Re: “Big makeover planned for University Heights,” Dec. 21.
The plans to build affordable housing on top of University Heights Shopping Centre are to be welcomed.
Building apartments above shops is a tried-and-true formula that makes eminent sense: It provides housing for those who cannot afford a single-family dwelling or prefer to live in an apartment; the shops gain from a large number of local customers with easy access; the centre becomes a natural location for restaurants and night-life entertainment; and the municipality benefits from higher density.
In Britain, this successful formula is repeated in the High Street (Main Street) of every village or city neighbourhood across the land.
I caution only against building higher than four or five storeys. Too high, and it overwhelms the street scale. This is Saanich, after all, not Manhattan.
Jonathan Stoppi
Saanich
