Our second Meet & Chat was held at Cousins Deli. There, we discussed housing affordability, renewal, and chose a spokesperson.
At this meet and chat, we discussed some of the work done on co-housing and affordable housing by community organizations. This incredible work could provide more affordable housing for Winnipeggers facing unique barriers.
We also discussed City regulations when it comes to building housing and accessibility standards. The need to renew the housing stock and provide a diverse range of accommodations was tocuhed on. Given better building standards today, building houses can be more costly but also more beneficial for health and the environment.
We talked about the process of housing stock renewal in Glenwood, which has been at the forefront of the discussion on infill.
Going forward, there will be opportunities to get involved and vocal in the infill conversation. The Planning & Property committee recommended more public consultations and is meeting on March 4 at 9:30 AM (510 Main St). The Agenda for this meeting is not posted yet, so it’s unclear if the Infill Strategy will be on the agenda this time.
Additionally, the City’s Appeal Committee will be meeting Feb 21 at 9:00 AM (510 Main St) . A topic of appeal will be the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre. This long-term, residential treatment facility for men suffering from addictions passed initial approval hurdles but is being appealed. Because of gaps in treatment services, it is critically important.
Given coming City of Winnipeg meetings and opportunities to get involved in the public conversation, we talked about what YIMBY Winnipeg should do going forward. We agreed that our new group (just a month old!) is not quite ready to formalize. However, given the media interest in the Residential Infill Strategy, we decided to nominate a spokesperson in the meantime. Dylon Martin will serve as spokesperson for YIMBY Winnipeg in the interim.
We also discussed reaching out to other groups and people. If you haven’t been able to attend because of the venue, time or date please reply will a time, location or date that works better.