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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 16, 2007 - 13 Policies aimed at controlling new growth By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER The Town of Oakville has approved a series of new policies to help protect existing neighbourhoods from an onslaught of high-density development. Under the policies, intensification proposals will be strongly discouraged across most of the town for the next several years. Higher-density residential developments ­ such as townhouses and condominium towers ­ are expected to become an increasingly more frequent part of the Oakville landscape in years to come. However, Town planners say they need "breathing room" to complete a series of studies that will identify where and how intensification should occur. Intensification ­ the new buzzword in land use planning circles ­ basically means housing more people than we have in the past on the same amount of land. Under the Interim Growth Management Policies approved by town council on Wednesday night, intensification proposals will be considered for only a few locations across the town until comprehensive intensification policies are developed. Those locations ­ Palermo Village, the Midtown Core and the Uptown Core ­ have already been identified in town plans as locations suitable for concentrations of high-density residential and mixed-use development. The policies also allow for the consideration of intensification proposals for Bronte Village, Kerr Street and Old Oakville, provided they are compatible with surrounding development. Applications seeking intensification in other areas of town would be rejected under the proposed policies. "I believe it's time to devise a strong control over urban growth in Oakville," said Ward 6 councillor Tom Adams, prior to Town council approving the policies on Wednesday night. However, a representative from the development industry told councillors he thinks the town isn't moving fast enough on its plans for the future. Michael Moldenhauer, of Moldenhauer Developments, said the industry recognizes the town's need to develop a vision for its growth. But the incoming president of the Greater Toronto Home Builders' Association said he believes the town should be able to complete its studies in six months, rather than three years. "The period of time is just unacceptable," said Moldenhauer, noting the new policies could delay development, marketing and construction of projects by five or six years. That delay, he noted, won't do much to satisfy pleas from groups like the Brontearea merchants, who came to the meeting to urge the town to ensure business development in Bronte is encouraged. While the Bronte Village Residents Association (BVRA) had made a written request to the town requesting intensification not be permitted in the area, that vision wasn't supported by either the merchants, town planners, or even the local ward councillor. "No growth is the wrong concept, but controlled growth is the right concept," said Ward 1 councillor Ralph Robinson. Oakville has been faced with a growing number of development applications proposing to increase density in existing communities as a "No growth is the wrong concept, but controlled growth is the right concept." Ralph Robinson Ward 1 Councillor result of recent provincial policies directing municipalities to allow more dense development within built-up areas. The intent of the intensification philosophy is to increase the popula- tion of the community without the urban sprawl of recent decades that has chewed up large swaths of land, created high servicing costs for municipalities and encouraged reliance on personal automobiles. Don't be afraid of dinner. Now you can create delicious and affordable meals in minutes without the frightening tasks of grocery shopping, preparing or cleaning. Make your home or cottage cooking easier with 16 nutritious meal choices every month. To find out more, visit 610 Ford Drive (at Cornwall) or justaddheat.ca