What municipal election candidates are saying about density issues in Richmond Hill

Yorkregion.com
October 4, 2018
Sheila Wang

The Liberal reached out to all candidates for comments on the traffic/transit issues facing Richmond Hill. Below are the responses we've received from the candidates. We did not receive a response from every candidate.

QUESTION: How would you help the Town of Richmond Hill balance the provincial mandate to grow in population with residents’ desire to maintain a strong sense of community?

MAYORAL CANDIDATES

ANSWERS:

Dave Barrow: The Town does balance the growth mandated by creating parks, recreation and environmental plans to make sure the day the families move to town, the neighbourhood they chose has all the amenities they expect. The province looks for places to grow and I will make places to live.

REGIONAL COUNCIL CANDIDATES

Jason Cherniak: Richmond Hill is required to take over 40,000 new residents in the next 12 years. I would keep increased density along regional roads and around transit hubs so that our existing neighbourhoods do not have to change so much that the people who live there don’t recognize them.

Carmine Perrelli: We must maintain our strong sense of community at all cost. Yes, the province is forcing us to accept new residents, but we must do it in a manner that is smart and in keeping with the character of our community. We need a new Official Plan, I would lead that process.

Joel DiPaola: We have a great opportunity to celebrate our town's proud history and rich heritage as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary.

Weibo Cheng: We should go back to the original plan of limiting high-density housing and build more single-family dwellings to balance out. At the same time for the residents’ desire we should request more funding from York Region, provincial and federal government for helping us to maintain a strong community service.

Ramin Faraji: I think it is great that people and growing families want to move to our beautiful town. I believe intensification should be on the transit corridors. I will make it clear to the provincial government that their mandate will only be supported, if there are investments in transit and infrastructure.

COUNCIL CANDIDATES

Trifon Haitas, Ward 1: A growing population needs to be facilitated with the common amenities required to make any community desirable and pleasant to live in. For any community to thrive, it needs to have access to local business activity. Having a vibrant economy ensures local jobs for the people residing in our community.

Carol Davidson, Ward 1: We must maximize building in established areas. When approving new homes we must keep green spaces and not cut down every tree. Creating natural parks, boardwalks and trails help bring residents together. We must demand developers enhance and integrate natural areas within new subdivisions and communities. Violations must be penalized.

Lidia Kafieh, Ward 1: It’s important for us to maintain our heritage that makes our identity in Richmond Hill. I believe the way to maintain a balance is to prioritize development on major streets like Yonge so it is not at odds with our town’s heritage sites such as the historical downtown Richmond Hill.

Greg Beros, Ward 1: Build more condos in the Hwy. 7 and Yonge Street corridor.

Scott Thompson, Ward 2: Development-versus-resident nimbyism can make for a difficult balancing act. However, following the guidelines set out in the provincially approved town’s official and strategic plans, coupled with proper community engagement, will provide us with the best opportunity for meeting both goals.

Mike Rajbar, Ward 2: By engaging residents and seeking their ideas and vision for the planning process for the town. This issue is too important to be left in the hands of town staff and politicians. Let’s decide together how Richmond Hill will grow in the future.

Tom Muench, Ward 2: Richmond Hill has many unique neighbourhoods and features that must be protected. As the province’s growth plan expects an increase of 60,000, we need a revised plan that will protect our existing communities while revitalizing main corridors like Yonge Street. I will work with all parties in developing this vision.

Keith Menezes, Ward 2: Population growth must be balanced with the infrastructure to sustain it, so we need the province to commit to extending the subway line and putting an entry and exit ramp on 19th Avenue. We need also to promote the establishment of neighbourhood communities within the larger community.

Michael Aziz, Ward 2: Not all growth is bad growth. More growth should not mean a weaker sense of community among residents. The town’s population will grow substantially over the next 20 years and, to me, vibrant neighbourhoods have a mix of land uses (i.e. culture, entertainment, retail) and are close to transit.

Michael D'Amelio, Ward 4: Richmond Hill has reached its settlement area and population growth will happen within existing boundaries. The town will intensify to meet the provincial mandate to grow. We need to make sure residents are not negatively impacted. Richmond Hill needs to stand strong and create growth that works for our community.

David West, Ward 4: Coming together to celebrate local festivals, arts and culture, builds and strengthens community, as does providing a varied range of parks, recreational facilities and programs. Further, supporting an informed and engaged citizenry is another key underpinning of any community. I will continue to support a multitude of initiatives that build community.

Nima Shahi, Ward 5: Areas that historically possess a strong sense of community should not be touched by new development projects. New development is a fantastic thing for economic development, but economic growth should not come at the cost of our strong community structure. We’re fortunate that Richmond Hill is so community oriented.

Karen Cilevitz, Ward 5: Our official and related secondary plans for key development areas, all having had extensive public consultation, serve us well as we strive to protect the interests of our residents while also having to abide by the provincial growth plan. Ongoing public input relative to development applications ensures residents are heard.

Godwin Chan, Ward 6: Develop secondary plans and specific studies to plan for areas for intensification with rigorous public consultation process to set up clearly-articulated directions and priorities in urban growth centres such as Richmond Hill Centre at Yonge and Highway 7 to ensure community character is respected while balancing provincial mandate to grow.

Julie Maxey, Ward 6: Bring people together by creating more community events to increase residents’ sense of pride and belonging and to encourage more social interactions between the diverse cultures in Richmond Hill.