'THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY'

OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, CONSTRUCTION WILL ADD THOUSANDS OF HOMES TO THE QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD

You do not have to go very far to hear a story about the high price of housing or the struggle to find somewhere affordable.

For someone people, the obvious solution to that problem is to increase the housing supply.

Vi Vrbanac has lived in Dain City for over 40 years. She has been called the unofficial mayor of the suburb, which is located at the most southern point of Welland.

Vrbanac said prior to the housing expansion in Dain City, there were 600 homes. Now, over 3,000 homes have been planned for the area, along with the associated parks and schools.

The development is welcome by some, but others have had a different experience.

Vrbanac said many residents have experienced flooding, including sewer backups into their basements.

Ed Kaczmarczyk, also a resident in Dain City, says he has experienced that himself. He said it ended up costing him over $50,000.

"What is going to happen when there are 3,000 more houses?" he wondered

He added that all the new developments are all higher up and "shit rolls downhill."

Kaczmarczyk said there are "the good, the

bad and the ugly" when it comes to development.

While he agrees with the locations of some of the housing, he opposes what he sees as the need to stick a house in every available parcel, especially when it leads to the destruction of trees and bushes — some many years old.

Both Vrbanac and Kaczmarczyk shared other concerns about the replacement for Forks Bridge. Until that is complete, they say, there is only one way in and out of town.

Residents have been

forced on a detour, heading south to Port Colborne; they have to drive north toward Welland first, a move that has added between 10 minute to 30 minutes to commute times, Vrbanac said.

Councillor Bonnie Fokkens said there are plans to put the bridge out to tender this summer. It is currently in the design phase. Fokkens said the current plan is for workers to begin mobilizing for the bridge construction this fall.

Fokkens said she wants want know if that means

before or after the election in the fall, stating she doesn't want it to be an election issue.

Meanwhile, Jamie Lee has lived in the city for seven years. Since that time, he said, the water main in front of his house has broken several times. Aged infrastructure that needs to be replaced is likely where the problem lies, he said.

For Mike Konderka, he's called Dain City home for five years. He described it as a "great neighbourhood" with "lots of young families."

"Playing hockey at Glenwood parkway, fishing the canal and running around back out in the woods. It's always been a tight knit group of families as I've known it to be."

Konderka said that has changed over time as development as came in.

"Regatta [Drive] is filled up. The old drive in is built up," he said. "It's not a pile of mud no more; you are seeing lots of tax base come into this area."

"There are people that do not agree with it, they grew up their entire lives, to see this massive change

is overwhelming."

Adding all the density and thousands of home, "the lustre does fade," Konderka added. "It has to be great for property value. Not to mention, job creation, larger tax base, which should in turn come back to the city. Glenwood Park is getting a facelift so I think the city is moving in the right direction."

Konderka said he hopes, once construction subsides, the infrastructure and roads are enhanced to accommodate all this new development.

"My wife and I are planning to buy a house this year. This is the most important more locally because they can actually make a difference in terms of supply, in terms decreasing inflation and kind of reining in you know, the housing situation. We're going be first time home buyers."

- Jordan Nunziato,

Port Colborne.