Protecting an investment

Originally posted 11/18/06 on PersonPlaceorThing.blogspot.com

I read a while back that the local young citizens networking group Fusion puts forward an interesting position on various restrictive building design/maintenance standards proposed for Saint John.

The group, from what I understand, feels young people are encouraged to move into the downtown area because of these rules (which will include restrictions on facade design and other subjective measures of what belongs in certain neighbourhoods).

They say these rules help protect the investments of young people buying homes in the area, thus encouraging like minded people to move in.

I admit to not being a home owner. Some day soon I hope to be. I might move downtown to be proximate to work and to enjoy the culture of the area. I am pretty sure however, that I (along with many of my peers) are not going to be attracted to the area simply because the city won't let me or my neighbours put in modern windows or use un-matching facades.

While I'm sure there are young professionals who want these rules, I hold out hope that my peers are people who are more concerned with social justice than the colour of their neighbours' houses or the size of their neighbours' pay cheques.