[getsmart-l] East Gwillimbury poised to be next growth hot spot in GTA

[Janet May]

From:  http://www.yorkregion.com

 

East Gwillimbury 

Nov 24, 2007 07:15 AM 

Planning word of the day as East Gwillimbury in line to be next hot growth
spot in GTA 
By: David Fleischer, Staff Writer 

Location may be the most important factor in choosing a new home, but the
fact is, few buyers go so far as to look at a town's strategic plan when
deciding where to live.

But that is exactly what Roberta Fox and Stephen Lawson did before moving to
East Gwillimbury two years ago.

"I do strategic planning for a living so it's a very big factor, personally
and professionally," Ms Fox said.

Planning is the word of the day in East Gwillimbury as the town seeks public
input for its new official plan.

Ms Fox and her husband run a telecom consultancy, Fox Group, and were happy
to find a rural community with high-tech infrastructure. If a strong
cellular network and high-speed Internet weren't enough to seal the deal,
the 20-year vision laid out in the strategic plan did the trick.

"I think it's controlled growth," Ms Fox said, praising the town's efforts
to preserve communities such as Mount Albert, Sharon and Queensville rather
than seeing them dissolve into each other.

"It's the smart way to do it," said Mr. Lawson.

The couple had been living and working in Markham and looked at nearly a
dozen areas across the GTA before deciding where to settle.

They are not alone and with the town in line to be the next hot growth spot
in the GTA, figuring out how to direct growth is a crucial task.

The town now houses 22,000 residents and almost 7,500 jobs and those numbers
are expected to grow to as much as 150,000 and 75,000, respectively, by
2051.

The explicitly-stated goal of the new official plan is to make East
Gwillimbury the community of choice in Canada, with the help of its
residents.

Town staff are putting a draft together, laying out master plans for
everything from sustainability and recreation to infrastructure.

"The idea is to try to tie together as much information as we can before
going back to the public," said Dan Stone, director of planning.

The town sought public input to create a multi-faceted and broad vision. In
addition to holding public open houses, there is a section of the town's
website dedicated to the plan. It includes a form for asking questions and
being added to a mailing list.

There has been a good response so far, Mr. Stone said, and they have heard
many voices on many issues.

Among the biggest concerns, he said, is infrastructure continues to lag
behind growth. Transportation and the environment are also frequent topics.

He pointed out 75 per cent of the town's land is protected from development
as part of the Oak Ridges Moraine and the greenbelt. So the town's rural
heritage will be preserved, but it also means there is pressure to ensure
that where development does happen, it happens properly.

"There's always a worry that you are going to unduly influence the character
of a village by tripling the population," said James Sullivan, chairperson
of the heritage committee.

Mr. Sullivan's 151-year-old house, across from the Sharon Temple, is one of
at least 300 heritage structures in East Gwillimbury.

There are few protected properties, however, and he said providing resources
and building-in new protections will be an important part of the new plan.

"It's going to be a challenge for us," he said.

"We want resources enough to protect the town's heritage ... not just the
homes, but whole areas," Mr. Sullivan added.

In 2005, the Ontario Heritage Act was strengthened, allowing more than just
single buildings to be designated. Mr. Sullivan hopes to see that
designation applied to areas such as Queensville's main strip.

Designating neighbourhoods as heritage districts is another possibility, but
Mr. Sullivan said it is expensive.

The heritage committee met with the town Tuesday and Mr. Sullivan said
discussions will be ongoing.

He said the town has been supportive of the effort and he hopes more local
residents will help.

If all goes according to plan, the document will go to council in early
spring or late summer 2008.

As for Ms Fox and Mr. Lawson, they are now living on 3.5 acres in a 1901
grist mill they have dubbed "Fox Run" and could not be happier.

"We've got the absolute best of everything," Mr. Lawson said.

While Ms Fox grew up on a farm, the move has still required adaptations to
the presence of deer and cougars, as well as the challenges of being
stewards of their local environment.

She has taken a larger interest in the community and serves as treasurer on
the chamber of commerce.

She knows not everyone takes the steps she did before choosing a new home,
but thinks a good plan is a key to a good future and East Gwillimbury is off
to a good start.

"I think more and more people are starting to look at strategic plans," Ms
Fox said.

"People are starting to take a broader view."

For more information about the heritage committee, call 905-478-4282.

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