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CCKT believes 'intensification' should be considered for King City The following letter, addressed to Mayor Margaret Black, was submitted to the Sentinel for publication. Further to the Dec. 10, 2007 hearings in King City regarding the five major residential (and commercial) developments proposed for the village of King City, I am writing to urge you and King Township councillors to seriously consider Councillor Jeff Laidlaw's idea for "intensification" in one specific area of the village, namely the King North proposed development. Concerned Citizens of King Township (CCKT) believe that this idea is not only creative, but an excellent one; an idea with vision. We believe it needs to be discussed and debated ahead of all other development applications. Building on Laidlaw's idea, CCKT proposes the construction of six or eight, or as many low-rise apartment buildings as feasible to complement the aesthetics of the local natural environment. These could be combined with the townhouse development already proposed. A pedestrian-friendly zone could be designed to link with the new GO station and with the commercial area. This idea not only helps to support provincial government targets for increased population, it helps to facilitate York Region's Official Plan, as we believe it supports "efficient and effective growth management." In addition, if the proposed "intensification" was to occur, then the relocation of the GO Train station also makes sense. If not the relocation, then the addition of a second station in King City. This would help to reduce the amount of additional traffic. Increased traffic is one obvious negative outcome of the King City East Developments. With only a few minutes walk to GO, many new residents would be attracted to invest in these homes because reliable public transit would be so close at hand - no need to commute by car! Thinking ahead, and assuming that this idea was accepted, the increased population in this location could allow a reduction in size of the proposed development in the south side of King City to take place. The Ministry of Natural Resources already issued a report in 1996, stating "that these wetlands and associated upland forests be protected from any development or terrain alteration and that no fill permits be given for any of the wetlands and their associated streams. Protection should be also afforded to regenerating fields and thickets that abut wetlands due to their critical importance in maintaining wetland functions and their linkage functions." These are highly sensitive lands which should not be developed. Balancing out the reduction of new population growth in the south side of King City, by reducing proposed development on environmentally sensitive lands, with intensification in the proposed North Development area, summarises our proposal. If this idea was planned, and ultimately constructed, we believe that a much improved social infrastructure would occur in King North, compared to the current proposal.
We also believe that this type of development would significantly improve the quality of life for new residents in this area of King City. |
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