Aurora council urged to think big on cultural precinct

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 21, 2016
By Teresa Latchford

Susan Morton-Leonard is asking councillors to think bigger when it comes to the new Cultural Precinct because Aurora deserves it.

The resident - who lives in the proposed precinct area stretching from Town Park west to Yonge Street - told councillors this week that the proposed concept plan put forth by FOTENN consultants is shortsighted and will not do the town justice.

“Chopping our town into chunks and giving support to one area without supporting adjacent areas does not serve Aurora’s best interests,” she said.

Without a strong downtown core, visitors to the precinct will not have places to shop and eat, a solution to current traffic and parking issues need to be dealt with before inviting more people to the area and arts and culture organizations and businesses outside of the precinct should be invited into the conversation to provide valuable input and support, Morton-Leonard said.

She also questioned what research was completed to support a proposed precinct such as an economic benefit study, environmental impact and traffic studies.

“Heritage is also part of culture and isn’t supported in this plan,” she said.

The proposed pedestrian laneway that would run behind the Aurora Public Library and Aurora Cultural Centre stretches through private property and would not showcase the heritage architecture built along Mosley Street.

“For too long, Aurora’s east and west communities have been divided,” she added. “We have an opportunity to bring both sides together using Mosley and Tyler streets to create a cultural corridor rather than a precinct.”

Morton-Leonard wasn’t the only one to take issue with the proposed plan as Lenore Pressley took to the podium Tuesday night to speak on behalf of the Town Park Area Ratepayers Association.

“While we are not opposed to this, we do have significant concerns about the proposed plan,” she said.

She expressed her displeasure with the consultation process and said the association was not notified of the proposed plan but became aware of it when a resident asked for the association’s thoughts.

The main concern for area residents, she said, is traffic and parking that will only be added if the concept is approved. Despite requesting the town study the area and find solutions to these issues, to date, she said she hasn’t seen such a document.

Currently, there is insufficient parking for GO train, library and cultural centre users, which leads to people seeking parking on local streets in the area, Pressley said. It creates an unsafe situation and access concerns - not only for drivers but for emergency vehicles - when cars park on both sides of small residential streets.

“With the increase in frequency of the trains in the future, there will be more traffic,” she said. “Where are these people going to park? Decreasing the spaces at Town Park is only going to make it worse.”

While the construction of additional parking may address some parking issues, it won’t decrease traffic congestion since Yonge Street apartment building approvals will bring even more motorists to the area, she added.

Trinity Church’s Gary Minielly and Steve Mills asked council to put a hold on approving the concept for the block where the church is housed. The proposal calls for restructuring the church’s parking lot to accommodate a pedestrian passage.

“We want to be on record so council and future councils don’t assume we support the concept,” Mills said.

“It will compromise the growth of the church.”

Council and staffed thanked speakers for providing concerns that will be added to the public record. However, Councillor Michael Thompson reminded residents the plan is only in its conceptual stage and, if accepted, doesn’t mean bulldozers will be in the ground the next day or that all the details are carved in stone.

Director of parks and recreation Al Downey also pointed out the town continues to collect feedback from residents and interested parties and will continue to do so throughout the process.

The staff status report received by council states the plan will continue to be a topic of discussion and is subject to change as input and feedback are collected.

Next week, council will decide whether to give final approval for phase three of the concept development, which includes preparing next steps and strategies in the detailed design.