[All] Waterloo Council Delays Costco to Address Community Concerns!
John Jackson
jjackson at web.ca
Tue Apr 8 20:23:32 EDT 2014
And I add to Deb¹s concerns that the decision on whether actually on when
- to proceed will not be made by council, but by a civil servant. Council is
now off the hook. This is not the way that an important community decision
should be made.
John
On 14-04-08 7:40 PM, "Deb Swidrovich" <deswid at gmail.com> wrote:
> As I see it, City of Waterloo councillors tried to appease everyone:
>
> - last night's approval of the zone change essentially is an approval of a
> Costco at that location (because of the way the big box store designation was
> written into the City's official plan; it was almost hand written for Costco)
> which they likely thought would keep the Costco people from running to the OMB
> - this allows the Rice Group (owners of the property) to move ahead with the
> land augmentation (SWM ponds, etc.) (a condition of the land swap that was
> heard before this Costco application) thinking it would keep them at bay
> - it addresses some of our concerns that we brought forward about the need for
> an integrated traffic analysis, public consultation, etc. so that we don't run
> to the OMB
> - it makes it easier for councillors during their campaigns who can tell their
> constituents that they approved Costco (for those who want it); but they've
> put everything on hold until the traffic analysis and road improvements are
> done (for those who are concerned about traffic or don't want to see it at
> that location), and that Costco may go away if the studies take too long (for
> those who don't want it at all)
> - the politicking has already begun with the Region blaming the City for the
> traffic problems and the City blaming the Region (Karen Scian, City councillor
> who presented the motion will be running against Sean Strickland and Jane
> Mitchell this term). There's already a discussion on CTV about the cost, who
> will pay, and whether the Regional roads can be upgraded before 2020.
>
> I would have preferred:
> - a deferral
> - had they not approved the zoning we might have had a chance to remove the
> big box store designation from the Official Plan based on traffic issues; now
> it is embedded in the Plan
> - I have the same concerns as Eleanor that we will not have representation on
> the task force under the Commissioner of Integrated Planning and Public Works,
> or have much influence in the final say other than responding to another
> report from staff that could recommend that Costco or another big box store be
> approved at that location (Kevin is aware of this as well)
>
> I am still concerned that:
> - we will have gridlock
> - the Laurel Creek ESL will not be protected
> - that the Wilmot Line will suffer
>
> We do have another kick at the can which is what we have to work with now.
> Time will tell.
>
> We will continue to push to be included.
>
>
> Deb Swidrovich
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 5:25 PM, Eleanor Grant <eleanor7000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Kevin - friend - if you could take off those rose-coloured glasses for a
>> minute:)
>>
>> Costco is APPROVED. Only Mark Whaley voted against that. Nothing else can
>> go on that land now. The pressure to speed up the study will be enormous.
>>
>> Who is this Commissioner of Integrated Planning and Public Works? Can s/he
>> be trusted not to approve a transportation report that's as big a joke as the
>> one presented last night by staffer Joel Kotter (that you were shaking your
>> head all the way through)? It's the Commissioner that has to be satisfied,
>> not the people.
>>
>> There don't exist any transportation solutions that could accommodate the
>> thing. If the study did its job it would conclude that. But it won't.
>> We'll end up with a half-baked outcome that DOESN'T protect Wilmot Line and
>> the ESLs, and DOESN'T keep Erb's Rd an open way between city and township. A
>> lot of disastrous outcomes .....
>>
>> Talk Thurs.
>>
>> Eleanor
>>
>> On Apr 8, 2014 4:53 PM, "Kevin Thomason" <kevinthomason at mac.com> wrote:
>>> Wow! I'm thrilled to let you know that at last night's Council meeting,
>>> Waterloo City Councillors listened to our community and voted to delay the
>>> proposed West side Waterloo Costco development to undertake a detailed study
>>> of traffic issues (vehicle, cycling, and pedestrian), involve the community
>>> in proper public engagement, and implement the required transportation
>>> infrastructure before allowing Costco to proceed.
>>>
>>> Congratulations and thank you to everyone (including a significant number of
>>> GREN folks) throughout our community who spoke up and expressed concerns
>>> about this proposed high-volume, big-box development. Fourteen delegations
>>> from Waterloo, Wilmot, and Kitchener did a great job presenting a myriad of
>>> issues to City Council. Costco Vice-President Jeff Ishida tried to address
>>> several areas of concern however, it was clear that many unanswered
>>> questions remained.
>>>
>>> It was amazing how delegations presented a broad spectrum of community
>>> concerns including traffic, financial, environmental, landfill, EMS, and
>>> cultural issues during the four hour long meeting. Community members made
>>> it clear that Waterloo would not succeed in the future if our city faced
>>> serious congestion and gridlock daily, neighbourhoods were compromised, and
>>> rare environmentally sensitive lands that have been protected through
>>> decades of efforts were overwhelmed by traffic.
>>>
>>> City Staff and consultants did their best to defend Costco's development
>>> plans and their recommendations to proceed immediately, however even after
>>> hours of discussion there were too many unanswered questions, too many vague
>>> responses, and too many outstanding issues - including considerable concerns
>>> about the lack of public engagement on this large development proposal that
>>> stood to negatively affect so many people.
>>>
>>> The standing room-only crowd filling the Council Chambers heard the Mayor
>>> and nearly every City Councillor speak about their serious concerns with
>>> this proposed Costco and the predicted impacts to the West side. In the
>>> end, Councillors voted against their own City Staff recommendation and sent
>>> a clear message that only after outstanding issues are addressed, and
>>> solutions have been found, completed, and are fully in place, would the
>>> Costco development be permitted to proceed.
>>>
>>> The Approved Motion
>>>
>>> Specifically, the complete holding provision motion introduced by Councillor
>>> Karen Scian, places the entire Costco store, gas bar and surrounding
>>> development on hold until:
>>> a) An integrated multi-modal traffic analysis (including existing and
>>> planned development) has been completed and accepted to the satisfaction of
>>> the Commissioner of Integrated Planning and Public works;
>>> b) Public open houses and engagement has been held regarding the integrated
>>> traffic plan; and,
>>> c) That the necessary transportation improvements have been completed.
>>>
>>> The funding and study is to begin in 2014, will involve co-ordination
>>> between local and regional governments, and is expected to ensure the
>>> protection of vulnerable neighbourhoods and environmental areas.
>>>
>>> Community Engagement
>>>
>>> It has been incredible to see how quickly and strongly our community rallied
>>> in recent days upon learning the full details about Costco's proposal and
>>> the ensuing issues - particularly the severe traffic congestion forecast
>>> over such a large area. While most people in Waterloo would like to see a
>>> Costco warehouse store in our city, the proposed Erb St. W. location listed
>>> in the City Official Plan has proved to be an incredibly constrained and
>>> challenging site. Few could fathom that such a massive Costco drawing an
>>> estimated 5,500 cars/day would be built on only a two lane road with no
>>> other accesses or road infrastructure for up to four years in such an
>>> already congested area.
>>>
>>> Councillor Scian reported receiving more than 350 e-mails in the past week
>>> alone on this development proposal. Neighbourhood associations, community
>>> groups, and citizens met with Staff and Councillors to try to understand
>>> forecasted impacts, and last week on very short notice Costco Executives and
>>> consultants flew from Virginia and Ottawa to meet with representatives from
>>> area neighbourhood associations to better understand our concerns. Costco
>>> has a global reputation for being a responsible corporate citizen and an
>>> excellent employer. So far our experience with their team reflects this
>>> excellence. I am optimistic that Costco and its developers/consultants will
>>> work with our community, City Staff, and Councillors to find the needed
>>> solutions and best path forward.
>>>
>>> Thank You and Next Steps
>>>
>>> Thank you to everyone, every group, neighbourhood association, and
>>> organization that took the time to learn about this development proposal,
>>> it's forecasted impacts, and spoke up with concerns. Our city leaders have
>>> responded and we now have a unique opportunity to pause and reflect on the
>>> current state of the West side of Waterloo. We have a chance to envision the
>>> future and develop a plan that will create the community that we want.
>>>
>>> We need to be innovative, creative and visionary. With a limited land
>>> supply remaining we must carefully consider the future - what we want the
>>> Westside to become, how we want to travel, how much congestion is
>>> acceptable, and what our legacy will be for future generations.
>>>
>>> At this point it is too early to say how long it will take to develop and
>>> implement this plan to address the community's concerns. It will likely
>>> take several months to complete the integrated plan and perhaps several
>>> years before all the solutions and infrastructure can be put into place
>>> before Costco and the surrounding developments can proceed.
>>>
>>> Please share any thoughts or ideas on how we can develop a world-class plan
>>> for the West side. Congratulations again, to everyone who sent letters,
>>> attended meetings, talked with neighbours, and worked so hard to help ensure
>>> the best possible future for our community.
>>>
>>> Kevin.
>>>
>>> -------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Kevin Thomason
>>>
>>> 1115 Cedar Grove Road
>>> Waterloo, Ontario Canada N2J 3Z4
>>>
>>> Phone: (519) 888-0519 <tel:%28519%29%20888-0519>
>>> Mobile Phone: (519) 240-1648 <tel:%28519%29%20240-1648>
>>> Twitter: @kthomason
>>> E-mail: kevinthomason at mac.com
>>>
>>> -----------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> All mailing list
>>> All at gren.ca
>>> http://mail.gren.ca/mailman/listinfo/all_gren.ca
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> All mailing list
>> All at gren.ca
>> http://mail.gren.ca/mailman/listinfo/all_gren.ca
>>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> All mailing list
> All at gren.ca
> http://mail.gren.ca/mailman/listinfo/all_gren.ca
--
John Jackson
17 Major Street
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4R1
519-744-7503
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://gren.ca/pipermail/all_gren.ca/attachments/20140408/29d1b366/attachment.html>
More information about the All
mailing list