run trains again. Sadly, the old tressle across Burrard Inlet is gone but a passenger service might make a bit of sense. In any case it will annoy the creme d’creme which is a good in itself.
Plus, another generation of kids can flatten pennies… Except they are largely Chinese now and won’t be allowed to do anything so dangerous.
That is the plan. Council wants another park for the privileged and his developer buddies on the taxpayer dime. Or maybe more social housing and an expensive bike path that no one uses in my corner of the city. Meanwhile, my children can not afford to live here with a family.
I thought perhaps the “moonbeam” might just want to pitch his tent there seeing as how his wife tossed him out on the street. Can’t make parenting work, can’t make a marriage work and can’t make the city work.
Unusual for a liberal to reach for their wallet.
Why should they when they can reach for yours?
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, this will be fun to watch.
Socialism: a political system famous for valiantly combating problems unknown in any other system.
The City of Vancouver is beyond out to lunch. The streets are filthy as they cut the budget for cleaning to nothing. Yet, they focus on everything else except the basics, bike paths, whales in the aquarium, homelessness, etc.
I keep wondering if this ‘elite’ group would be getting away with all this whining if the corridor belonged to a First Nations group..