"He*l is full of good intentions or desires”
attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)
Submitted by Brenda Willman
I deliberately chose a controversial title for a controversial submission, which I was thinking of titling “You Don’t Have to Drink the Kool Aid” or “My Dissertation on the Current Evolution of Sunnyhill Housing Cooperative”. I think we, as members, should be permitted to voice a counter-opinion without fear of reprisal, though it may make others angry, and maybe make others nod their heads in agreement, and at the very least spark further debate.
One of the things I have greatly lamented in recent years is the disappearance of single family homes in Hillhurst-Sunnyside, which have made way for the multi-plexes, small(ish) apartment buildings and apartment/condo megoliths (see the block long building on Memorial Drive and what looks to be a very large footprint for the one next the C-train on 9A Street near Safeway), never mind what appears to be coming along 2nd Avenue near the school.
And now to my even greater sorrow and, yes, frustration, I am being pointedly led (pressure to approve motions is evident) towards a single solution I don’t find palatable. It does feel like I am being led down a chute like a proverbial lamb to the slaughter, or more aptly put in Alberta, like cattle to the abattoir. I can’t recall being offered many other solutions, but it is very possible I missed something along the way as I’ve had a few very rough years.
The lease is ending - the future of the coop is threatened by this. Yes, I understand. To my fellow member who implied that I – and possibly the other old people - don’t see the side of the young families moving into the coop, I haven’t been 62 years old for 30 years while living here. I was a “young family” when I moved in with my then-partner. I had hopes and expectations, as did my contemporaries, though I admit I have not been asked to speak for them. The previous membership (previous to today) may not have replaced the windows, but not for lack of having sense. We’ve had to weather several economic depressions in the past 30 years, and in our desire to keep things affordable, particularly for hurting families, we gave up some things in favour of affordability. Empathy, which seems to be at centre stage in the present discussions, has always been a factor at SHC – maybe, no probably, to the detriment of our buildings. We made it through the flood too, and I won’t forget that some then long-time members worked very hard to get us back on our feet after that, as did the rest of us. I believe there would be no discussing the future of the coop if we hadn’t pulled ourselves back together after the flood.
But I have digressed, and it is easy to do so when the side-road is relevant itself. To get back to the point, there have been/are options considered: (a) let the lease run out and see where things are a few years down the road (b) renew the lease or (c) buy the land. That is my understanding. I don’t recall any other possibilities and perhaps there is no wiggle room when dealing with a City Council filled with Councillors who are largely in the back pockets of wealthy developers. We have focused on (b) and (c) because, I think, “wait-and-see” does not appeal to those undertaking this massive planning project, nor does it seem reasonable. Having said that, we effectively have handed over a good deal of control to the City and left our future in their hands, at least so far as in how their decisions directly affect which course we are able to follow. I know that we pro-actively spend money to present plans to CMHC and the City, but the City holds the key – as landowner.
Additionally, it is not just maudlin emotions that cause my aversion to having a four storey apartment building erected smack in the middle of our co-op complex. I just used the large font, approximately 4 times taller than the font around it, to make a point (and yes I know that most of our units are 3 storey units, but the ones next to the apartment will be the other one bedroom units that are 1 storey high). I invite anyone to stand next to the apartment unit beside Sami’s store, and then picture that (only 2 stories higher) being dropped next to the circle garden. A four storey building in the middle of our complex, effectively dividing our neighbourhood, is not optimal, and I don’t want it. One built on the outside perimeter would be more palatable, but I heard the reasons for that not being possible.
Displacing people from their homes forever is also not optimal. I heard from our planning committee, that “we have empathy”, but I also heard the Chair of our Board say “lots of people have had to move when they didn’t want to…we have empathy”. Unfortunately, empathy offered with what appears to be a chilly codicil such as ‘other people have been in your same shoes’ (implying - so deal with it) is not helpful, nor particularly empathetic to tell the truth.
I hear the real concern in the voices of those potentially displaced members respecting the pending change in their lifestyle(s) – having to move, and also, for example, having no more separate entry, no more garden. In fact, the amenity of one’s own entrance and yard is one of the reasons that lots of people, no matter what age, are attracted to SHC’s one bedroom units, besides, for example, being attracted by the great neighbourhood and proximity to the downtown, and notwithstanding the opportunity for a subsidy. We have had 30-somethings, albeit not ‘families’, living in one bedroom units. It is almost impossible to find a single-storey one bedroom unit in Calgary. I mourn, and want to voice my opposition to, the loss of something truly unique offered by SHC. And before you go there, I know that will be other one-bedrooms not affected, but our present complement of single storey units will be halved.
I also understand that we are, in our attempts to be (what – efficient or bold or leaders, or all of the foregoing? – I’m not sure) efficient, trying to kill several birds with one stone. We are not just looking at what to do about the lease. We concurrently are considering what to do about our accessibility and our environmental targets (don’t know how else to put that) and the reality of our aging buildings (AND aging members), because they are all tied together into getting approval from the City and maybe also because these considerations seem perfectly reasonable though not necessarily affordable - and some of the work is becoming necessary.
But as I noted when I addressed these feelings at the meeting, we are a tiny community of 66 members, which consists of multiple members on subsidy. It is unfathomable how anyone can expect such a small group of individuals to foot the long-term bill/debt for such an endeavour. It is true that in the beginning, it was a small group of members who established the coop, but I understand that all the money came from CMHC loans (and, oh, none of them who are still alive stuck around to pay off the debt). I am hearing that the present development hopefully will be funded by grants and sponsored loans, but I am also hearing there will be a big difference owing, and that difference will be loaned directly to the coop – and THAT, along with my desire to not contribute the “apartmentification” of Sunnyside AND disruption to and loss of lifestyle of my neighbours, is what steers me away from the present path.
It is not because I am short-sighted. It is not because I am old. It is not because I cannot remember what it is like to be in my thirties and have my future ahead of me. It is largely because of the expectation by outsiders, yes let me call them that even though they may be considering our best interests: they remain non-members, that such a small group of people should be expected to assume such a large loan simply to be able to stay in place. That seems so unfair. But life is not fair.
6 million divided by 66? About $90,000 per unit – so that is a debt I will have to assume as a 30 year member who has already contributed a good deal of money to SHC, and it is not the only factor going into the $ calculation of my future (during and post development) economic housing charge. We have day to day expenses to add in – besides repayment of the debt. So despite my already having contributed $288,000 to my present home (I have already spent 30 years X (let’s go low) 800/month= $288,000), I now have to assume more debt at a point where I was actually hoping to see my Housing Charge drop in a few years.
I (and many others) have invested more than enough to have purchased a little house – but I decided to put all my eggs in the basket of cooperative housing, and to find out at this late stage that decision might have been a huge mistake is at the very least disappointing. As I said at the meeting, my plan included (likely) paying subsidies for most of my life, knowing that at the end of my journey I could ultimately be subsidized, still have a home, a small garden, and people around to watch out for me
There should be other solutions…but I admit that I have no earthly idea what those may be. Rent to own? Buy adjacent land (with or without partners, such as the City of Calgary or SACHA or ???) and build on that land? We would still assume a debt, but at least no one will have to move and no building will be in the middle of the coop. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, according to Meatloaf.
All I know is (1) people are going to lose their homes due to no fault of their own and NOT due to something as newsworthy as an earthquake, flood, volcano or some other such disaster which might drum up more empathy and assistance from strangers and governments alike (2) every member of SHC is going to be assuming a huge debt, some of whom will be or are already are on a limited Canada Pension for their source of income and (3) another apartment is going up in a spot where it will stick out like a sore thumb – ALL of which have a significant impact on someone’s/everyone’s quality of life.
I have mentioned before in an earlier Newsletter submission that the impact of the construction to the east and south of us would surely come into play, and already it has begun. Presently there is the substation under construction to the near east. Next will be a massive c-train bridge construction. Jaipur Bridge is closed and the little detour bridge to the east is going to be affected by the green-line c-train bridge construction. Getting across the river and the lagoon to downtown will become difficult if not nearly impossible– yet we at SHC are willing to soldier through these things. We choose to live here.
We have faced, and will continue to face, many changes to our Shangri-La in this corner of Sunnyside, and I for one would like to see every single option exhaustedly explored. Even at the eleventh hour. If we can maintain our present height, and our land, and take on a few repairs/improvements each year – that is my hope and dream – and we ALL hope and dream no matter what our shelf-life might be. Young or old. Thank you for your time.