[getsmart-l] Residents fighting mad over subdivision name selection

[Janet May]

Glen residents fighting mad over name selection Glen residents fighting mad
over name selection 

Tuesday May 8 2007 
LISA TALLYN, Staff Writer 

What's in a name? 

A whole lot, according to some residents of Glen Williams upset that
Intracorp has decided to name the development it's building on Prince St.
"The Glen." 

Longtime resident and member of the Glen Williams Community Association,
Carolyn Van Hinte, called the company's choice of name a "slap in the face. 

"I think it's terrible. We've always known ourselves as the Glen-- all the
residents (of Glen Williams) live in the Glen. They're not even in the Glen,
they're an annex of the Glen." 

Intracorp is building the 91-lot subdivision on an 88-acre parcel of land
previously owned by Sheridan Nurseries on the south side of Prince St., west
of Tenth Line in Glen Williams. Construction of the homes, ranging in price
from approximately $800,000 to $1.2 million, is to begin in fall 2008. 

"The Glen" development is currently mentioned on the company's website with
a pre-registration e-mail address. 

Glen Williams resident Janet Bailey stressed, "the Glen is not for sale." 

"At first I thought it was an oversight," Bailey said of the name choice,
but she now believes Intracorp staff members would have heard the hamlet
referred to as the Glen many times while they were researching to purchase
the property. 

"The thing we have to give the new people is 'the Glen.' They will soon
become part of us, and if they take it away from us, what do we have to give
them," asked Bailey, who has raised the name issue with Intracorp officials.


To some, the name of the development may be considered a small thing, said
Bailey. 

"But this small thing is what starts the erosion, when you begin to forget
the Glen even existed," she said. 

Bailey said the Glen name has been lovingly embraced for more than a century
to identify the hamlet. 

"The Glen is the name of a very unique and distinctive community that
already exists and we do not want the multi-million dollar subdivision being
built by Intracorp to brand 'the Glen' in order to promote their business
venture," said Bailey. 

Glen Williams resident Erica Lewin said the name choice was "false
labeling." 

"It's belittling my connection with the community," said Lewin. 

Her brother, Andrew Lewin said, "developers are saying black is white to
increase their profits." 

"I'm a little perturbed they decided to call a subdivision The Glen when the
whole community is called the Glen," said another resident, Sue Pember. 

Intracorp President and CEO Bruce Rudichuk said he was a surprised by the
reaction to the development's name. 

"I think our philosophy for this very unique community was to focus on the
heritage aspect of the hamlet of Glen Williams and all the nuances it has.
It's a very special place," said Rudichuk. "We wanted to reflect an
inclusive feel and incorporate that into the existing feel for the hamlet,
and respect all the hamlet represents. We thought the best way to do that,
was to call it what it was-- and that's 'The Glen.'" 

Rudichuk said the intention is not to have a "subdivision on a hill
replacing the Glen" and stressed the whole area, including the new
development, will all be the Glen. 

He said they feel the reaction to the name sends "a little bit of an
inconsistent message about what the community wants." 

He said they understood the area residents didn't want the development to be
separate, but to "integrate with the existing community," which is
Intracorp's goal. 

Rudichuk said the only thing that will say "The Glen" at the development
site will be marketing signage used while they are selling the development. 

When the subdivision is complete, there will be no sign or marker
identifying it as "The Glen," Rudichuk said. 

Rudichuk also said Intracorp would not consider changing the development's
name. 

"We have incorporated this name into our whole design and marketing process.
We're underway," he said. 

Ward 2 councillor Joan Robson believes Intracorp should have gone to the
community for feedback on its name choice before proceeding. 

"I'm really disturbed that a corporation like Intracorp would go this far
with its advertising without consulting with the residents who are most
affected," said Robson. "They had to know from the conditions of draft
approval that there had been extensive negotiations with the residents.
There's no question they (Intracorp) were aware of the sensitivities
involved, and for that reason they ought to have respected that." 

The approved development will not be a cookie-cutter subdivision and the
Glen Williams Community Association had a say on what it would look like. 

It will offer varied lot sizes and shapes, varied setbacks, better street
layout, removal of sidewalks to reflect the rest of the village, and
additional green space. 

Name alternatives 

The residents have come up with some suggestions of names they feel would be
better for the development than "The Glen." They include Glen View, Glen
Forest, Top of the Glen and Fields of the Glen.

 

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