Dear Editor,
Richmond has long suffered from a critical issue that has now become extremely critical.
I do not think there is a reader here that does not understand that affordable housing is not available in a significant quantity in Richmond. We’re no longer talking about homes to buy, we are talking rental property.
The days when two young professionals could buy a house and raise a family in Richmond are long past.
Right now, rental properties are priced so high people cannot afford to live and work in Richmond.
Businesses in the service and hospitality industries cannot find people to work in their businesses because living in Richmond is too expensive.
Some businesses are limiting hours of service and others are closing.
Richmond city council has contributed to the problem by raising property taxes by nearly 5.68 per cent this year alone. Coupled with the rise in land value, landlords will be forced to pass the increase in their costs on to their renters.
Raising rents will not help Richmond residents and it will not help our economy to thrive.
While council can do little to control rising property values, they have 100 per cent control over our taxes.
One has to ask if council has lost contact with the needs of Richmond? Perhaps this is a question to be asked this autumn.
Scott Stewart
RICHMOND
