"If they're trying to encourage housing affordability, dropping everything on the doorstep of a new homebuyer is not the way to do it," Flynn said.
While Nenshi wants to see more cash from the development community, he's been pursuing another infrastructure project that's been lobbied for by business interests in the northeast sector of the city: an airport access tunnel.
The tunnel, which would connect Calgary International Airport directly with subdivisions to east, has an estimated cost in the $300 million range - if it's built now rather than later.
Tunnel proponents say it will be needed to keep traffic flowing freely to the airport once the Calgary Airport Authority starts building a new north-south runway necessary for expanded airport capacity in 2011. That project will require closure of a section of Barlow Trail, and tunnel proponents have long argued the Barlow closure will push the need for a new alternative route to the airport from the east - both for businesses that require quick airport access and the thousands of airport employees.
Nenshi met shortly after his election with Premier Ed Stelmach, but didn't wrestle any promises of imminent funding for the tunnel project from the premier.
The previous city council voted against going ahead with the tunnel project without provincial support.
Proponents argue boring a tunnel under the new runway system at a later date could cost $900 million. They also argue the new runway will lengthen commute times to the airport from the east as that sector of the city grows.
from Western Investor, December 2010
