(Common Councillor Patty Higgins)
(File Photo)
There are something like 150 vacant lots in the south-central peninsula alone. That’s what Councillor Patty Higgins has been told and she calls the figure staggering at a time when the city wants more people living closer to the urban core.
Fellow Councillor Peter McGuire says there’s no shortage of research available on what’s being done in some American cities, like Cleveland and Flint, Michigan to revitalise neighbourhoods by turning vacant lots into playgrounds, community gardens and non-profit housing.
Councillor Donnie Snook says Moose Jaw has instituted an innovative tax exemption and replacement housing initiative which is also worth looking at.
