BOTTOM LINE – I’ll work with Council and staff to ensure that:
– Future residential development is well integrated and in harmony within our existing communities.
- Developers clearly know what commitments they must meet in order to properly assess and plan for projects within King.
- Our planning “tools”, including the King Official Plan and Schomberg Plan, must be re-written to ensure they have “teeth” as planning AND enforcement tools.
- A Schomberg Main Street Revitalization Plan is finalized and implemented in cooperation with local merchants and building owners.
- Our planning efforts anticipate the evolving needs of YOU, our current and future residents, including public transit availability, senior-assisted living, recreation facilities, visible minority accommodation, and accessibility.
I’m dedicated to responsible growth in King. No doubt we’ll have to grow in the coming decade, especially within King’s three main villages – King City, Nobleton and Schomberg.
The Greenbelt Plan requires that future growth occurs within our existing community plan boundaries, specifically within King’s three main villages. We can have our pristine and undisturbed Moraine, but we must still plan for significant growth in York Region over the next 25 years. I believe this is a reasonable cost to pay for our preservation of this legacy.
Some liken this to “intensification” which makes you think of tall imposing skyscrapers, which is not the intention here. For the most part, we will be relied on to produce more infill development. Some development within Ward 4 already qualifies toward this (the new Church Street condominium complex for example).
Besides the direct benefits of sustainability of the Greenbelt, this “intensification” will benefit us from more jobs, scarce new property tax dollars, places for residents to live who work and seek retirement in King, and attractive dwellings that add to King as a magnate for tourism.
This coming growth does NOT mean that we must compromise our community values:
WE NEED SHARPER TOOLS
It is an excellent time for a new incoming Council to consider how to embrace these community values for Schomberg, and King’s other communities in general, in meaningful, tangible and enforceable ways:
- King Township’s Official Plan dates from the 1970′s – it has seen revisions but it is essentially the same “tool” used decades ago when King’s planning issues were much different and less complicated.
- The Schomberg Plan’s last revision is from 1997 and the Planning Department has opened it up for renewal. I can speak personally on the weakness of this Plan to protect and enhance Schomberg’s historic and rural character.
- The Planning Department is currently undertaking an Intensification Study of King’s three large villages. While I believe that it’s impact will not seriously affect growth in the villages, it is an integral document to our long-term planning vision – Council must review it in light of this.
I look forward to working with Council to ensure that we are in unison on our Vision for King, and that we have effective planning tools at our disposal to carry it out.
Schomberg Main Street Revitalization
I will work to create and implement a workable Schomberg Main Street Revitalization Plan in cooperation with local merchants and building owners, based on the world-class Schomberg Village Design Guideline study already paid for and received by the Township. Main Street is a gem and can be utilized as a key part of a tourism destination programme.
Evolving Resident Needs
I will work to ensure that our planning efforts account for the evolving needs to our residents:
- Like much of Canada, our population is aging and our needs are changing.
- Our cultural make-up is also changing, and will continue to do so in the decades ahead. We will welcome increasing immigrant populations who have special needs until they can become accustomed to our communities.
An Aging Population
Older residents require various levels of senior-assisted living. To some extent Schomberg has become an excellent focal point for downsizing families, and this trend will likely continue.
Please let me know if you can add to this list of services you want to see available or even grow in your community:
- Public transit (to Newmarket and/or Bolton)
- Recreation facilities
- Nutrition programme availability (CHATS)
- Local health facilities
- Parks
- Accessible public and private buildings
- Libraries
- Museums & heritage sites
- Fire, E.M.S. & Police
Cultural Shifts
We live near one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Our birth rates are declining an our population at large is aging. I’m not telling you anything new that immigration will make up the bulk of our population growth for the indefinite future. We must anticipate necessary services to assist new residents in their new lives within our communities.
MORE: Please see SENIORS VISION for Ward 4 & King
Hi Greg, being a local firefighter for over 9 years I agree that a 6 story structure is a small concern. You are right, currently our ladder truck only has a reach of 3 stories. I’m sure that the building department will enforce a strict fire code on this development that mandates a fully active fire suppression sprinklers system as many of the larger developments in many cities have.
Regardless of what many people believe, our local fire services has the ability to adjust our requirement rapidly to meet the needs of the growing township. The current council has done a great job working with our chiefs in meeting our needs and budgets.
Hey Greg:
One minor adjustment….
I see you support intensification and continue by stating that this does not mean skyscrapers but rather buildings which fit in with the character of the community, and you then illustrate this statement with the example of the Church Street development on the Maynard Mill property…..
Generally I agree with your statements, but the Church Street development is intended to be a 6 story structure; contary to Zoning by-laws, and inconsistent with the character of the balance of the village…… despite the Township Planning Department’s rationale that the blend in to the landscape will minimize the impact….. I feel sorry, on this one, for the development to the south who will see a 6 story blemish on the landscape from top to bottom. And quite naturally, I’m concerned about King Township’s ability to handle any fire emergency in this building…. Our ladders can only reach to the third floor.
I find it disturbing that Council would approve for construction a multi-residential building that cannot adequately be serviced by the local fire department.
This in itself does not make sense to me.
Hi, Jeff,
Great input and thank you! I find it quite interesting that it was you and Councillor Mortelliti who provided most of the criticism (both positive and negative) on this development.
I distinctly recall Bill Cober being quite absent in any meaningful input, and I intend to bring increasing scrutiny to Bill in this regard as the campaign progresses.
This said, no doubt there has been some controversy about the site lines of this infill development.
This is a tough site – the architects did some work accommodating a setback from the Schomberg River and ravine while allowing residents views to enjoy it. The overall height of the building will (supposedly) be no higher than the church next door.
It’s now an approved development of course – so the “proof is in the pudding”. That is, us standing on Church Street once it’s built and asking ourselves if it’s overly imposing. I hope it won’t be – some local residents are quite upset as you state. And some have let me know in uncertain terms.
Now, the fire issue: Intensification is coming, and not just Schomberg, but to King City and Nobleton as well. The fact is, intensification includes higher vertical structures – and our Fire Department needs to prepare for this. If we can’t access higher than a 3-story structure we are in big trouble. Development levies are to cover this – but are they? No one knows — the facts on our committed and uncommitted reserves are, to my knowledge, a closely guarded secret.
This is an excellent symptom of our Weak planning tools and non-unified Council.