Today I mourn the loss of a friend.
As you may or may not know, I enjoy sports. However, there’s only a few that I’ve really excelled at:
1) Skiing
2) Long-distance running
3) Basketball
(I’ve played soccer just as much as any of these, but, despite what the number of medals I possess says, I am not a great soccer player)
I started playing basketball when I was 12. Mostly because my friends were, but hey, when you’re 12, that’s the best reason to do anything. From then until last spring, most of my non-organized basketball life took place at Greenview’s basketball courts. They weren’t as big as Hillview’s, but they were less crowded. Me and my friends could go there and not worry about playing other people to stay on the court. And we were there a lot.
Now, they’re gone.
Just a casualty of Greenview Landing, the pilot project of Edmonton’s First-Time Homebuyer program. A program which has gotten off to an incredibly slow start. How slow? Try 15 applications for 85 units made available so far, with only 11 being approved.
Why the slow start? I’m attributing it to all the development locations being in the suburbs. Some people want to live close to downtown, Whyte Avenue, 124th St, whatever. Look where the large majority of rental units are in the city: Riverbend? Nope. Castledowns? Guess again. They’re central! The vast majority of people who are looking to buy their first home are renting in central-Edmonton, and, believe it or not, they might like their neighborhoods.
And there most definitely are suitable locations. How about in the Ottewell area? Braemar school is being used to educate pregnant teens and parenting teens. A worthy cause, but surely they don’t need all of the field space. How about Wellington, High Park, Newton, or one of the other schools that have been recently closed? There’s more space in a more central location.
This project has potential to do a lot of good, but I think it needs to re-evaluate its locations of choice. Maybe that will save other well-used parkland areas, like Greenview and my favorite basketball courts.
You can find the full list of potential sites here.
Pictures to follow…
Posted by dallasm 