One highrise, one house, a city hall wannabe is born

It towers over the west-end London house where Anna Hopkins lives, a massive highrise she fought for a decade.

That same fight, over the $20-million apartment building carved into a forested hillside, gave the 58-year-old rare expertise about the most complex issue at city hall development.

Now, the political neophyte is making a run for city council, stepping out of the Reservoir Hill highrises shadow with knowledge she earned the hard way.

Hopkins led a decade-long neighbourhood fight against plans to build a highrise on Reservoir Hill, along Springbank Dr. near Byron, a battle that ended in 2012 when council approved a huge building on the slope.

Unlike most rookie wannabe politicians, that experience would make Hopkins ready and able to tackle complicated development matters if she wins.

I am truly interested in land-use planning and how the process works, said Hopkins, who plans to file her nomination papers this week.

Planning is something thats very complicated, she said. But its a really big part of what I think sitting (on council) is about.

While shes moved on from the Reservoir Hill battle with Ayerswood Development Corp., its hard to forget it.

Hopkins now lives in the shadow of the building, which to the naked eye looks unusually large for the plot of land.

In May 2012, the 12-storey, 165-unit apartment tower was approved in a 10-5 council vote. The heavily wooded, steep slope overlooking Springbank Park was cleared and built upon (construction appears to be near-completion now).

Visit link:
One highrise, one house, a city hall wannabe is born