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