Dozens share ideas about Glendale future
THE POTENTIAL of hundreds of hectares of property along Glendale Avenue could be lost, if the community fails to find alternatives to standard suburban development.
“I think we’ve all been fascinated by the potential and, at times, to be honest, kind of horrified that this would all be dribbled away with standard suburban development and the remarkable natural assets squandered,” said urban design consultant Ken Greenberg.
Greenberg was one of a team of urban design and planning experts from the Toronto area, as well as Calgary and New York City, brought in by Niagara Region to lead workshops to develop plans for the 700 hectares of land at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s southwest border with St. Catharines.
The Glendale Niagara District Plan will create “a safety valve urban area expansion that could absorb the growth and turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse,” he said Monday.
It was the first of two days of workshops at the Holiday Inn Express in Niagara-on-the-Lake, to give residents, property and business organization representatives an opportunity to share their ideas about the property.
“This is the very first stage,” said Niagara Region community and long-range planning director Doug Giles.
He said about 30 people took part in a bus tour of the area Monday morning, giving them an idea of the size of the area included within the planning study, while about 60 people participated in the afternoon workshop, and dozens more were expected that afternoon and during workshops on Tuesday.
He said Region staff will work with consultants to use the information discussed at the meeting to develop a report for regional council’s consideration.
Giles said bringing in expertise from other communities helps bring a unique perspective to the plans.
“Everybody talks about the same thing, the natural beauty of the area, the agriculture. They talk about the need to build employment and higher density development,” Giles said.
“But sometimes you have to stand back from that and say, what would that really look like and what are some ideas you can feed into that to really make it something a little different than what you might have
thought. That’s the benefit of bringing outside people in.”
But Greenberg said it will take co-operation if plans that harness the true potential of the area are to proceed.
“The question is, can the combination of the landowners, the municipalities, the Region, the political will and the will on the private side do something really special. If you were to do that, however you measure it, the value is immensely greater. There’s no question, short term, long term, but it takes a shift in attitude, a shift in models. That’s what this is all about.”