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Greater Golden Horseshoe...plan to control sprawl

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  Tri-City Guy 
#1 ·
Is this a coherent "plan" that will help densify the Golden Horseshoe?
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New outlook urged on urban sprawl
By ELIZABETH CHURCH
Friday, June 3, 2005 Page A16
REAL ESTATE REPORTER

The Ontario government's plans to harness urban sprawl in the suburbs and cities that circle Toronto will take a major change in attitude on the part of new home buyers and builders as well as the residents of established neighbourhoods, a land-use conference heard yesterday.

"The only thing people oppose more than sprawl is intensification," said Burlington Mayor Rob MacIsaac, referring to initiatives by the province to require more development within existing communities.

"We have to make people understand why these issues are important. We have a long way to go."

This spring, the province laid out its plans for growth for the massive section it calls the Greater Golden Horseshoe -- a region that stretches from Peterborough all the way to Niagara. The government also introduced new planning legislation, called Places to Grow.

The draft regional plan requires that 40 per cent of all new residential development be built in urban areas by 2015, a goal critics say is too severe.

Yesterday, David Caplan, Minster of Public Infrastructure and Renewal, told the conference that the experience of other countries in reducing sprawl shows this is not the case. "Ontario's intensification targets are relatively modest and very realistic," he said.

Still, Mr. MacIsaac, who has been Burlington's mayor for close to eight years, said more co-ordination is needed if the growth plan is going to work.

The province needs to establish an area-wide transit body and "spend some serious dollars" in that area, he said. Mr. MacIsaac said residents of his city and elsewhere also have to understand the benefits that growth will bring to their communities, such as new cultural facilities and improved quality of life.

Mark Mendelbaum, an executive with H&R Developments, a major builder of single homes and multi-unit projects in the Toronto area, said working within existing neighbourhoods takes more time and more creativity. For intensification to work, he said, there must be "a major change in social views" and a reduction in not-in-my-back-yard attitudes.
 
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#2 ·
That's one thing that seems to having planning and the money to back it up........GO Train. They have really been improving capacity and service on GO and that will help.
I know they are twinning some track and extending into Barrie. The next logical step will be a GO to Guelph/Kitchener and extend the Hamilton route to Niagara.
 
#3 · (Edited)
One thing about the plan thats flawed is while Toronto is given a green belt, other cities like Kitchener and Guelph are not. If I didn't know any better you'd think the government wanted Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo to all become one city.

I went to the government discussions on the Golden Horseshoe plan last summer at Victoria Park. When that subject came up he conceded that there was nothing to prevent sprawl for this area which just highlighted the importance of the LRT and intensification. In this area the government was interested in the possibility of a 407 style freeway into Waterloo via Guelph from Toronto. Apparently the value of industry in this region is a factor pushing for it to be built. Also, it addresses plans to ease congestion on Highway 7 KW and Guelph.

Go Transit was said to be maybe 7-10 years away - but even that would be limited to bus services into Cambridge only - certainly not GO TRAINS to Kitchener! Apparently, there is little need in Kitchener and its expensive to operate GO Rail into the city. He also mentioned residents here could simply take the LRT into Cambridge and then a GO Bus. Yeah, like people in Kitchener will DO THAT? Funny how the government sees Guelph and Cambridge as 'commuter belt' territory but Kitchener is something rather more seperate - dare I say a city of its own. LOL Apparently the percentage of Kitchener residents commuting to Toronto is actually very low in relation to cities like Guelph. Is this to be believed or just shortsightedness?

My biggest worry is that places like Baden, New Hamburg, Elmira, Mosborough, Bresleau will turn into 2010's versions of Laurelwood. Intensification is a term that will have to be forced on this region. Its a foreign concept to us unfortunately. Just like the concept of actually BUILDING an LRT. We'd rather talk about it and 'pretend' we actually cared.
 
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