Newmarket forges forward with $240,000 plan to support Mulock GO station

The Mulock Secondary Plan is to be a planning framework to help support proposed Mulock GO station

Yorkregion.com
February 20, 2019
Teresa Latchford

The Town of Newmarket is forging ahead with a plan to make the area surrounding the proposed Mulock GO station transit supportive.

In June 2017, the provincial government announced its intention to build a Mulock GO Station and following that, the town made the decision to undertake the creation and implementation of the Mulock GO Station Area Secondary Plan.

“The purpose of the plan is to have something in place to support the station when it comes, a planning framework that will guide the development of the station area as a transit-supportive community,” Newmarket Senior Policy Planner Adrian Cammaert said.

The proposed GO station is to be located southwest of where the current tracks cross Mulock Drive but the station site is not included in the Secondary Plan but rather the lands surrounding it, he explained. The area extends past Bayview Avenue, west as far as Cane Parkway, the north side of Mulock Drive and to the edge of the Urban Centres Secondary Plan area on the south side of Mulock Drive.

Transit-supportive communities are designed to be pedestrian-friendly, encouraging walking between the transit station and the places people live and work.

The idea is to move to a more mixed-use model rather than the current commercial uses of these lands, which include higher density development, new connections and parks and open spaces.

The beginnings of the project began in May 2018 and the town expects it will be complete and enacted by September this year.

The original announcement to fund the construction of new GO stations came from the previous Liberal government but since the changing of the guard, the now Conservative government has paused to review that commitment, leaving many in Newmarket to question if the Mulock station will ever be built and if the town should be spending $240,000 on this secondary plan.

“That is completely speculative at this point, the government hasn’t indicated it’s not happening,” Cammaert said. “We plan to continue moving forward with this project.”

Metrolinx has confirmed it is currently in the process of working with municipal and development partners to evaluate opportunities for third-party investment of new stations, including the proposed Mulock station.

This could mean attracting developers to build on the site and generate revenue or cost share with the developer on certain amenities for the station, for example parking.

“This new approach does not affect the government’s decision-making prerogative to fund or build transit infrastructure, including new stations,” Metrolinx said in an emailed statement.

Metrolinx received direction at its last board meeting to continue to develop a “comprehensive market-driven strategy” for the delivery of transit infrastructure. Further details on the implementation will be revealed when Metrolinx reports back to the board with an update.

For those who would like find out more about the draft plan and provide comments, the town is holding a public information session on Feb. 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Newmarket Community Centre and Lions Hall, 200 Doug Duncan Drive in halls 3 and 4.

Residents can also visit the Hey Newmarket public engagement site to provide feedback.