Aurora's heritage is something to be proud of

Upcoming projects aim to bring town's history into the modern day, writes Mayor Tom Mrakas

YorkRegion.com
March 6, 2019
Mayor Tom Mrakas

Earlier this month, we were privileged to have the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, make an official visit to Aurora. I had the pleasure of giving her a tour of our historic downtown and sharing with her pieces of our long and storied history here in Aurora.

We then hosted a roundtable discussion with the lieutenant-governor and members of our community tackling the topic of embracing growth and celebrating heritage; how do we do this successfully and what would that success look like?

We consider our heritage to be one of our greatest assets here in Aurora, and we continually seek to ensure that growth in our community does not come at a sacrifice to our built history. The exciting rejuvenation of our historic downtown with re-adaptive projects such as the Aurora Armoury and the reimagining of Library Square are both excellent examples.

Currently council is addressing the balance between allowing for growth and change in residential areas, while protecting the existing character of mature neighbourhoods. Aurora’s Official Plan seeks to ensure that the stability and vibrancy of these existing ‘stable neighbourhoods’ is protected from the negative impacts of potentially incompatible development and growth pressures.

After concerns from residents, council has directed town staff to conduct a study to examine the town's zoning bylaw and Official Plan and propose recommendations for amendments that will assist in maintaining the existing character of these neighbourhoods.

We now invite you, as homeowners, to have your say on what changes you would like to see that would enable us to find that balance. Join the conversation at: placespeak.ca/stableneighbourhoods

As always, if you would like to read council updates, please visit Mrakas.ca or you can connect with me through Facebook at facebook.com/groups/tommrakas or Twitter @tmrakas. I look forward to keeping everyone informed and engaged -- #gettingthingsdone.