Westdale

Thirty thousand students change the dynamic of a city, let alone a neighbourhood. Westdale centres around the cute Westdale Village and forms concentric circles of student housing and residences mixed.

The area recently made the news about the now-defunct Westdale theatre. A modest art deco building on King West. A local councillor thought it would be a great idea to deem the building historically significant. He was blocking any redevelopment or change of use. I applaud such romantic gestures. Although if councillor Johnson wanted to preserve the structure and its charm, he should have bought it first. A consortium did pony up the cash and is going to restore it to a movie and live music venue.

And right on schedule. A landlord with 12 bedrooms in a single-family home has made the news in Westdale. The fact that a landlord/investor expected to profit from his venture and utilized as many rooms as possible surprises folks. Capitalism principles aside, the onus of the curious case of crappy student housing in Westdale rests solely on the city’s inept shoulders. Instead of rezoning lands to high-density, multi-unit dwellings. And would allow developers to build reasonable, decent accommodations. They perpetuate and create shoddy, often unsafe, soggy housing.

The housing stock is all over the place. South of Main Street is a large lot and often-sided homes built after 1940. The Northside, particularly the leafy area by the Aviary, Princess Point, and Churchill Park, is predominantly residential and lovely.