This is an environmental and…

This is an environmental and economic disaster in the making.

There are plenty of urban and suburban places with room for more intensification. The Greenbelt is protected for a reason. You can't simply pave over one area and make up for it by designating land somewhere else. These green spaces play an important role in flood protection, habitat conservation and overall ecological health of the region. Elsewhere, wetlands that were filled in are now being restored at great expense because it became clear what a disastrous choice that was. Why are we repeating those mistakes?

These will be expensive, large homes. That is not what will address the housing affordability crisis. Tell the developers who own this land to build affordable rental housing as mid-rise development in the suburbs. Subsidize it to make it more attractive. Fund regional transit. We don't need more highways linked to housing tracts at the expense of irreplaceable natural green spaces.