As an avid reader (and participant) in my daily travels to the Hawthorne Villager, the topic of growth is one that never seems to die down. Some like it and some dont. Some want it to stop now that they’re living here and some accept it as inevitable change.
Growth in Milton, as with other municipalities is mandated by the Province. They produce guidelines and directions for the town and its up to the local council to marry those needs with reality. There are number of projects being worked on within our borders that will contribute to that growth, such as the Derry Green Business Park east of James Snow Parkway and the intensification of Main Street from JSP to Bronte Street. There have been a lot of numbers thrown around from 150,000 to 175,000 and even up to over 300,000!!!
At a recent Chamber of Commerce breakfast, the Town Planner Bill Mann told the business community at large the population of Milton could reach anywhere from 300,000 to 350,000 in the coming years. This doesnt mean we’ll be at that point anytime soon as there are many decades worth of development to go through to get to that.
I found those comments, which are detailed by Tim Foran at the Milton Canadian Champion article, interesting along with a letter to the editor against growth in Milton.
Here is the letter by Linda Arone.
DEAR EDITOR:
My husband and I met in 2002. At that time I lived in Mississauga and he lived in Vaughan.
Our dates and weekend getaways were always in the Milton area, at conservation parks, tourist farms, farmers’ market, etc. We loved the quiet charm, the small-town culture and the friendly people of Milton.
In 2006, when we got married, our obvious decision was to purchase a home in Milton. To our disappointment, this town has continued to grow beyond its capacity, and I find myself sitting in more traffic now than ever before and being cut off by extremely inconsiderate and aggressive drivers.
So as a relatively new resident of Milton, I feel for the Miltonians of 20-plus years ago, but I also sympathize with all the newcomers who had hoped to start a new life in the lovely, close-knit and safe little town we used to know as Milton.
LINDA ARONE, MILTON
Comments
4 Responses to “Growth expected for long time to come”
Typical people complain about traffic in an ever growing town that they want to stay small. She moved in 2006 and growth was well under way. It seems like she didnt realize that when she moved here.
Growth is here to stay folks. No matter how much you dont like it, its a fact. You have to accept it or move up north if you want to have the small town.
Milton has benefited so much from growth as we now have wider streets, more places to shop and when its all done maybe even some places to work. Have council done a horrible job? No…but it couldve been done better and from what I see there are lots of improvements needed.
You cant have it both ways. You cant have Milton stay 35,000 people and still have a Walmart or overpasses/underpasses or a parade that 20,000 plus attend, or new libraries or an East Side Marios… (i think you get the point!)
We all have to roll with the punches and deal with what we have to get done. Im not against paying taxes either…I dont mind the increase as long as the money is being spent properly. Do we need an Arts and Entertainment centre? Ya, but maybe not yet. Thats something that could have been put on the backburner for a few more years. Same thing for the Milton Sports Centre.
The focus of spending should be on infrastructure. Getting the roads and the new homes done properly the first time around. Ive been reading about that Derry Green Business Park and Im actually quite excited by the fact there may be some employment opportunities in Milton. Id LOVE to tell my boss in downtown TO to take his job and shove it and I can work in Milton. No more GO Train…(Ive got a smile ear to ear thinking of it.)
I dont want people to think Im attacking Linda because Im not. I hear this from my neighbours all the time. NOW that Ive moved it, stop growth. Milton will be benefiting from the university, the interchange at Tremaine Road and dozens of other projects theyre doing in the coming years and it will be a better quality of life in Milton.
Hi Johnny. Thanks for the comments.
As with any change, there is going to be a few headaches. Slower traffic on Derry or Thompson or Bronte or pretty much anywhere. It all cant be done at one time because it costs us money.
A good question would be…would you accept increased spending by the town if it were directed more on infrastructure?
I agree Mike. Too many people complaining for the sake of complaining. These folks beleive everything the people at the Mattamy offices tell them. Youll have grass and a fully functional Tim Hortons drive thru as soon as you move in, and when it doesnt happend they squawk.
As one of the characters in Wall Street said “good things sometimes take time”
I was also asked by my wife to ask you when youre going to run for council!
Wall Street? I LOVE that movie.