Thank you for clicking. As a person who has not left the Ward in 50 years I have seen many changes over this time, mainly housing and infrastructure, especially on Eagle Street. With the town transitioning in the next 10 years, and the borders of Ward 5 now stretched to its’ limits, what types of future progress would you like to see in Ward 5? Like Haskett Park in the above photo!
Going forward we are going to see more intensification with housing, new businesses, office buildings, and of course people. I would like to maintain as much green space as possible but we all know the engine that drives Newmarket is the Main Street area corridor & at the south side of Davis Drive & Main. If you love this area as much as I do, a balance between new construction and the heritage properties still existing must be found at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer.
Main Street has its’ own issues and once there is a settlement in the Clock Tower development situation then a strategy can be implemented that is fair for everyone. By doing my own research, there are too many business owners on Main not happy with the town and the developer. Especially the BIA that doesn’t see their concerns being addressed by the town for the last 10 years now. Second, with the free Wi-Fi proposal on the table now; what will be the costs to the business owners and to the taxpayer to support any shortfalls? and Third, is the parking, which was eliminated in 2010 with the Riverwalk Commons Development. Current proposals for parking don’t make sense and we now see even more traffic congestion on south Main.
According to some business owners on Main Street, there is an imbalance of people making decisions for the different types of businesses located there. That is, the BIA does not meet their best interests and will have to move off of Main Street in future to stay viable, if not a restaurant. The BIA committee members are voted in to represent them. Relationships have to improve among all stakeholders to avoid ongoing conflicts of interest. This was shared with me by the business owners themselves. Saying, there is a need to have a better balance on Main Street in the types of businesses operating there and changes in the by-laws to allow diversity & restrict professionals from buying up all the empty spaces. Why? Because it does not draw the necessary traffic needed for their retail business to be profitable. So stay tuned.
There is no doubt that the secondary plan surrounding the perimeters of the Ward is going to deeply effect our neighbours and increase traffic on our neighbourhood streets. This is evident now with the new apartments on Davis Drive being built with no left hand turns. The number of cars has almost doubled on Queen Street in the last year or so. This will never change; the number of cars will increase every year. Bollards will be needed to be installed to reduce the speed. With our trail systems intersecting Ward 5 we hope more residents will continue to walk or ride their bike, or use other modes of transportation to get to their destination. Ride-sharing programs such as Smart Commute must continue and be a bigger force down the road to alleviate traffic congestion. Yes, an East-West bicycle route across the town will happen as I have seen this at council being advocated for a long time now. That is just one of the issues the Traffic & Safety Group does and advocates for. Speed bumps & stop signs don’t solve traffic issues!
With the Recreation Playbook now completed and looking towards the future, we are going to advocate for more changes in playground equipment that meets are ongoing diversified population moving into Newmarket & into the Ward. We hope with any new playgrounds it will not be near any hydro towers as expressed by concerned parents. I have been trying for years to get an outdoor rink built and FINALLY progress has been made and recognized by the town as a priority. Splash pads will be built on an annual cost basis, but every ward will have one first before a second one is built in the same ward as stipulated by the Town’s Recreation Commissioner. So those residents in Quaker Hill you will not be getting a splash pad anytime soon. Presently, there is one off of Timothy Street at Riverwalk Commons.
Back in 2014, I was successful in getting a Splash Pad to be built in Ward 6 in 2017 at Terry Fox PS. So I know how to get things done. I have been working for years now to get a Heritage Park at the Quaker Meeting House location as this is the history of Newmarket and should be celebrated by the town and residents for years to come. (A tourist spot instead of development). Do you agree? Let me know Thank you.
We hope in the next budget that funds with be allocated to move forward on the Craft Beer Festival and expand Ribfest in which I have proposed for a while now at Riverwalk Commons. Going further, I also want to get the School of Rock festival going downtown. Depends how much money can be allocated and raised for these events to make it happen. Last, to have more “free” events now at the Town Hall since it has reopened. We all know that will be all dead before we recoup the costs of the makeover!
I am sure at our quarterly Ward Meetings more suggestions will be made to improve the Ward and together we can satisfy all the residents and not just a few. And, of course to have some resolution in the Clock Tower issue which will be determined by the Planning Dept. Thank you. If you have any questions please fill out the form below or call me, thanks, appreciate your vote on October 17th!
Ian Johnston - Community Driven Leader for 50 years 