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Freeman Station okayed for Spencer Smith waterfront park

March 4, 2010 – 3:34 pm

Do you want more development in Spencer Smith Park on Burlington’s downtown waterfront? City councillors voted 4-3 this week to put the old Freeman Train Station in the park. It will go near the foot of Brant and Lakeshore, at street level with lower level washrooms walking out to the park.

Now councillors want your feedback before the issue comes to a final vote at city council March 22, 7 pm, at City Hall.

Proposed Freeman Station - Spencer Smith Park, Burlington

Proposed Freeman Station at Spencer Smith Park

Speak up for greenspace

I’ll personally be delegating to council against adding more development in Spencer Smith. If you’d like to add your support to my delegation please email me at mariannemeedward@bell.net (Your contact information will be kept confidential and you don’t need to attend or speak at the meeting).

But I’m aware there are different points of view on this issue. I’m interested in soliciting the broadest possible feedback because this concerns our waterfront.

Better alternatives

If we need washrooms in Spencer Smith, there are better locations than a prominent building, blocking views, on our main street. If we are going to preserve Freeman Station, there are more appropriate locations, including Ireland House Museum on Guelph Line, which is one of the options under consideration.
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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (37)

Advisory committee approved – hold on development discussed Feb. 8.

February 5, 2010 – 6:17 am

Members and supporters of Burlington Save Our Waterfront achieved a major victory for community engagement Monday, as city council unanimously passed the Burlington Waterfront Access and Protection Advisory Committee. As soon as we get information on how you can apply to serve on this committee, we’ll post it here.

Hold on development discussed Feb. 8, 6:30 pm

Burlington Save our Waterfront supporters at City HallMore than 20 Save Our Waterfront supporters attended Monday’s council meeting. Michelle Bennett, a dedicated member of our organizing team, stood beside me as I presented to council our support of the advisory committee (full text of my delegation is below). We also asked for a hold on development in the Old Lakeshore Road area while the advisory committee consults with residents on a better plan for this key area of our waterfront.

To my pleasant surprise, Councillor John Taylor asked that discussion on the possibilities of a hold on development be added to the agenda for the next Community Development Committee meeting, Mon. Feb. 8 at 6:30 pm.

So, we’ll be back in chambers next week to hear that discussion, and invite you to join us.

Thank you!

After months of waiting, things are now beginning to move along quickly – thanks to you speaking up for our waterfront. Congratulations, and thanks for your support. We wouldn’t have come this far without you.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Advisory committee clears first hurdle – final vote Feb. 1

January 25, 2010 – 12:15 pm

The advisory committee on the waterfront that you’ve been asking for since last fall has cleared its first hurdle: it received unanimous support at 10:45 pm on Jan. 18. That vote still needs to be ratified at council Feb. 1.

Join us Feb. 1, 6:45, City Hall lobby

Members of Save Our Waterfront will be at council Feb. 1, and we invite you to join us in the City Hall lobby at 6:45 before proceeding up to chambers at 7 pm. We thank all of you who attended the January meeting, and regret the vote came so late in the evening that many of you couldn’t stay to see it.

Your victory

The establishment of the advisory committee is your victory – though others will take credit for it. Without you calling and emailing your councillors and mayor to ask for community input on a better vision for the entire waterfront, we wouldn’t have gotten this far.

Waterfront not saved yet

Though the advisory committee is a significant step forward, the waterfront has not been saved. The Old Lakeshore Road area remains at risk of highrise development because of changes this council made in 2007 to increase the allowed height of buildings.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)

We got our committee (!) – almost. Attend City Hall Jan. 18, 6:30 pm

January 16, 2010 – 7:57 am

It’s another win for the people! We’ve just learned that our request for a waterfront advisory committee is coming before the city’s Community Development Committee Monday, Jan. 18. This was a last minute addition to the agenda, after much behind the scenes negotiations in the wake of Tim Hortons’ withdrawal of its appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board for extra height for its waterfront property.

We need you: Attend Mon. Jan 18, 6:30 pm, City Hall

Plan to attend the CDC meeting, Monday, Jan. 18 at 6:30 at City Hall, to show your support for establishing the Burlington Advisory Committee on Waterfront Access and Protection. Members of Burlington Save Our Waterfront will be meeting in the lobby of City Hall at 6:15, to proceed up to chambers together. We invite you to join us to sit together.

Even better, register as a delegation to speak in support of the item – especially if you’re interested in putting your name forward as a member of the committee. Staff and council members need to hear that not only does the community want this committee, there are citizens ready to step forward immediately to serve on it.

You must call (905-335-7698 ext. 7855) or email the Clerks Departmentby noon on Monday to be added as a delegation. Your email should include your full name and contact information, with the request to be registered as a delegation to speak in support of the Burlington Advisory Committee on Waterfront Access and Protection. You’ll have up to 10 minutes and we can provide training and support. Let us know if you plan to delegate and we can coordinate our remarks (email: saveourwaterfront@bell.net).

Save Feb. 1, 7 pm to attend council

The waterfront committee will also have to be approved by council, Mon. Feb. 1, at 7 pm at City Hall. Again, we’ll need to fill the room. Residents can register to speak at council for up to five minutes.

Celebrate with us

This is your victory, and you’ve worked hard to get here. Without your voice and support standing behind me and the Burlington Save Our Waterfront team we would never have gotten this far. We’re close to getting one of our key goals – an advisory committee. Let’s bring it home on Monday night, and again Feb. 1.

If you’re in a mood to celebrate on Monday, a few of us will be retiring to the Queen’s Head, beside City Hall. We welcome you to join us, to meet some of the people behind the movement.

Finally, congratulations. This is a significant day for the citizens of Burlington, and for the future of our waterfront.

Yours for community,
Marianne Meed Ward, Chair
Save Our Waterfront

Click below to read

Waterfront committee proposed terms of reference

Report to establish the committee.

Save Our Waterfront is an initiative of A Better Burlington, your source for news and debate about what’s happening in our city. To learn about and comment on other issues in Burlington, sign up for our electronic newsletter at: http://abetterburlington.ca.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Victory! Tim Hortons backs off – but there’s a long road ahead

January 8, 2010 – 10:55 pm

You did it! As a member of the Save Our Waterfront movement, you’ve helped achieved a significant victory. We’ve just learned that Tim Hortons has withdrawn its appeal to exceed height limits of 15 storeys on the vacant waterfront lot east of Emma’s Back Porch in Burlington’s downtown. The Ontario Municipal Board hearing on this matter scheduled for Jan. 12-15 was cancelled after Tim Hortons unconditionally withdrew. That clears the way to set up the Citizens Advisory Committee on the Waterfront that we’ve been asking for.
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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (7)

Waterfront advisory committee a go – with strings attached

December 19, 2009 – 12:01 pm

Save Our Waterfront got an early Christmas present, thanks to your many emails and phone calls to your elected representatives: agreement in principle to strike a Citizen’s Advisory Committee on the Waterfront. But it’s a present with significant strings attached.

You can read the details of the proposed committee below, developed after a series of meetings with two city councillors and two Save Our Waterfront representatives. We’ll need votes from two more councillors, but this is a step in the right direction. And, as always, we welcome your feedback (either provide a comment below or send us an email).

But a few days ago, we learned about the “strings” attached: when the councillors ran the proposed committee past the city’s lawyer, the advice was to delay its establishment until after a decision in the Ontario Municipal Board hearing on Tim Horton’s waterfront property. The councillors have elected to take this legal advice, and put the committee on hold.

You’ll know from our other posts that Tim Horton’s owns the vacant lot beside Emma’s Back Porch on Old Lakeshore Road and is challenging the city’s definition of a 10-storey building – they want to go higher.

We’ve been told the legal concern is that striking such an advisory committee on the waterfront could be seen as an admission that the city is uncomfortable with its own plans for the waterfront. The mere existence of the committee could be used against the city at the hearing.

That’s the argument, anyway. Save Our Waterfront, respectfully, disagrees. This turn of events represents an unnecessary – and potentially indefinite – delay in citizen consultation.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (9)

Guest blog- Why disappearing school parkland affects you

December 8, 2009 – 9:07 pm

Today, we turn this space over to Ken Woodruff to talk about the potential loss of General Brock park in South Burlington. It’s a 14-acre parcel of land with 4 sports fields that could be paved over with housing if the city doesn’t act quickly.

The Halton District School Board, which owns the land, recently voted to sell it. The Save General Brock Parkland Committee, which Woodruff chairs, is asking the city to buy the park (worth about $9 million) to preserve greenspace and sports fields for our children.

City councillors vote at City Hall on Wed. Dec. 9, 6:30 pm on this issue – at the same time they’ll be voting on the Pan Am Games proposal to develop new sports fields.

Why spend millions for new fields when we’re about to close some?  These are your tax dollars. That’s one reason this issue concerns all of us. But there’s another reason: next time, it could be your local school – and its parkland – on the chopping block.

The city’s current policy is not to spend any money to save school parklands for residents.

That’s not good enough for General Brock, and the residents across the city who use its sports fields. And it won’t be good enough when it’s your local school closing.

Read Ken’s article to find out more.
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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in General Brock Park Battle, Parkland | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Towers on the lake? A train station in the park? We can do better

November 27, 2009 – 3:50 pm

A small turnout greeted the downtown councilor and city staff for a public meeting this week to discuss waterfront development and traffic issues. We know residents care about these issues – more than a 100 people have attended each of our last 2 meetings – so what gives?

Two thoughts come to mind. First, the meeting was poorly publicized at the last minute – a recurring theme at City Hall. Most of us only learned days before about the meeting, held Wed. Nov. 25, and a number of people heard about it from an email we circulated. Turnout would have been even lower without our efforts to spread the word. The city needs to do a better job.

City Talks, But Doesn’t Listen

Second, and this is more likely, residents have heard this song and dance before. These public meetings are mostly about residents listening to city officials defend their plans, rather than an opportunity for city officials to listen to the views of residents. The format is mostly question and answer – we ask, they answer – and there’s virtually no opportunity for dialogue and debate.

Wednesday evening was more of the same. We heard how Burlington is growing, that we need more people downtown, that the Old Lakeshore Road area of our waterfront is an eyesore waiting for redevelopment.

We get that. In fact, we even agree. This may come as a shock to our city council and staff, but it shouldn’t if they’ve been paying attention to the comments from our 2000 members across the city.

Save Our Waterfront’s goal, simply, is to achieve the right development in the right place.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (16)

Towers on lake one step closer, but city prefers to shoot the messenger

October 15, 2009 – 12:53 pm

We’re one step closer to getting 10-storey buildings right along our shoreline, but instead of transparently presenting the facts about recent events and their own role in them, our elected representatives would prefer to shoot the messenger.

You’re being “misled”, our downtown councilor, Peter Thoem, recently told one of our supporters, when she contacted him to express her concerns, after watching our latest video (below) outlining Tim Hortons pursuit of a 10-storey building on the vacant waterfront lot beside Emma’s Back Porch.

It’s a classic, old-school political tactic – discredit the messenger to divert focus from one’s own actions, instead of dealing with the issues.

Our focus is to talk about the issues, and give you the facts. In brief, the facts are these:

* City council changed the zoning to increase height limits in the Old Lakeshore Road area of the waterfront;

* City council included Old Lakeshore Road in the urban growth centre boundaries, putting pressure on this area to meet population intensification targets;

* City council took a 20m minimum setback preventing development along the shoreline out of our bylaw.

What happened next was entirely predictable, given the enabling steps council took in this direction.

Now that the setback has been removed from the bylaw, Tim Hortons (TDL) is arguing with the city before the Ontario Municipal Board – not about whether they can build on the shoreline – but over how high 10 storeys is. Tim Hortons has also reserved the right to come after the city for legal fees related to getting the setback removed. A five-day hearing on that matter is scheduled for Oct. 26-30, 10 am – 4 pm daily, at City Hall.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (16)

City Council quietly removes shoreline protection

September 19, 2009 – 11:52 pm

City council has quietly removed firm shoreline protections along our waterfront – despite telling us for months afterward that a 20- to 30-metre setback applied, inside of which no development was possible.

Old Lakeshore Precinct waterfront setback - Conservation Halton

Waterfront setback in purple extends to the middle of Old Lakeshore Road. Taken from the city's Urban Design Guidelines for Old Lakeshore Road

Not so. All a developer needs to do is convince Conservation Halton that the shoreline can be stabilized, and there is no protection from Burlington to stop high-rises along the lake.

Tim Hortons appealing waterfront development limits

As you’d expect, Conservation Halton’s authority is now being challenged by a waterfront landowner. Tim Hortons (TDL Group), which owns the run-down vacant lot east of Emma’s, is appealing a host of issues to the Ontario Municipal Board in October. Those include the setback, height limit, and worst of all whether it is “appropriate to assume that the subject lands cannot be developed.” (click here to see Tim Hortons issues list).

If the OMB rules in Tim Hortons favour, the current zoning would permit a 15-storey building on that lot. Think about that the next time you order a double-double. Though OMB cases are site specific, you can be sure other developers will be looking at the outcome of this case as it applies to other waterfront property.

Planning meeting Sept. 28

Save Our Waterfront is applying for participant status at the OMB hearing. Meantime, we’re hosting a planning meeting Sept. 28, 7:30 pm at the Burlington Seniors’ Centre on New Street to tell you how we’re fighting this, and how you can help. You can read more about this issue below, and find links to our participant statement for the OMB hearing outlining our concerns, and relevant city, Conservation Halton and OMB documents on our media and resources page.

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By Marianne Meed Ward | Posted in Waterfront development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (29)