The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Waterloo‘s first ghetto? No simple solutions exist to the problems of student housing around Waterloo school year that started with A:lro tolerance enforcement d beefedâ€"up security in the neighbourhoods around the city‘s two universities ended in chaos last weekend. As burning garbage and furniâ€" ture plagued Ezra Avenue, permaâ€" nent residents in the area were left wondering if their lives would ever return to normal. Gordon Ball, who has lived on Dorset Street just south of Laurier for decades, doesn‘t think so. For most of his time there, Ball has been pleading with the city to do something about the concentraâ€" tion of students that surrounds him. Most of the controversy these days has to do with the neighbourâ€" hoods between Columbia Street and University Avenue. The resiâ€" dents there believe their communiâ€" ty can be saved. But if the problems in these areas continue, the Northdale area won‘t become Waterloo‘s first ghetâ€" to â€" because the neighbourhoods between uptown Waterloo and the universities have already sucâ€" cumbed to that fate, Ball said. Gord Ball collects some souvenirs from a recent night of partying in his stu dentâ€"dominated neighbourhood. "This neighbourhood has been By GrEc MacDonaLp Chronicle Staff CITY NEWS done for years," he said Ball estimates that he is surâ€" rounded by 17 student lodging houses, which is in clear violation of the city‘s bylaws. Over the past 10 years, Ball became a crusader of sorts, trying to bring light to the problems in his dying neighbourhood. _ But now he says he‘s given up, content to fight smaller battles. . "Everyone‘s sick of hearing from me now," he said. So instead of ragâ€" ing against the city in the media or at council meetings, Ball patrols his street at night and cleans up in the morning. "I stand out there and try to keep things reasonable. One of these days I‘m probably going to get beat up," Ball laughed. _ He said he has to laugh these days, since there‘s not much else he can do. Ball still gets angry and is still inspired to fight, but his experience of being ignored in the past has left him resigned to his fate. "There‘s no one left to talk to at the city," Ball said. "I feel like I‘ve fallen through the cracks." That‘s what everyone â€" permaâ€" nent residents, tenants, city staff and councillors â€" are trying to avoid in the Northdale neighbourâ€" hoods, between Albert and Weber AEG MACDONALD PHOT This is what‘s left of a near riot on Ezya Avenue last Saturday night. Residents of studentâ€"dominated areas said they weren‘t surprised by the garbage and destruction created by the end of the semester. streets north of University and south of Columbia. Coun. Jan d‘Ailly is the ward councillor for the problem neighâ€" bourhoods. He has taken a lot of heat over the past few years, but thinks a solution is not far off. They all just have very different ideas of how to fix it. "No doubt there are issues in this community ... and they‘re much worse than council was origiâ€" nally led to believe," he said. "But soon we‘ll have new tools to license all rental accommodaâ€" tions and set the conditions of the licence." The city is currently investigatâ€" ing these new powers, which were given to them in the province‘s Municipal Act. D‘Ailly expects the new tools to be implemented by late next fall. And as the city continues down its 25â€"yearâ€"long nodes and corriâ€" dors plan, the councillor expects that the situation will get better. "There‘s a tipping point, and right now we‘re on one side of it," d‘Ailly said. "But as more attractive and affordable residences are built along the corridors, there will be fewer students in the neighbourâ€" That will translate into fewer disturbances, he added. "There will be fewer parties in "You have to create a _ positive atmosphere. ‘ Calling it a ghetto only ! highlights that this is a problem area." s the interior neighbourhoods and the number of bad apples will go There will be another side effect of the nodes and corridors plan, d‘Ailly said. As student housing becomes more intensified along streets like King and Weber, the sinâ€" gleâ€"family residences in the Northâ€" dale area will subsequently become less attractive to landlords, thus dropping property values. back to being valued as a threeâ€" bedroom house," he said. Residents have bristled at this suggestion, saying that lowering property values will only further the neighbourhood‘s ghettoization. D‘Ailly has a suggestion for resiâ€" dents who want the community to becorne family oriented once again â€"quit saying it‘s a ghetto. "No one will want to live there," d‘Ailly said. "You have to create a "A threeâ€"bedroom house will go Waterioo city councillor â€"Jan d ‘Ailly WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, April 30, 2008 + 3 positive atmosphere. "Calling it a ghetto only highâ€" lights that this is a problem area." D‘Ailly is calling for patience and wants residents to wait while the city‘s planning starts to take hold. Until then, tougher bylaw enforcement and new powers will keep the neighbourhood alive, he But Coun. Mark Whaley doesn‘t think residents need to wait that long. Whaley believes that the neighbourhood as it exists has failed and the city needs to look at completely reâ€"zoning the area. "We need to free it up to the market," Whaley said. He wants to see the whole area upzoned â€" both the corridors and the interior â€" so that developers can come in and intensify and strengthen the core. "We‘re going in the wrong direcâ€" tion. There are not tmlz 35,000 stuâ€" dents in the area, there‘s a lot of burgeoning highâ€"tech industries a couple of blocks away," he said. Whaley supports some resiâ€" dents‘ plea to attract young profesâ€" sionals to the area in addition to "We need to make this a 21stâ€" century neighbourhood," Whaley But city staff are worried that Continued on page 7 GREG MACDONALD PHOTO