October 13, 2009 03:02 PM
Keely Grasser
The group, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the local watershed system, appealed for slower growth in Markham, where council is currently reviewing the Region of York’s official plan, a document that will shape how this area will grow in the next several decades.
The plan works around a forecast that has Markham’s population at more than 423,000 by 2031.
“Can you imagine the traffic, can you imagine the congestion?” Jim Robb, general manager of the watershed group, asked council at a Tuesday general committee meeting, adding that it will create a voter revolt.
He also raised concerns about environmental impacts of further growth.
Mr. Robb suggested, aside from the moratorium on urban sprawl, that three quarters of whitebelt lands — which will eventually be considered for development — be designated as greenbelt, thus making them untouchable. The town should also reduce its 25-year population growth target from 50 per cent to 25 per and increase intensification to 50 per cent.
He also asked council to support Rouge Park becoming a national park.
The group also suggests the town create strategies for foodland protection, subwatersheds, natural heritage, First Nations and pioneer heritage and infrastructure financing and susceptibility before making any decisions on expanding the urban boundary.
Mr. Robb equated the proposed growth as building a house of cards. If everything works out perfectly, he said, it may work. But he added that things often don’t work as planned.
“Markham should not become an upscale Scarborough,” he said, adding that is what the town will become if it expands.
These comments came as general committee discussed how to comment on the region’s draft plan, which it hopes to pass by year’s end.
The committee eventually decided to delay giving the region its comments, until it can hold a workshop and go through the plan piece by piece.
“This is the most important issue facing this town for the next 30 years,” said Councillor Erin Shapero, who added, “I just feel we’re doing ourselves a disservice if we don’t look at this in the detail it deserves.”
“This is not something that is philosophical ... This is our road map for next 20 or 30 years,” Regional Councillor Joe Virgilio said.
Regional Councillor Gordon Landon said the town is under a lot of pressure to get its comments to the region.
Valerie Shuttleworth, the town’s director of planning and urban design, said there is urgency.
The region was looking for comments by the end of September, she explained.
She said she will advise regional staff that Markham is still working on it.
Ms Shapero said that if the largest municipality in York Region is not ready to go ahead with the proposed official plan, maybe the region should take a step back.
She has a feeling the region is trying to pass the plan before next year’s municipal elections, she said, adding she doesn’t want to feel rushed.
Mr. Virgilio said he understood, from a regional workshop, that if the urban boundary isn’t increased, there may be difficulty paying for infrastructure already in place.
“If that’s the driver, we need to know,” he said.
The urban expansion issue isn’t likely to be in the original official plan, said Mr. Landon. Instead, he said, it will likely be addressed in a future plan amendment.
Mr. Virgilio asked about how the public is being consulted.
Mr. Landon said information meetings held on the proposed plan weren’t well-attended.
He suggested going out to the public and showing what their communities will look like after intensification.
“That’s when you’re going to start getting the reaction of the public,” he said, adding that the town has to get the message out or it will face push back on every development application that comes through.
York Region has been working on the official plan since 2005. It takes into account a number of new acts that have changed how planning is done in Southern Ontario, including the Oak Ridges Moraine, Greenbelt, Clean Water and Places to Grow acts and Metrolinx.
Official plans affect many facets of communities, including development, economics, infrastructure and the environment.
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