[getsmart-l] Fw: Saturday, 9 February 2008 - Community Rally to Save the Dunlapo Observatory

[Gloria Boxen]

The price of the land is determined by its zoning and its development potential.  Currently the land is zoned institutional.  The Town of Richmond Hill has started the process to designate the Dunlap and its grounds as a cultural heritage site.  The original application was just for a heritage designation of the buildings.  Through the efforts of the Richmond Hill Naturalists and other citizens, the Town will apply for 48% of the grounds to be protected, and is asking its heritage consultant, Andre Scheinman,  to look into protection for the entire property - which would be the strongest protection against development.  The southeast corner of the property, a wetland,  may be given environmental protection.   Because of the constraints of the designations, the value of the property will drop accordingly.    

If a partnership can be formed to continue the operation of the Observatory, the park needed around it to leave an unobscured sky, might leave 1/3 to 1/2 of the property available for development (if the remainder has no heritage designation) .  The  institutional part of the property does not require the same compensation - unless governments are  voluntarily pay the price.

I find that the politicians are being paralyzed by the figures being quoted for the DDO ( $100 million and up).

Gloria Boxen 


John O'Gorman <jcogorman at sympatico.ca> wrote:        
 ----- Original Message -----  From: Vice-President Thornhill Ward  One 
 Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 12:35 PM
 Subject: Saturday, 9 February 2008 - Community Rally to Save the  Dunlap Observatory

 


 Feb 9th Community Rally for David Dunlap Observatory On Saturday, February 9th at noon, members of the Richmond Hill Naturalists,  will join fellow citizens in a march to David Dunlap Observatory. With signs and  singing and a symbolic march to the Dome, the group will ask the University to  cancel or postpone the sale of the Observatory lands so that the Town of  Richmond Hill, York Region, and the Ontario and Federal governments can work  together to preserve the Observatory and the property upon which it sits.
 In November 2007, the University of Toronto put the 190-acre Dunlap property,  including the observatory and administration buildings, up for sale through a  bidding process. The University is accepting bids until February 15th, 2008. Due  to the high price of land in Richmond Hill and the speed of the sale, there has  not been enough time for the Town and other levels of government to work  together to purchase the property for the public.
 In addition to being an internationally respected research facility, the DDO  is home to one of Canada's longest-running public astronomy education programs.  For over 70 years, thousands of students have been inspired by DDO lectures and  views of planets and stars with the 74-inch telescope. More than 2000 people  (mostly current and former Richmond Hill residents) have registered memories and  comments on the DDO through an Online  Petition.
 The February 9th rally is an opportunity for all Richmond Hill residents to  show their support for the continued operation and preservation of the David  Dunlap Observatory and Park.
    Date: Saturday February 9,    2008
Time: Noon
Meeting    place: Hillsview Drive and Bayview  Avenue
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