HawthorneVillager.com

Back on the original topic Krantz was on CBC Radio 1 this morning. I didn't get the whole thing, but the sound bites I heard included a small admission that road work hasn't kept up as well as it should, but that the situation is improving. A reiteration that of his long standing policy that growth must pay for itself. The last thing I heard was regarding the small town identity, his goal is to maintain Milton's identity, but sees growth as inevitable. In that light the planners for Milton and Halton decided to embrace growth and try and shape it, instead of letting it shape itself, with the intention of maintaining the identity of Milton as best they could.


Anyways just the highlights I heard, filtered through my ears to my mouth, so please take'm with a grain of salt.

g

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

Milton's Boom a Bust For Some
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/191564

Great article, I hope our town councellors are taking notes.

As always my2boyz. Shows what happens when you don't say NO to developers until the roads and services are in place. According to Town building department reports Milton grew by 7.8% in 2006 alone (thats 3 TIMES faster than Oakville), down from the average 14% annual growth from 2001 to 2006.

The fastest growing towns and counties in the US are only growing by 10% maximum in Arizona and Florida. Check out Table 1 in the Retail Study report on the home page of milton.ca the consultant figures Milton will be averaging 14% annual growth for the next 25 years to make the retail space numbers work.

Check out the agendas for the next Planning & administration and Council meetings at milton.ca under Council & committee, you should come out and see what is happening on Monday nights March 19th and 26th when Council decides on the next group of applications.
Colin Best
Local & Regional Councillor
Wards 2 & 4.

The article I was referring to was the "Milton's a Boom or Bust", my biggest concern is for the downtown core.

You know, this is the part the complainers just don't get. Betty And Richard complain "We no longer have a grocery store downtown," she said. "So seniors like us, or people who don't drive, have to take taxis or spend hours on the bus or take the shuttle once a week to the A&P."

But at the same time "If their pantry runs empty, the Copleys can get canned goods and cereal at the nearby dollar store or milk and eggs at a Shoppers Drug Mart at the four corners.

"But it's so expensive," Betty said."

The same people complaining are causing the exodus by demanding the lowest price. It's simple economics. Having a bigger store that serves more people is more cost effective than having a smaller store that serves fewer. That's why groceries are more expensive where it's more convenient. If you want the convenience, pay the price. If you want the price, expect to have to go to where the big box is. If you want both, you have to move more often and follow where the retail goes.

Downtown as a central hub is doomed. There is no getting around the fact that stores that have to compete with lower prices need to ramp up volumes and cannot do that downtown, which is why downtown is being replaced with restaurants and offices... it's still picturesque, and the location still suits smaller operations.

That's fine, except that probably 80% of the senior population in Milton live in and around the downtown core. If they are going to put senior housing/apartments in that area they need an accessable grocery store within walking distance. Of coarse they are demanding lower prices, most are on limited incomes/pensions and can't afford to be taking a cab everytime they need to fill their pantry's. Quality Greens was a great store. They didn't leave because they couldn't compete with the bigger stores. They were forced out like a few other places that were in the downtown core due to rent increases. Look at the senior housing behind ECD High school and the apartments that are going up there as well. Now they have Loblaws within walking distance but not for long.

I think down town as the shopping hub is the dead idea for long time ago.
No parking, no space, no convenience. It was needed in the past while people were not having cars. It will be needed again as soon as people will not able to have cars. Because it will be convenient for them to walk and get as many services a they needed in short walking distance.
But for now…
Down town is a nice place which holds historical value and the only way it is able to maintain itself if it is designated for cultural and administrative needs. Milton is about to build something like theatre. It must be build on the Main. Here is empty place behind Lablows. Build it here with elevated parking. So people will come for event and will have convenience to walk to downtown and get something.
The question is how many people needed place like this in these days. Not sure if it is needed for many.
The culture has changed. I don’t see lots of people walking on the streets and cinema theatre is almost empty.

"Quality Greens was a great store. They didn't leave because they couldn't compete with the bigger stores. They were forced out like a few other places that were in the downtown core due to rent increases."

If increased costs were the only reason, they could have simply raised their prices to cover the increased costs... unless their customers would then go elsewhere to shop. But yeah, Quality Greens was a great store, especially since when I worked there as a bagboy I know they would take phone orders from local seniors and deliver for them, and part of our job as bagboys was to carry your groceries to your car for you if you needed help.

You also mentioned "If they are going to put senior housing/apartments in that area they need an accessable grocery store within walking distance.", the problem is that the town changes... when they put it there there was one, but they can't force business to stay and lose money. There are a few services like grocerygateway.com (who I think can take orders by phone too for seniors without internet access) who deliver groceries, and I know at least Shoppers Drug Mart and the previous management of the A&P (when it was on Laurier) would send someone to deliver groceries or medicine for housebound locals.

That said, it sure cements home the point that life can throw you some curves when you're older, and you should make sure your retirement savings will allow you to live well enough to either afford taxis or deliveries, because we're all going to get to a point where we can't drive anymore, but will still want to go places... being housebound because you can't afford to go anywhere would be awful.

Food for thought for the mayor and council as well as the town planners. The following letter was in today's Star:

Paradise lost in Milton
Mar 15, 2007 04:30 AM
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Milton's boom a bust for some
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March 14.

While Milton's leadership may be gloating about having the fastest rate of population growth in the GTA, there is nothing to cheer about when it comes to the town's development policies. In this fast-emerging era of global energy constraint, loss of rural lands, environmental damage due to suburban lifestyles and growing traffic, Milton has been heading in a direction that will worsen all of these problems for its citizens and for the region as a whole.

The town's plans indicate that its expanded urban area of about 65 square kilometres will accommodate up to 110,000 residents by 2021 and, if a ratio of one job per two residents is eventually achieved, 55,000 jobs. That's an overall density of barely 2,500 per square kilometre for the planned urban area, at a time when the provincial standard for growth is at least 5,000, excluding significant natural areas.

As a comparison, the density of Mississauga is about 4,500 residents and jobs per square kilometre.

The inefficiencies built into this kind of development are enormous. Transit ridership in Milton will be barely a few percentage points of all trips, and road widths will have to be maximized to accommodate a flood of cars.

Residents will be exposed to the full wrath of global oil prices. Environmental damage from pollutants (lawn chemicals, road salt, etc.) and greenhouse gas emissions per capita in Milton will be among the highest in the world.

Housing is planned to be 60 per cent single family and semi-detached at a time when household sizes are shrinking.

It is at precisely this time, when the town is reviewing its official plan in order to meet provincial standards, that the opportunity to create a truly progressive and vibrant city is presenting itself.

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John Stillich, General Manager, Sustainable Urban Development Association, Mississauga

Maybe if people stopped protesting any attempt to build apartment buildings we could resolve that density issue.

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14C - Lot 82 - Upland B
Roleplaying Game Software for your iPhone: RPGTouch

now that everyone knows that Milton's population is increasing at high rates, maybe it'll put more pressure on the federal and provincial governments to increase their funding for the town.....you never know, it just might happen

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