Intensification.

It's a serious word for what, on the surface, might appear to be a very minor issue.

Three west end community associations are opposing three separate developments in their neighbourhoods. In every case, it's landlords looking to add third units to duplexes.

That may seem like small potatoes compared to the proposed 20+ unit town and rowhouse development at 1142 Richmond Rd., or an eight-storey apartment building which may be built down the road in Hintonburg but, to the residents concerned, triplexes are a big deal.

In the case of 2660 Don St., a former duplex in Britannia Village recently given the city's o.k. for conversion, residents are going all the way to the Ontario Municipal Board.

When the city's planning committee approved another triplex for Ivanhoe Ave., just across Carling from the Village, there were rumblings from the crowd of residents who gathered to express their opposition that they might to the same if full council follows suit.

In Woodroffe North, the community association is gearing up to oppose a triplex conversion on Woodroffe Ave., and their city councillor has said, in light of what's come before, they'll likely lose.

The 'big deal' is that each successful triplex conversion represents a deviation from zoning by-laws. The city's Official Plan says your neighbourhood will be 'x' but, just this once, they'll let a landlord have 'y.'

It isn't often 'just this once,' however.    Woodroffe North for example, is at five of these spot zonings already.

Let's be blunt; think of the city as a parent and you have to conclude that it's being awfully permissive and is bound to raise some very unruly children.

Part of the rationale for this permissiveness is that, by intesnsifying old neighbourhoods, we taxpayers are saved the expense of erecting new infrastructure in sprawling suburban developments.    Not to mention the fact that sprawl exacerbates our car culture.

No question, these are sound arguments.    It has long been the city's position that most of the projected population growth can be accommodated inside the greenbelt.    To their credit, our municipal planners have walked the walk in this regard; locating surplus and/or vacant land to sell for private development or lease for affordable housing.

With that in mind, we have to ask just how the city thinks trying to deal with growth one unit at a time with triplexes can ever accomplish what the sale of the Denis Coolican building lot to a developer will.    It's just a slow death for mature neighbourhoods because no one is defining a limit.

Besides, these older neighbourhoods have older sewers and pipes built for single family homes.    Too many triplexes and the city will have a lot of new infrastructure to lay down.    So much for the cost rationale.

This year, the city will begin the process of harmonizing zoning by-laws.    They need to get much more creative in order to apply the intensification principle responsibly.    We need to fully participate and steer them right.

Let's do better intensification.