Six priorities set by Newmarket council include development, climate change

Traffic mitigation, transit, attracting jobs among top priorities of elected officials

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 10, 2019
Teresa Latchford

Newmarket council officially launched its Strategic Priorities for the 2018 to 2022 term. The six focus areas are: long-term financial sustainability; extraordinary places and spaces; safe transportation; economic leadership and job creation; vibrancy on Yonge, Davis and Mulock; and environmental stewardship. Council also adopted to refresh the current vision, well beyond the ordinary.

These will help shape actions and organizational business plans, and employee and organizational performance goals and objectives. Measurement and evaluation of these priorities will be monitored through regular report cards.

1. Maintaining long-term financial sustainability while ensuring that the community thrives through community engagement for feedback, developing multi-year budgets, continually analyzing service levels and completing an up-to-date asset management plan.
2. Creating an environment for an engaged, accessible and inclusive community by opening the Mulock Property, develop a parks master plan, update the Recreation Playbook, developing a new cultural and place-making master plan reflecting inclusivity and diversity, address municipal vacant properties including the Fernbank Farmhouse, Old Fire Hall and 449 Eagle St., as well as make Main Street more pedestrian-friendly.
3. Provide safe transportation by improving accessibility, safety and speed reduction. Incorporated technology, data-driven tools and enforcement are intended to increase safety of trails and streets along with implementing traffic mitigation strategies, exploring an off-road Mulock multi-use path, public education and development of a complete street design policy.
4. Attracting, retaining and expanding jobs through innovation, collaboration and urbanization will include staff supporting the municipally-owned broadband (ENVI), increasing downtown parking availability, focusing on the downtown, refresh the Economic Development Strategy and look at the area south of Davis Drive for concentrated growth and redevelopment.
5. Supporting enhanced access to diverse housing, office and retail options by implementing policy frameworks that support the development of the main corridors, furthering transit-orientated development, leverage Smart City technologies and considering development incentives.
6. Leading proactive planning and action related to climate change by continuing to implement programs, using low impact design, support solar power installations, explore battery storage options for town buildings, continued implementation of the Community Energy Plan, partner with Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, MECP, York Region and Newmarket Hydro, enact a private tree bylaw, public tree policy and tree canopy management.