Residents near proposed affordable housing build worry about traffic and crime

The City of Cambridge hosted a public comment session this week concerning two proposed high-density, affordable housing builds in established neighbourhoods.

The properties in question are 25 Chalmers St. S and 0 Grand Ridge Dr.

The Chalmers property is the site of the now-vacant St. Ambrose school. The second is a vacant lot at the corner of Grand Ridge and Cedar Creek Road.

Cambridge Ward 3 Councillor Corey Kimpson spoke to The Mike Farwell Show and said some of the things said at the meeting were difficult and disheartening to hear.

“We heard a lot of misinformation about people’s perceptions of what affordable housing can bring to a community. We heard a number of concerns about traffic, about parking and we heard a lot of ‘we don’t want this here.’ And, it was quite discouraging.”

Kimpson believes the city hasn’t done a good enough job combating the misinformation.

“We really need to work towards educating people and challenging their perceptions and the narratives around the people who need and will live in affordable housing.”

She said right now, a home worth $391,000 is considered affordable in Cambridge. For a one-bedroom apartment, it’s $1,200. Kimpson said, “that’s a lot of money in this economy when everything else is so expensive.”

But, the councillor said a major component of facilitating a zoning change is a public consultation and the city will continue to listen to its residents.

“It’s great that we have an engaged community who took the time to come out and delegate. We need more community engagement. This is the beginning of the process of letting people know we are considering a change in zoning.”

Kimpson went on to say these properties are perfect for this type of redevelopment.

“As part of the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund, one of the things the city said we were going to do to get the funds was to use surplus municipal lands for new build projects. And, the city of Cambridge doesn’t have a lot of surplus land.”

Kimpson said there will be other opportunities to comment on the proposed changes before anything is set in stone.