Gary O`Brien - From Orangeville to Mississauga - On The Road Again: December 2009

Now that the GTA and outlying urban centres are faced with having to evolve their development practices from the standard fare of urban sprawl into a more intense focus on densification, a tremendous opportunity is at hand for these centres to recreate themselves as models of creative and exciting architecture - and to do so using the latest green technology.  Cities like Markham and Mississauga are creating entire new downtown communities from what was once just farmers fields.  Brampton is doing it's best to redevelop it's downtown with new highrise condos.  Orangeville, which already has a charming downtown, will soon be forced to grow up instead of out.  Halton Region has proposed a reduction in the amount of land available to builders which will force Georgetown to reshape it's skyline.  What a great time for these centres to take the lead on environmentally conscious development by insisting builders incorporate more eco-friendly technologies into their condos and houses.  How about more use of solar panels on the sides and tops of buildings, rain collection systems, green roofs, hydro outlets for electric cars, well - you get the idea.  Of course, there are buildings that do adhere to green principals, but they are still a rarity.  That a building is green shouldn't be trumpeted with news releases and press coverage - it should be the norm.  Whether by necessity or social conscience, the environment is inevitably going to play a larger and larger role in any future development, rendering much of today's construction obsolete - so why not start now. 

The day of the 5% down mortgage may soon be coming to an end according to the attached Globe & Mail article.  Ditto for the 35 year amortization.  The government has been musing about different means by which to cool down the housing market and the aforementioned may be the tools they use to accomplish their objectives.  While the plan may work in the long-term, I see chaos in the short-term as anyone looking to buy using a 5% down/35yr plan is going to have to move quickly.  Given the limited supply of starter homes in our area, be it Mississauga, Brampton, Orangeville, Shelburne, et al, this could lead to a shortage of suitable housing, thereby putting upward pressure on Peel & Dufferin area real estate prices.  Long-term, the proposal may potentially remove a huge segment of the home-buying public from the market.  Another discussed remedy to rising house prices may be an increase in interest rates, which has been bandied about by the powers that be.  At the moment it's just talk but you can probably consider it a trial balloon to determine which course of action to take, and how to spin it when they do.  To read the article, click here; http://bit.ly/6ikwGe.

If you're feeling not just the spirit of the season, but also catching a bit of that Ol' Olympic Fever, you may want to take a break from shopping to exercise a little community spirit by getting out and cheering on the Olympic Torch Relay.  The Town of Orangeville has been working hard to get their end organized and will host the relay December 28, 2009.  You can read more about Orangeville's participation by visiting their website at http://www.orangeville.org/news_detail.php?id=1014.  Meanwhile, the City of Mississauga is gearing up to host the torch on Saturday, December 19, 2009.  It's scheduled to arrive in town by around 10:30am with the main event to take place at the north side of Mississauga Civic Centre, Princess Royal and Living Arts Drive from 10:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  One of the highlights will certainly be watching Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion jogging along with the torch.  You can follow the progress of the torch by visiting the Vancouver Olymic Committee's website at http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-torch-relay/.

As a kid I used to love watching "The Jetsons" and imagined that's what it would be like in the year 2000 - everything you wanted at your fingertips.  Push a button - dinner's ready & your martini is poured.  Video phones that catch you off-guard.  Landing your car on the roof.   Well, we're not quite there yet, but we are getting close.  I just finished reading an interesting article by Pedro Arrais of the Victoria Times Colonist.  Entitled "New Technologies Let Older Homes Become Smarter", it offers suggestions on how wireless technology is creating more affordable upgrade solutions.  The beauty is, although you still can't land your car on the roof, you do have more options now and are not limited to buying a newer home solely to take advantage of today's technology.  You can read the entire article by clicking on the following Twitter posting; http://bit.ly/8bCCq7.