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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 19, 2002 - A7 letters t ii tin ; editor People want single-family homes on small lots Smart Growth? Preserve the Green Space? Hogwash! The June 12 issue of The Oakville Beaver captured it all in a nutshell and I resisted making any comment, confident that you would. If I was as gifted as you, I could have penned your June 14 editorial myself. You couldn't have spoken the truth more plainly. "Not in my Backyard" still rules! Hank Rodenburg wrote that I should join in the good fight to save the land from development. If I don't, I must be a big bad capitalist. Well excuse me. If you haven't figured it out yet, let me tell you that Hwy. 407 has already spoiled it for us. It has also already sealed the fate of most of the land south of it. Unless the Province is about to tear it up and return the land to its natural state, you and the rest of your friends are sim ply wasting your time and annoying the rest of us. When this debate started, I offered to swap my woodlot with the Town for some of their open space. Not interested, not even Councillor Kevin Flynn. Councillor Allan Elgar was kind enough though, to suggest that I should like to donate my land for a park. Of course, when I asked him to consider donating his Glen Abbey castle for a parkette. he tried to educate me on how that would be somehow different. Perhaps Hank would consider donating his lot on West Lynn? It's peculiar that, for the most part, the folks who want to save our land aren't the ones who actually choose to live on it. From what I can see. most Oakvillegreen members and its execu tive live in big homes on small lots and drive nice cars. We chose this setting, not you. You live in suburbia, not that I'm criticizing you for that. It's just that you chose to live in the very setting that you are try ing to "save" society from. Your desire and willingness to buy that type of home is the root cause of the problem that you denounce. More and more peo ple want single-family homes on small lots. Few people are willing to come to Oakville to live in high rises. Developers and builders only deliver the product that the market demands. If people wanted, or at least if they were willing, to buy Smart Growth alternative living accommodations, your environmental objectives would be realistic, credible and perhaps even achievable. Take the lead by example. When our land, that is our homes, is eventually sold to developers to be chopped up into little lots like the ones that you call home, my neighbours and I will be looking for other rural settings to hang our hats on. Where will you be? We are not canaries in a cage to be toyed with by fat cats sitting on the out side looking in. To me, this is the most dangerous type of behaviour imagina ble. They are sorry losers and they show their childishness by jeering and cat call ing our hardworking Town staff and responsible councillors who supposedly don't share their "vision". I challenge Oakvillegreen and their kind to embrace Smart Growth in their own neighbourhoods.Walk the walk and I'll start having some respect for you. Now they threaten that the voters in the next election will punish councillors who don't share their vision. Nonsense! The majority of Oakville's electorate is pretty bright and well informed. It's the shameless panderers and oneissue wonders that the voters are going to remember with distaste. And if they have any trouble, I'll be there to help them remember. Of course, if true environmentalists ever do succeed in gaining control of our government and our lives, I hope that the members of Oakvillegreen won't mind the economic price that they and their loved ones will surely have to pay and I hope that they won't mind giving up their cars and using public transit and I hope that they won't mind sharing their neighborhoods with 14-storey apart ment buildings. Lots of them. DAVID BAZAR Q fO A K V I C o u n c il an d LLE ww w .tow n.oakville.on.ca S tanding C o m m ittee M eetings Tuesday, June 25, 2002 Community Services Committee 7:30 p.m. - Oakville Room Administrative Services Comm. 7:30 p.m. - Trafalgar Room Monday, June 24, 2002 Planning & Development Council Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, 2002 Council Meeting Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 8, 2002 Planning & Development Council Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. C o u n c i l & C o m m it t e e T o u c h t o n e P h o n e L in e 815-5959 N O T IC E OF P U B L IC IN F O R M A T IO N M E E T IN G O ffic ia l P la n A m e n d m e n t and Z o n in g A m e n d m e n t P a rt L o t 10, C o n c e s s io n 1 SD S F o rm e r H y d ro R ig h t-o f-W a y , E a s t S id e o f E ig h th L in e N o rth o f G le n a s h to n P a rk A P P L IC A N T : S a lv a tio n A rm y F ile Z .1410.14 Please be advised that a public information meeting will be held to discuss a proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment as submitted by the above-noted applicant. This meeting will be an information meeting hosted by the Planning Services Department at which time details of the application will be presented and public concerns noted. This meeting will take place on June 26, 2002, commencing at 7:30 p.m. in Committee Room 2. Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. Any individuals wishing to attend the meeting and the subsequent meeting, which is yet to be determined, and speak to this matter are invited to do so. A summary of the subject proposal and a key map may be found below. If a person or public body that files a notice of appeal of a decision in respect of the proposed zoning amendment to the Ontario Municipal Board does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or does not make written submissions before the proposed zoning amendment is approved, the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of the appeal. If you wish to be notified of the decision of the Town of Oakville in respect of any Official Plan Amendment, you must make a written request to The Director of Planning Services, at the address noted below, quoting the file num ber and application name. You may direct any written submissions and/or questions to David Nelson at the Tow n's Planning Services Department, Town of Oakville, P.O. Box 310, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON. L6J 5A6. Tel: 845-6601, Ext. 3039. email address dnelson<g>townoakvtlle.on.ca Location - The subject property is located on the east side of Eighth Line north of Glenashton Park and the pipeline easements and south of the existing Church of Latter Day Saints. Official Plan - Figure M2, Iroquois Ridge Community, North District, S ilU iii'K i'M designates the subject land as Open Space/Utility Corridor Zoning - The site is zoned A - Agricultural Proposal - An application involving an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment has been submitted. The proposed Official Plan Amendment would re-designate the lands from Open Space/Utility Corridor to a residential designation that would allow for a range of uses consisting of low density residential uses, apartment uses (4 storey, 40 unit building) and institutional uses consisting of emergency and transitional housing. The Zoning Amendment application seeks to rezone the lands from A, Agricultural to an appropriate residential zone to permit detached dwellings, apartment dwelling units and institutional uses comprised of emergency and transitional housing Please Note: This proposal may be subject to changes or modifications at a public meeting in the future. Dated at the Town of Oakville this 19th day of June 2002. David Nelson Acting Manager, Current Planning Planning Services Department School board should have been invited to meeting I was very disappointed with Councillors Kevin Flynn and Ralph Robinson on their approach to debating the site applications for Eastview Public School, at a meeting on June 12 at Sovereign House. No trustees or board staff were invited. I, as a resident of the community, attended the affair (50 + I - people) and was puzzled by councillors' answering questions about the reasoning behind the site application when, clearly, they were not familiar with the subject. This knowledge is the purview of the professional staff of the Halton District School Board. However, this lack of expertise did not deter Robinson and Flynn from deriving political capital by criticizing the board's proposal. This use of politics, as it applies to educational decisions through demagoguery, is not what the Halton commu nity deserves in this economic climate of diminishing financial resources. I expect more responsible behaviour from our elected officials. DREW CURRAH OAKVILLE TRUSTEE WARDS 1 AND 2 Growth cannot continue to be considered inevitable Re: Bill to save the Trafalgar Moraine is misguided. Letters to the editor. June 5. In his letter David Bazar claims that "population growth is inevitable and is necessary to maintain our economy...". When the latest census showed that pop ulation growth was slowing, I heard many ask the question, "Will there be enough growth to sustain a healthy econ omy in the GTA?". Growth and the economy seem to be inextricably linked. Inevitable and impossible are two very interesting words. One says that something must be. and the other that something cannot be. We now have growth that has accelerated to a point where it's impossible for it to continue much longer, yet we say it is inevitable. Impossible and inevitable at the same time? But the population is growing, and until Oakville reaches some kind of satu ration point people will continue to move here. If we reserve the lands in north Oakville (approximately 20 per cent of our total area) as rural, we'll reach the saturation point a little earlier. But either way we'll reach it. Then what happens to the economy? In many European countries munici palities are required by law to maintain agricultural and rural lands within their jurisdictions. They learned this because they had to. and they learned it long ago. Compared to European countries our country is young, and like an adolescent, somewhat reckless. But as we mature we must understand that our actions have consequences, and we must become responsible for them. The consequences of continued sprawl, as guaranteed by the urbaniza tion of north Oakville, are many and seri ous. Do we want to be held responsible for them? RICHARD HOMME Building detracts from Bronte Harbour I read the article in The Oakville Beaver (June 9) about the Lighthouse Restaurant with interest. I am a resident of Bronte and to say that we are disappointed with this monstrous building on the water is an understatement. It is typical of the ostentatious, tasteless architecture that is start ing to invade the streets of Oakville. We used to enjoy our walks by the harbour but now with this eyesore cutting out not only the walk but half the view we have found a different path to tread. I'm only too pleased that we did n't buy one of the homes on the front. What was a lovely view of a grassy area, harbour and lake is now completely dominated by corporate greed. Shame on the Town and developers. PETER RANELLS Downtown parking solution I would like to thank Oakville Town Council for solv ing the congested parking problem in downtown Oakville. For years finding a parking sport downtown has been a real hassle, but thanks to the passing of the no smoking in "public restaurants" bylaw, parking is not an issue any longer. I have never seen so many parking spots since our company moved there in 1995. Congratulations council, for the foresight you have shown. BRIAN PENNY PENCON EQUIPMENT 1225 TRAFALGAR ROAD · OAKVILLE, ONTARIO · L6J 5A6 (9 0 5 ) 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 Smoking bylaw is breath of fresh air I am one of the huge percentage of people who suf fer from asthma. With bars and restaurants going smoke-free I and many others are finally liberated and can breathe in public places. " S m o k e rs" who complain never heard us once complaining about how they kill people with second hand smoke and how disgusting it is. Now it is our turn. I am afraid to say bar owners and such don't lose customers they gain! JANINE PARKINSON C 320 Sedan C 320 Wagon S4993.65% S499* 3.65% CLK 430 Coupe E 320 S599* A MONTH AT 3.65% GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT. AS LONG AS IT'S NO MORE THAN TWO WEEKS. If you want to take advantage of these rates, you have until June 29. Hope to see you at our Oakville location - soon of course. Mercedes-Benz MERAY MOTORS & COLLISION QEW & DORVAL DRIVE · OAKVILLE 905 845-6623 - www.meraymotors.mercedes-benz.ca ·MRSP including heated setts and electric sliding glass sun/oof for. 2002 C 320 Sedan $53,240; 2002 C 320 Wagon, $55,490; CLK 430 COUPE. $73,965 MSRP for 2002 E 320 Sedan. $68,350 ` All rates based on a 24-month closed lease with down payment or trade equivalent as follows: C 320 Sedan or Wagon, $8,000. CLK 430 $9,000, E 320, $10,000. Rates in effect until June 29, 2002.18,000 km/yr allowance. 20c per km in excess. Taxes license, freight administrative charges and PDI extra. OAC.