How is Woolwich going to grow over the next 10 years?
We know the province has added over 4500 acres for development in Breslau. There is also land in Elmira and St Jacobs that will see building happen.
I attended the Open House in Breslau for the Official Plan on Thursday. Nice to see the number of people who came out to ask questions and give ideas.
As a Township, we may not decide if we grow. But we do influence how it happens, what it looks like, and what is included.
My position on planning and development has two main items:
1) We must respect the Countryside line/settlement boundary. This is how we protect farmland and our rural areas.
2) Development in Breslau needs to be staged and built with a plan. We have one chance to ensure Breslau is developed with thought and intent. To ensure we remember all the different needs of a community. To ensure traffic and people can easily get where they want to go. And to ensure the funding matches the building.
If investments in the hundreds of millions of dollars are going to happen over the next 20 years, we need to be on top of it. My proposal is that we need to ensure that there is a Breslau “guru” designated on our current staff that co-ordinates (emphasis co-ordinates, not decides) the master growth plan. This person would make sure that we consider staging of infrastructure and matching the funding sources. Ensures we encourage commercial development like a grocery store now and are ready for new residents. Thinks about where a Community Rec Centre might fit. How do we align infrastructure needs with the airport, Cambridge and Kitchener. Planning in silo’s wont result in a cohesive community and has huge financial risks.
While Chair at Ontario Pork I experienced leading the process of bringing staff together with the province to produce results. My strategy is to bring ideas and solutions forward, not problems and complaints. As Breslau and the Township grow, leadership will drive the right outcome.
We have one chance to do it right