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- j "414 INSTRUCTOR Fraser Perman tries out the new snowboard parX at Dagmar which opened Jan. 7. One hundred surveys were cornpleted by snowboarders, and the resuits were comipiled to construct the park. The grand -opening wiII be held Jan. 29. Photo by Jeremy Drosar, Whihby Fr. Prosu DERMNA TODW n"W Concern over officiai plan implications By Mike Kowalski Proposais contained in the municipality's draft official p an are detrinxental to downtown Whitby, Ton officiais have beon warned. Local developer' Bill Little says recommendations in the plan threaten flot only downtown businesses, but downtown Whiitby in general. Ho has called on council to rejeet proposais for extensive commercial growth at the intersection of Brock Street and Taunton Rogd. I'istead, Little urges council to conentrate on "revitaiizing"- the downtown before permitting major commercial developmonts elsewhere in Whi tby Failure to, do so wiil only resuit ini further deterioration of the downtown cor., ho dlaims. Littie's waning about downtown Whitby's future was contained in a submission ho delivered to Town councii's planning and development committes, last week. Hie presentation was on.of. 18 made during a meeting hold te receive input into Witby's propoeod official plan (se. story on page 3). The object of Little's concern is a recommendation that proposes designating Brock-Taunton as a major commerial area with 400,000 square feet of floor space. In his submission, Little termed this denation "totaliy unnecessary." e addowntown Whitby currently has a os leasoablo area of 92,000 square metres and there is another 120,000 square metres of space at Dundas-Thickson and Rossiand-Gýarden. By adding 40,000 square metres at BrolkTaunton, the. figure reaches 160,000 square metres, Little said. TIhat's 75 per cent more gross leaseable area than downtowýn Whitby," he said. Referring te Whitby's existing officiai plan, Little said that document meages te provido measures that wili "enuance the downtown's roi. as a focal point and source of identity for the. entire municipality." It goes on te, state that redeveloping the downtown wili require extensive improvements to the existing water, sanitary sewer and storm sewor systems, Little said. However, the plian also states that council will place a "igh priorty" on fimproving the downtovws infrastructure, Little noted. "AIl of this verbiage, but very littie &ctual comxitmnent or improvenient to downtown Whitby," he said. While the od pan promises to protect eisting commercil ras, the draf plan adds "while providing for new competitive development opportunities that will benefit and serve the consumer," Little said. But it is these "new competitive development opportunities" that are 'lidlling" the downtown, Little cdaims. "What irks me is that some of us made major commitments based on these policies oniy to see ail the emphasis put on newly created areas in order to compote with other niunicipa:iities for commercial development " ho said. (Little's V*hitby developments include Pearson Lanes and the refurbished Brooklin Mill.) Little told committee that it must not only 'write in" measures to protect SEE PAGE 23 A Home Deigf and ImproveIWeft teatule PagelS1 Hospital stili facing9 a deficît cuBy Mie Kowialk ________ Cotcutting nieasures Impie- mented prior to Christmnas have had Borne BUCCBss in reducing Whitby General Hospital's defi- cit. However, it mnay bo another few months before hospital offi- ciais can indicate how much that D figure will be. "We managed to contain expenses but we stili have a simail deficit» said director of development kvarc fKey "I can't say (how 1. 'l ) until we pro pare the (1 94-96) budgehle said. At one point last year hospital officiais were facing a iancia1. shoirtfall -of alÏout $0,00.' This was based on h hspi tal's obligations under the Ontario Rovernment' social ton-, tract legisiation and the deficit from its 1993-94 budget of '$14 million. lIn order to eut costs, the operating room and some out- patient services were shut down or two weeks in Decemnber, while 16 beds were closed for an indefinite period. SEE PAGE 4 ..-à