GEORGE NEWS - The densification of George is unavoidable, says local architect Reinhard Retief. "We can either be dragged screaming and shouting into the future, or we can be proactive and find solutions for the current problems in the built environment of our cities and towns."
He wrote to the George Herald about the concerns of residents of the Highlands suburb (next to the George golf course) where the proposed affordable-housing development, Village Ridge, will be located. This new development of 185 housing units fits in neatly with George Municipality's draft spatial development framework (SDF), which proposes a more compact city for the sake of economic viability and residential and commercial inclusivity. Village Ridge is the first of several more "infill" developments to come, as proposed in the SDF.
Retief says the direction the municipality is taking, is long overdue. "Architects have been pleading for the integration, revitalisation, densification and beautification of towns for the past decade. With the steady rise in building costs and the cost of servicing new erven, future generations of young people, irrespective of race, will never be able to afford a house of their own. The days of big erven and houses are gone forever. Small is the only way to go."
Effect on house prices
Retief says it is a misconception that 'small' will detract from the value of bigger next-door properties. The average-sized plot in upmarket Cape Town neighbourhoods such as Tamboerskloof is 280m², but the value is anything between R4-m and R15-m. "A house carefully designed by an architect will most probably increase the value of adjacent properties, while there are 200+m² architectural disasters in our neighbourhoods that do more damage.
"In the case of Village Ridge, it is aesthetically pleasing and well planned. The perception that it is an RDP project, is wrong," he says.
"Another misconception is that 'Wendy houses and crime will follow' in such a high-density development. In an orderly new development of townhouses such as Village Ridge, where the footprint of the house occupies 95% of the ground, there is no space for other structures."
However, the King George Home Owners Association (KGA) disagrees, citing a study paper (dated December 2017) published by Stanford University. According to the study new affordable-housing projects in poorer neighbourhoods increased surrounding home prices and reduced crime, while similar projects in wealthier neighbourhoods drove down home prices.
The KGA says it will therefore only be fair to all surrounding property owners whose property values will be adversely affected by such developments, that George Municipality should decrease these owners' property valuations, and as a consequence, also be satisfied with reduced property tax revenues.
Congested roads, services
The KGA is also concerned about the increased traffic on already highly congested roads in their neighbourhood, especially since a second high-density housing development in their vicinity (over 200 units at Rooirivierrif sports grounds) is also on the cards.
The municipality's proposals to mitigate traffic problems so far only include upgrades of the existing access roads and provision of public transport, but the KGA is demanding a bridge link between their neighbourhood and York Street before this goes ahead.
An architect's rendition of a separate-standing unit in the proposed Village Ridge development.
Retief agrees that an extra link is needed, but is adamant that increased traffic should not stand in the way of densification projects. Unbridled urban sprawl (in the form of developments such as Welgelegen, Kraaibosch, Cherry Creek and Soeteweide) is also adding to vehicle numbers.
"Therefore, densification with proper vision and public transport is essential." Retief says concerns about limited water and sewage treatment capacity are also not enough reason to stop densification. Growth is unpreventable, as in other popular towns and cities, but proper planning is needed.
"Laying kilometres of services to accommodate urban sprawl pushes house prices even further out of reach of the average citizen. The council, planners and architects must now have a clear vision of where we are going, and implement it diligently.
"It might be a case of too little, too late. What is happening now should have happened 15 years ago."
Read a related article: Will the face of George change?
'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'
