[getsmart-l] Richmond Hill suburb is fastest growing area in town

[Janet May]

Community grows 5 times in 5 years
Thornhill Woods is fastest growing area

Apr 7, 2007
David Fleischer, Staff Writer 

(Richmond Hill) - A mere five years ago it was simply known as Block 10. 

Today, it's Thornhill Woods, one of the fastest growing subdivisions in the
region. 

So new is Thornhill Woods, barely 3,000 residents were registered when a
census was conducted in 2001. Census data collected last year, however,
showed nearly 17,000 people. 

So how do you grow a community from a few hundred acres in less than 10
years? 

Across York Region, high-density work/live developments are showing they are
the future of suburbia and that makes Thornhill Woods seem like the last of
a dying breed; a microcosm of the old, suburban way of doing things. 

In the entire area there is nothing but houses, three schools and some
parkland. 

Two gas stations stand sentry at either end of the main north-south
thoroughfare, Thornhill Woods Drive, and a strip mall marks the main
entrance at Bathurst Street. 

Its anchor tenant, a branch of Toronto's Yitz's Deli, recently closed. 

The area's history began in 1994 when Vaughan's boundary was expanded with
the addition of five blocks, numbered 10 through 15. The city's plans for
Block 10 -- stretching from Hwy. 7 to Rutherford Road and Bathurst to
Dufferin Street -- were approved in 1998. 

On April 1, 2001 the first building permit was issued and as of Jan. 31,
2007, 4,182 have followed. In all, plans call for 5,360 units. 

Sandra Yeung Racco, who has been the local councillor for the entirety of
Thornhill Woods' existence, said making sure there are parks and adequate
recreational facilities has been among her greatest challenges. 

The subdivision is ethnically diverse and filled primarily with young
families, many of whom must walk a long distance to find so much as a
swingset. 

Only two parks are open now, a fact due to how the city allocates its annual
budget, she said. 

Development charges, designed to fund new growth, are put into a single pot
rather than returning to the community generating them. That's been
frustrating for Ms Racco, whose ward has been handling the brunt of
Vaughan's housing of late. 

David Rosenberg and his wife, Jennifer, moved to the south end of Thornhill
Woods in 2002 when the area was still very much in progress. Now they have a
baby daughter and are shopping for a second home in the neighbourhood. 

They are lucky to be near the two finished parks, but they've noticed the
lack of facilities elsewhere while house shopping. 

"As you go further north, there are few parks despite the fact many of the
housing developments are finished and have been for awhile," Mr. Rosenberg
said. 

To the chagrin of some residents, a park is being created in the
development's northwest quadrant, but only because the developer agreed to
foot the bill. 

"Sometimes, in our position, we need to be a bit more creative," Ms Racco
said. 

The good news, she says, is things are looking up for 2007. 

"This year, even before we started the budget, I said I better have parks
here or I'll scream bloody murder," Ms Racco recalled with a laugh. 

While the budget is still in the works, it looks like four parks will meet
this year's requirements. Once approved, residents will have a say in the
design, then tendering and construction can begin. 

In the meantime, there is no centre to the community and residents are still
awaiting construction of the North Thornhill Community Centre. 

It has been years since Ms Racco first saw detailed plans -- they can be
found on her own website -- but now it looks as if construction may be
moving forward before the end of the year. 

Two district parks will flank the $26-million facility. 

Fifteen million dollars has already been put aside for the centre, but city
policy dictates no further action can be taken until all the money is
available. 

Since the balance of the funding is inevitable, it's a policy Ms Racco has
been trying to skirt saying, "I think we need it now, rather than later". 

Another issue that has surfaced, she said, is traffic infiltration and
speeding, particularly on wide cut-through routes such as Autumn Hill Road
and Thornhill Woods Drive. 

However, York Region Transit and the city's fire and emergency rescue
services oppose installing speed bumps, which could discourage cut-through
commuting. 

Traffic roundabouts or landscaped median islands are among the solutions
being considered to discourage cut-through drivers. 

Maya Goldenberg, who moved to the area six years ago with her husband,
Doron, sits on the parent council at Bakersfield Public School and has been
involved in numerous community initiatives. 

She agreed speeding has been a big issue, but said Ms Racco has been helpful
in solving problems that come with a rapidly growing neighbourhood. 

The Goldenbergs' house backs onto the Sugarbush Park and its stormwater
retention pond was becoming a haven for mosquitoes and other insects. 

When this summer arrives, however, the pond will have a new aeration system
to ensure water isn't stagnant. The system, which will include a water
fountain, will serve as a pilot project for the entire city. 

"We're very happy with the neighbourhood," Ms Goldenberg said. "It's
excellent, with great people but with issues to deal with as in an any new
neighbourhood getting everything together."

 

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