Where is Milton going…or for that matter GROWING from here?
The Town of Milton recently announced to town council that we are preparing a new official plan. For those of you who are unsure of what exactly the “official plan” is, its essentially a road map and our guideline for land use planning going forward to 2041.
“We Make Milton” is the beginning of a multi stage process of the official plan where we want to hear from you on what your input is. As a town councillor, we are faced with many planning decisions every meeting.
Does this new development get approved?
What kind of development goes in this specific area?
What are the impacts of these choices going forward…not just a few years but 10, 15, 20 years from now. What will Milton “look” like in 2041.
We have to deal with many pieces of legislation, mainly from the province, and these rules/guidelines/plans etc change constantly. This is a source of frustration not only as a resident, but as a municipal councillor as well. The Province of Ontario has deemed us a place to grow. This town has grown from roughly 40,000 when my family and I moved here in 2003 to unofficially about 125,000 and counting. The most recent change to our provincial growth plan has the Halton Region (Burlington, Milton, Oakville and Halton Hills) growing to a population of over 1 million by 2041.
Where is everyone going to go?
That’s what the official plan is for. Where are we building…what are we building…what kind of development will go where? So many questions and sadly no consistent document to show us the way. Hence the official plan.
I could sit here and type forever about this process, what is included in it, how its dealt with, who approves it, who can make changes to it using technical jargon but you’d either leave the site or your head would spin.
In comes “We Make Milton”. We want to hear from you…the new resident of 3 months, 3 years or 30 plus years on what your vision of Milton is. This is going to be a comprehensive, detailed and I certainly hope FUN process to be involved in.
BUT we need to hear from you. And we’re making it as easy as possible.
First … watch this video “Meet the Milton’s”
Then we’d like you to visit https://www.letstalkmilton.ca/WeMakeMilton and register to comment. There are many different places to get involved in the Lets Talk Milton site, but that will be for a post later on.
We want your stories. What does Milton mean to you? What do you like about it and what’s some of the challenges we face? Now before everyone thinks this will be an exercise where we take the good and leave the bad, please stop that train of thought there. We want to hear it all. Again, this is the first stage of many and you’ll see where we’re going as the process moves along.
I will also be following along in this process with you, because like you, I have a stake in where Milton goes from here. I’m a father of 2 wonderful kids and I want to ensure that we are building a community that they, along with your children, can be a part of. A place where we have different housing options, and yes that includes high density residential. It also includes the single family home, condo developments, rental options, and more affordable housing. I want to create transit friendly and active transportation routes (cycling, walking, trails, parks) for us to enjoy. This way you can simply walk to a restaurant, take the bus to the First Ontario Centre for the Arts in Milton to take in a show, go for dinner and support the local economy. This is how Milton can grow.
I want Miltonians to have the option of working from their home town. Being able to hop on the bus, or bicycle to go to work instead of their car, sitting on a highway for a few hours only to repeat the process on the way back. This way we can spend more time with our families, relaxing in the parks, taking our kids to sports and school events. Milton has so much to offer in this area…conservation parks, neighbourhood parks, cricket pitches, soccer fields, softball and baseball diamonds, walking tracks, cycling at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre and who knows…even more. This is how Milton can grow.
I want to harness the entrepreneurial spirit we have with our educated population. Someone who’s got a skill or talent or idea that we haven’t thought of yet and that has no description other than a statement “Wow, I never of that.” A place where someone can take part in something like our Milton Innovation Centre, get their start and grow. To open up an office or location and employ people. This is how Milton can grow.
I want us to grab our shoes and walk along a trail from one side of town and get to the other, enjoying green spaces and parks along the way. I want us to create and build a complete community. We stay healthier and more active and enjoy all of what this town has to offer. This is how Milton can grow.
There isn’t just one solution available that will work in Milton as we continue to grow. It will be a combination of things that will give us the ability to grow smarter, attract more business and jobs and to become more sustainable in this great community. Some of the options will be new to people. Some will seem obvious as our population increases. There will be discussions along the way and that is what this official plan process is for.
Everyone speaks of the small town feel we all know and love. The small town feel isn’t just bricks and mortar and buildings and houses. It’s not about “new” vs “old” either. The small town feel is inside us. It’s in our stories that we tell to our friends and neighbours. We need to hear these stories as a part of WE MAKE MILTON and the official plan process.
Lets Talk Milton!