[getsmart-l] News from York Region

[Janet May]

Still much work to do on growth: Scarpitti 

May 19, 2007 06:32 AM                                       

By: David Fleischer, Staff Writer

It is a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do. 

That was the message Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti passed on to an assembly
of some of the world's planning leaders in Toronto. 

The Places to Grow Summit provided a forum to discuss how the Golden
Horseshoe area will handle the four million people expected to move in over
the next 25 years. Mr. Scarpitti also called for a Places to Grow task force
where governments, developers and stakeholders can work together to deal
with growth. 

For more than two years, Mr. Scarpitti has advocated this summit to address
issues around Ontario's plan. 

Introduced last year, it mandates municipalities to direct 40 per cent of
growth to existing centres rather than sprawling outward. Markham,
Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan have been earmarked for intensified
development to handle the 500,000 people expected to move here between now
and 2031. 

"I think it's certainly a great start," Mr. Scarpitti said. "But just
because of the format and the time, there hasn't been a real opportunity for
free-flowing discussion," adding he would still like to see an ongoing arena
for ironing out the funding details needed for infrastructure and growth. 

"We've got to work this out together and look at how other jurisdictions
have been able to accomplish it," he said. 

Mr. Scarpitti was of one many politicians and staff at the summit, including
Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow and Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen. 

Former Toronto mayor David Crombie opened the summit and introduced Public
Infrastructure and Renewal Minister David Caplan, whose office presented the
one-day conference at College Park. 

Former Maryland governor Parris N. Glendening, who now heads the Smart
Growth Leadership Institute, praised Places to Grow as "one of the most
ambitious and comprehensive growth plans I've seen". 

"It will increasingly serve as a model for all of North America," he said. 

After his address, attendees broke into sessions and discussed everything
from developing infrastructure and intensification to transit-oriented
development and engaging the public. 

The latter issue is of particular concern to local municipalities who, along
with the region, are engaging in an array of official plan reviews and
sustainability strategies for which public input is crucial. 

Premier Dalton McGuinty praised the innovative ideas on display. 

"As we grapple with the changes and opportunities being presented by growth,
let's apply ourselves, have faith in ourselves and allow ourselves to be
guided by noble ideals," he said. 

The key to ensuring a successful future was continued co-operation, he
added. 

"The best way for us to succeed is to continue to work together," said Mr.
McGuinty. 

The two most important ingredients are idealism and goodwill over the course
of the coming decades, he said.

 

Get in on their official plans 

May 19, 2007 06:32 AM 

By: David Fleischer, Staff Writer

Change is coming fast and furious in York Region and municipalities are
trying to keep pace by updating crucial planning documents.. 

Official plans may not be sexy, but they can help keep 20-storey skyscrapers
from being built beside your home. 

The province's Places to Grow legislation, passed last year, forces
municipalities to review their official plans every five years. 

Some towns face a bigger job than others. 

East Gwillimbury is pegged as one of the next hot growth spots in the
Greater Toronto Area and it is trying to do something different with the
town's first official plan review in seven years. 

"We wanted to get away from what we did years ago," Mayor Jamie Young said. 

A mix of rural and urban living, the communities in East Gwillimbury --
Sharon, Holland Landing and Queensville -- have largely developed plans on
their own. With growth accelerating, however, a more holistic approach is
needed. 

"Some of the community plans were dominating the overall town plan. Now,
it's the other way around," he said. 

One advantage the town has is it knows growth is coming. Accordingly,
planners can cherry-pick the best ideas from existing community plans and
learn from what the southern York municipalities have done. 

So too, Mr. Young knows communities such as Georgina, King City and
Whitchurch-Stouffville are watching them. 

Even when East Gwillimbury is fully developed, more than half of it will
remain green. That means finding ways to sustain or even enhance its
agricultural industry is a concern, as well. 

In a few weeks, the town will unveil a schedule of public meetings aimed at
garnering crucial public input in the coming months. 

"At the end of the day, the people of East Gwillimbury will make decisions
about how we will grow," Mr. Young said. 

One result of all that has been many costly and time-consuming trips to
fight developers before the Ontario Municipal Board. 

In his inaugural address in December, Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow put
the focus on a new plan and said it "will not be about land. It will be a
plan about people". 

The town is hiring consultants and expects to roll out a detailed timetable
in June. 

While Richmond Hill might seem behind the curve, it is still ahead of
Vaughan, which has passed 600 amendments to its plan over the years, but has
not done an overall review since 1961. 

"It's a wonderful opportunity. It gives us a chance to tidy up," said Diana
Birchall, the city's director of public policy and urban design. 

A time when Vaughan is fully built-out is not too far over the horizon and
Ms Birchall is excited about the opportunity this presents. 

"It seems to represent a really terrific opportunity because we won't be
doing things piecemeal," she said. 

North of the current urban boundary at Teston Road, there are only another
four to six concession blocks considered developable, but there are also
redevelopment sites in the rest of the city. 

While public apathy toward planning meetings is nothing new, Ms Birchall was
adamant residents' input is crucial to making Vaughan's new official plan
work. 

"This will be their plan. We've got to make sure we really do hear from
people," she said. 

Accordingly, city officials are brainstorming what they can do beyond the
usual focus groups and meetings to get people excited and involved in a
process that will take nearly four years. 

In Richmond Hill, Mr. Barrow has asked his staff to be bold and creative
when they roll out their public meeting plans. 

He expects smaller, roundtable discussions, sometimes facilitated by
residents so everyone has a comfortable environment to make their voice
heard. 

"It's a challenge," he said. "We want to create interest in meetings, but we
also have to go to where the people are."

 

 

 

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