by Michael Anderson
Gabe Frayne’s well-written and well-reported piece on density and infill in the April/May North Tabor News implies that all readers see a denser, livelier neighborhood as bad. They don’t. I can’t speak to the specific plans for Mark Wilde’s project on NE 57th, but I welcome the more general trend of infill. It will only strengthen the combination of vibrant retail options, affordability and excellent transportation that make our neighborhood so appealing.
Our city is in deep need of more housing supply, and though lower-income people will rarely live in newly constructed homes, the construction of new homes at any price level is the only way to relieve the upward pressure on the price of older rental stock. Though I respect my neighbors’ concerns about privacy, habitat and our neighborhood’s changing character, I hope North Tabor residents will face the fact that to block denser development here would be to slowly make our neighborhood an unaffordable enclave. That’d be bad for our neighbors, our economy and our planet.