| May. 7th, 2009 @ 11:25 am ...I'm only garrulous today. Don't count on it continuing. |
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Current Location: Compy 886
I'm feeling:  bitter
Now playing: nothing at the moment, too bitter
So as I'd thought, Cobourg's only slated to get 30% of the population growth slated under the Places to Grow Plan. Said growth was rather miniscule (16 000 county-wide over thirty years), compared to the plans that Cobourg had (New Amherst/West Park Village, plus Development Area C - the east end, where my family lives - which combined would have worked out to an increase of 20 000 or so), plus it would have been unrealistic to assume that Cobourg would be given all of this growth. Grandpa can now rest easy, as he'll be 102 before his fear of the area around the house being turned into a suburban wasteland will be realised. Granted, said development was slated to be somewhat New Urbanist-esque, which given that there's not that much traditional suburban development in Cobourg would actually be quite a natural-feeling extension to the town, unlike New Amherst/West Park Village, which is separated from the older parts of the town by a mall and the majority of Cobourg's traditional suburban development (Ewing, Westwood, etc). (This isn't to say that New Amherst/West Park Village is itself the traditional suburban crap that I've come to hate - far from it, it's a New Urbanist development developed and designed by the high priests of New Urbanism themselves, Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company. It's just like Cornell, however, insofar as it's a wonderfully-designed, tight community separated from "traditional" neighbourhoods by a swath of crappy single-detached houses on curvy streets and culs-de-sac.) It's ironic that the ad that came up with the article pointed out the very reason why Development Area C could very well not ever be completed even in my lifetime (despite the fact that the goal pre-Places to Grow was to have it largely finished by 2031): 'twas an ad for New Amherst. There can't be more than 100 dwelling units already constructed there, out of 1 100. So call that 2 500 people (at a conservative estimate of 2.5 people/dwelling unit). West Park Village is possibly half-done - not sure how many dwelling units that is, but given that after taking New Amherst into account Cobourg will grow by only another 1 100 people, between West Park Village and other planned developments (east end just south of Area C, the Sidbrook condo redevelopment, finishing up Elgin/Densmore, etc) I don't see development starting in Area C before PtG expires. So basically by the time it gets off the ground, New Urbanism (and/or New Urbanist-style development) may very well have been discredited, and it will end up as Grandpa's fear - tacky, suburban sprawl/crap. Or we'll have scaled Hubbert's Peak, and our way of life will have dramatically shifted. Either/or. (However, I'd be remiss in failing to point out that the current Area C plans show the land that our house is slated to become a church, which should hopefully make Grandpa rest easier.)
Also: note to the Registrar's Office - kindly get off your lazy asses and post my damn marks! Jo-Anne probably had those into you a goddamn fortnight ago! Le sigh...shades of undergrad recur, when ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1) campofiorin and I would trade barbs about the Registrar's Office and its seeming inability to follow its own schedule...granted, they're still on schedule, though if I don't have my marks tomorrow - tomorrow being the marks release date - I will be an unhappier camper than I currently am (which is saying a lot, alas). Unless they're not up because some fool never bothered to return the Community Design reader to Jo-Anne, in which case she's withholding our marks. Though it could be just the Community Design mark that she's withholding, in which case I won't care as much as I know I got an 81 in that. I love long asides...
...and long tirades. Like how Virgin Mobile, which I consistently refer to as the lesser of four (Canadian cell phone) evils, is being completely bought out by Bell (originally it was split 50/50 between Bell and Branson). If Bell decides to turn it into a Baby Bell with crappy plans and insane System Access Fees, bank on me leaving once my contract's done in a little over a year. As if this particular camel needed one more goddamn straw right around now...my back's in a rather precarious position right about now...at least Star Trek's coming out tomorrow. |
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