‘It’s coming regardless’: Bradford seeks feedback on long-term growth plan

Around 45 people crammed into Bradford council chambers recently to see for themselves how the city plans to host an extra 40,000 people and 19,000 jobs over the next 2.5 decades.

Community Planning Manager Alan Wiebe explained that the meeting was meant to “kick start” public engagement, and Frank Marzo of the consulting firm WSP Global gave a presentation outlining the goals and timeline for a proposal to update the master plan. city ​​growth management aimed at helping the municipality. prepare to achieve population and employment targets of 84,370 and 30,900 respectively by 2051.

To achieve this, the plan is divided into two parts, which are expected to be carried out on both simultaneously – Part 1, intensification and Part 2, settlement boundary expansion.

Of the five members of the public who provided feedback during the meeting, four were landowner representatives who felt their properties could help meet one or both of these goals.

Michael Smith of Planning Consultants, Michael Smith, spoke on behalf of Mod-Aire Homes and how their property west of Sideroad 10 and north of Line 8, called the Bearant site, could help with intensification.

Currently designated as employment, Smith explained that Mod-Aire wants to be rezoned as residential because the Ontario Ministry of Transportation is set to expropriate about 10 hectares of the 28-hectare property for the Bradford Bypass and the remaining property is difficult to market for employment purposes. partly because of the grading.

“The Bearant lands are well located and suitable for residential development,” Smith said, noting the property is already within the township boundary and “easily serviced.”

As for the settlement boundary extension, Smith wants the 36-hectare Meadowview Heights property on the southeast corner of Sideroad 10 and Route 6 to be included in the boundary because it is divided by the southwest arterial road ( SWAR), in close proximity to other existing and proposed developments, is “lightly serviced” and contains “no significant environmental features”.

Kevin Bechard of IPS Consulting made his second appearance before council in as many weeks to suggest rezoning some land in Special Policy Area 8 from commercial/industrial to residential as a way to meet intensification goals.

Bechard also spoke on behalf of the owner of 3664 Line 8, a 41-acre property northeast of the intersection with Sideroad 5 and directly west of Highway 400.

Although the property is already zoned for settlement and part of the Highway 400 Occupancy Land, Bechard said the only uses currently allowed are agricultural because commercial/industrial development of the land is “held in reserve,” under a provincial directive.

The provincial minister of infrastructure officially issued the limit and permitted uses for employment land as a whole more than a decade ago.

As a result, Bechard asked the council to work with the province because changing the minister’s directive and updating the city’s plans are two processes that should “come together in unison.”

Tim Cane of SGL Planning and Design spoke on behalf of the owner of 3087 Sideroad 5, a 40-hectare property south of Route 9 and west of Highway 400, which is in a similar situation under the Minister’s directive.

Cane called for the city to work to allow the land to be developed so the municipality can become “the complete community it wants to be” because “growth comes regardless” and “more land is going to be needed sooner rather than later,” to achieves employment goals and would “make the city more competitive in attracting local jobs.”

All of the consultants said they support the city’s efforts to plan for growth.

The board sees potential

cone Jonathan Scott stressed the importance of stopping urban sprawl and saving farmland, which is one of the reasons he is “very excited” about the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA), which includes the 800-metre radius around the Bradford GO Transit station, where is higher. denser developments are expected.

Scott said the area is “very important to the future of our community,” calling it the “eastern gateway to the city,” which offers the potential to not only help meet density targets, but also improve aesthetics and traffic flow. along Bridge Street and even improve safety at the junction with Canal Road.

He referred to the area as an “untapped gem” that could be revitalized in a similar fashion to the proposed Holland Street redevelopment project, and noted that some apartment development plans for the area are in the early stages.

After the meeting, Wiebe confirmed that outside of the Cachet Homes development at 200 Dissette St., no formal applications have been made for condominium developments within the MTSA, but said there have been some pre-consultation discussions.

During the meeting, Mayor James Leduc agreed that the east gate is “absolutely important” to the city’s future, and the council. Nickolas Harper suggested increasing the permitted height above six storeys to maximize the potential to meet density targets and help “build the town centre”.

However, Harper said he doesn’t want to “graze” residential developments west of Sideroad 10 near existing commercial developments.

cone Ben Verkaik suggested taller buildings should be along arterial roads and pushed for them to include more purpose-built rental buildings.

He also noted the importance of having more commercial amenities mixed with residential throughout the city, because otherwise “people would have to walk 30, 40, 50 minutes to get to a grocery store.”

Several councilors stressed the importance of the overall growth plan with Coun. Peter Dykie calling it “one of the most important things for the council to deal with” as it needs to “listen to our existing residents as well as provide opportunities for new residents”.

Deputy Mayor Raj Sandhu reminded the audience that “growth is coming whether we like it or not” and “this is our time to get it right,” while Councilor. Joseph Giordano noted that the council doesn’t just want to help build more houses; “we want to build more communities,” which requires “the right balance,” density and planning for what’s needed now and in the future.

At the start of the meeting Frank Orsi of Millford Development Limited spoke to some of the issues discussed later by the council, saying he did not think Bridge Street was the right place for residential development and encouraged the council to focus instead on the town centre, so as it already is. has facilities.

Orsi also requested that the company’s 50-acre property at 2317 Line 9 be rezoned from commercial/industrial to residential because of the topography.

“This is just the beginning,” Leduc said, assuring everyone that there will still be more opportunities for feedback throughout the process.

As is typical for public planning meetings, the board did not make a decision that evening, but staff plans to present a report based on public feedback at a future date.

Anyone unable to attend the meeting in person may still provide written submissions on the growth management plan by email to (email protected) or by mail to: Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, c/o Director of Corporate Services/Municipal Clerk, 100 Dissette St., Units 7 and 8, PO Box 100, Bradford, ON, L3Z 2A7.

For more information, visit townofbwg.com/planbwg2051, email (email protected) or call 905-778-2055, ext. 1400.