Another Residents Perspective

As I said, we would be posting Blogs from other residents and trying to
represent everyones viewpoint. Here's a transcript of one that we
received recently.

"We are new residents of Oakville, having left downtown Toronto for a
better quality of life. We left densely populated communities which were
suffocating under the weight of an unmaintainable level of demand for
services, transit gridlock, and frustration at a lack of resources and
space. The stress of overbearing density is ruining our communities.
Before Oakville concedes to the Provincial plan to combat urban sprawl
by increasing residential density, we should explore other possibilities
and solutions. The problems inherent in the type of development which
Daniels Corporation is proposing in response to the medium density
zoning allotted to the woodlot in Lakeshore woods are likely to be long
term and costly to the community.

1) The development proposed is not similar to the existing properties in
the area, and will lower property values in the immediate area.

2) The development will destroy natural space, the shortage of which is
currently forcing a local tree by-law to become a contentious issue.

3) This natural space is part of a corridor for wildlife to access the
lake-front.

4) The traffic in the area is already becoming quite heavy. During rush
hour Rebbecca Street is backed up well past Bronte Road to Burloak
Drive, and Great Lakes Boulevard is becoming very busy. The last traffic
study for this area was in 2001, when there was very little development
completed. The traffic will be significantly increased in the area if
this proposal is approved.

5) Some statistics have shown that there is a correlation between
population density and the crime rate, especially if other issues are
factored in.

6) Condominiums and apartments without sufficient publicly available
amenity space and facilities reduce the sense of community.

7) Oakville is rapidly losing its green-spaces. To continue along this
path we will eventually find ourselves struggling with flooding and
other environmental impacts such as those which through tragedy led to
the creation of the Halton region Conservation Authority.

Halton region has an opportunity to reconsider its future before it has
to repair its mistakes. The current population density targets are a
reflection of the provincial governments plan to curb urban sprawl. The
concept being, that if we force population growth into less space we can
slow the spread of the growth outward in favor of growth vertically. The
issues of traffic congestion are not lessened by this plan, but are
intensified as more vehicles are forced to utilize fewer interchanges.
The increased density magnifies flow restrictions in the traffic grid,
and increases the stress and tension of drivers resulting in more
collisions, and aggressive driving.

The loss of this wetland space is irreversible. The impact on the
wildlife that uses this corridor is difficult to measure without further
study. Many residents report that deer are often seen in the area, and
the wetland is a breeding area for ducks. It seems that at a time when
such controversy over a tree bylaw is top news, it would be prudent to
scrutinize any development that encroaches on some of the few remaining
natural spaces left in Oakville.

SUGGESTION

Oakville should take a leadership role in proposing a decentralization
of the business model that is currently creating the issues associated
with urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and the resulting environmental
impact. Oakville should encourage industry to create satellite offices
in outlying regions and create an environment where local residents can
opt to live and work in the same region. If a decentralized model was
incorporated then the emphasis in urban planning would return to
creating places where people could live in more natural settings in
harmony with the environment. This focus of Oakville's strategic plan
should be on creating communities that people want to be a part of. We
should attempt to create model communities that incorporate sound
environmental balances and do not compromise the quality of life that
attracts residents to Oakville.