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THE HERALD OUTLOOK Saturday September 8 Page 3 Acton shopping centre Residents express concern to developer By BEN DUMMETT The Herald After hearing a spokesman for Management describe the companys proposal to build a square foot commercial shopping centre at 252 Queen Street in Acton during a public meeting Tuesday at the Halton Hills Civic Centre several neighboring residents expressed concerns about traffic congestion garbage disposal the centres en croachment on nearby residents and the inability of Acton to sup port a shopping plaza of such magnitude Don Lindsay the owner of the Acton grocery store received a round of applause after arguing the proposed development would mean the end to several ex isting Acton businesses We Acton need a shot in the arm not a kick in the pants Mr Lindsay told the developer s representative John Redmond The proposed plaza if approved would include a grocery store and a family restaurant as well as a variety of other retail stores Mr Redmond told an audience of ap proximately 50 people But Mr Lindsay argued based on his years in the grocery store business he knows there isnt the market to support 14 stores and another grocery store Most businesses are hanging by a string as it is said Mr Lindsay He then went on to argue the ma jority of people living in Acton commute to work and as a result do their shopping at retail outlets located near to where they work Acton could only support a plaza the size of the one being proposed if it grew by another 3000 people and if and when this happens a more appropriate location for such a centre would be farther east said Mr Lindsay Mr Redmond countered by say ing a marketing study earned out by the developer shows the plaza would encourage Acton residents to do their shopping in town and thereby benefit all businesses in Acton He explained that the plaza by offering a wide selection of stores would enhance the shopp ing experience in Acton If the proposal is eventually ap proved by Halton Hills Council it would replace a vacant industrial building currently on the proposed site Andrew Colley a town plan ner told the audience The developer needs council to amend the area zoning bylaw from in dustrial and general commercial to a site specific commercial zone and amend the Hills Of ficial Plan said Mr Colley The resulting increase in traffic congestion on Queen Street at the entrance of the plaza was another Town general committee votes against Ballinafad proposal By BEN DUMMETT The Herald Halton Hills General Committee voted seven to six against a 20 estate lot rural development pro posed for the rural area of Ballinafad Tuesday night but not before a lengthy and sometimes heated debate during which Mayor Miller at one point referred to comments made by town cillor Robert as ridiculous speaking against the development proposal sug during the debate speculators are pulling the on the Towns planning pro cess to which the mayor later commented he couldnt believe a councillor could get up and make such a ridiculous statement The councillor made his state ment in the context that he couldnt understand how the town planning staff supported the development proposal when the Niagara Escarpment Commission acting as a commenting agency on whether the subdivision conformed to the NEC plan opposed it The NEC was one of several agencies asked by the towns plan mng staff to comment on the validity of the proposal It was the only one to oppose the proposal The NEC staff said the proposal which was initiated by Beechbrook Development conformed to the commission plan but the NEC commissioners decided otherwise and voted against the proposal Ac cording to the NEC report the commissioners decided the development didnt conform to the plan because it t maintain the scenic values of the land it wouldnt maintain the open land scape character of the area and the land in question represents good farm land The NEC originally supported the application but subsequently rejected it The Towns General Committee is comprised of the town ciUors Clarification Halton Hills Councillor Johnston was quoted as saying equipment had been stolen from a Maple Avenue property Georgetown in a story headlined Maple Avenue house attracts pro- especlive owners in the Sept l issue of the Herald Outlook The councillor used the word flagstone and not equipment Councillors who opposed the pro posal included Mayor Miller Robert Heaton Norm Elliott Pat McCarthy Cook Alf Spence and Manly Serjeanston Those who supported the development included Ann Curne Rick Bonnette Gerald Lil Bowman and Joe Hewitt Council will vote on the decision of the general committee Monday Coun Elliott seemed to reflect the opinion of many councillors when he explained that technically the proposal was one of the most complete and sound ever presented to the town But at the same time he represented the feelings of many councillors in that he couldnt support it because the NEC had rejected it It was also on this basis that residents opposing the develop ment voice their opposition Mr Andre Levesque a lawyer for the firm Davis Webb and Schulze who spoke on behalf of the opposing residents argued among other things that although the NEC staff supported the subdivision the GIC RATE 12V2 Rate Subject To Change Without Notice MONEY CONCEPTS commissioners make the final decision and as such the town should abide by their ruling When asked for his comments on why town staff supported the development while the NEC re jected it the Towns Director of Planning Ian Keith suggested the commissioners misread or misinterpreted the NEC plan I cant understand why the commis sioners supported it continued the planner The developer s representative local lawyer Bert Arnold argued despite the commissioners deci sion the NEC staff said the development conforms with the commission plan and thus it con forms with Halton Region Official Plan The Regions Official Plan reflects that of the NEC with respect to lands coming under the jurisdiction of the commission Mr Arnold also argued technical data compiled by the developer and reviewed by the town planning staff meets the towns strict cntena for rural estate sions 4000 00 SHOPPING SPREE VALUE STORE SAVE NOW SPECIAL PURCHASE COLOR TV 34800 20 COLOR RMOTE TV 39800 28 COLOR REMOTE TV 64800 DELUXE VCR ON SCREEN 33800 DELUXE STEREO VCR ON SCREEN concern expressed by several residents When one Acton resident Paul Cunningham was told by Mr Red mond that a traffic study of the area showed traffic lights would not be required if the centre was built Mr Cunningham said he couldnt believe that and asked the developer if he could read the study Mr Redmond said he would make the document available to any member of the public Town Engineer Bob Austin con firmed the findingfl of the developers traffic study but went on to say the engineering depart ment still has some concerns about the final details concerning the ef fects an increase in traffic would have on the area Mr Colley told the audience none of the external agencies nor the town departments asked to comment on the proposal objected to the plan in principle He did say however there are stdl some unresolved issues concerning the layout of the shopping centre Concerning the issue of garbage I disposal Mr Redmond told the au dience that two areas behind the plaza have been designated to hold I garbage until it is collected On the issue of night truck traffic making deliveries to the stores Mr Red- said except on the rare occa sion there would be no deliveries after 30 pm Those residents bordering on the property on the south side re quested they have input on what kind of fence the developers build to ensure the development doesnt encroach on their privacy Mr Redmond said he had no problem with this request Under the provinces planning act the towns planning staff will now write a report on the viability of the plaza and in doing so will comment on the concerns express ed by the public Once the report is completed the staff will make a recommendation supporting or op posing the development at which time council will make the final decision No date was set at days meeting on when this deci would be made OUR NEW INTERNATIONAL MENU AND OUR NEW CHEF EMANUEL Who creates a variety of delicious appetizers and entrees from around the world Come Delight Your Tastebuds Today I