Looking Ahead: Bradford mayor highlights key priorities for 2020

Bradford bypass and traffic top the list for this fast-growing Simcoe County town

Yorkregion.com
January 7, 2020
Kim Zarzour

Realistically speaking, 2020 will not be the year for shovels in the ground for the much-needed Bradford bypass, but Mayor Rob Keffer plans to ensure the premier knows those shovels are at the ready.

The Highway 400-404 link remains at the top of the mayor’s list of five priorities in the coming year.

Here's a look at what else residents can expect:

PRIORITY #1: REDUCE CONGESTION

Reducing traffic congestion is strategic priority number one for this rapidly growing community, where the population grew from 28,770 to 35,325 in five years, expected to grow to more than 50,000 by 2031.

As one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Ontario, BWG continues to struggle with travel time and commuter infiltration on local roads.

“This has been a number one concern among our residents since I began as mayor in 2014, and we have been steadily making progress,” Keffer said.

This coming year, construction will begin on the south-west arterial road linking Line 5 to County Road 88, Keffer said.

As well, consultation will resume on the redesign of Holland Street in the downtown core and work will continue on Line 8 between Sideroad 10 and Barrie Street to expand it and improve intersections.

Meanwhile, the town will continue to implore the provincial government to construct the Hwy 400-404 Freeway Link, he said.

“We will also start the public consultation portion of a Transportation Master Plan, which will help ensure that the decisions we make today and tomorrow will meet growth projections for 20 years from now.”

PRIORITY #2: COMMUNITY AND TRAFFIC SAFETY

The town has expanded the mandate of its traffic committee -- which historically dealt with issues such as speeding and parking -- to include non-traffic safety issues, Keffer said.

“This is a great way to handle residents’ concerns in person and with all the necessary staff and resources at hand.”

Keffer anticipates that in 2020 council will deal with several ideas being developed by the committee on accessibility (such as amenities for the planned Henderson Park and audible signals at Holland Street-Barrie/Simcoe Streets) and committee on healthy communities (such as increasing use of trails and reducing single use plastics).

In keeping with the province’s “Safer Ontario Act”, BWG has partnered the Town of Innisfil and the South Simcoe Police to develop a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.

The new act requires municipalities to work with police services and local service providers to develop plans that address locally identified community risks. The first plan must be prepared and adopted by Jan. 1, 2021.

PRIORITY #3: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE JOB GROWTH

Keffer says he is pleased to see building at the Hwy 400 lands, but there’s more to come with the town’s new strategy for attracting new business, which will roll out fully in 2020. This includes marketing the serviced lands available in the Highway 400 corridor as prime areas for development.

Keffer predicts this will result in job growth over the next decade or more.

Community improvement incentive programs will also continue for at least the next 18 months, to help businesses succeed and create new job opportunities, he says.

PRIORITY #4: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

“We hope to have as much success in attracting affordable housing options to BWG as we did in attracting seniors housing developments,” Keffer says, referring to the Elden and Verve's Holland Gardens -- a combined 290 new private seniors housing units in Bradford.

“We are laying the groundwork for this now and are in talks with several interested parties.”

The town plans to create an Affordable/Accessible Housing Strategy that looks at different options.

PRIORITY #5 FACILITIES MASTER PLAN

Construction has begun on town-owned land on the 11th Line. This will allow large machine sheds and operational facilities to move from their current location on Melbourne Street to make space for the new fire hall, with construction likely beginning there in 2020 at an estimated cost of $7.4 million.

And finally, Keffer says, the town will continue planning for a “Community Hub” on Simcoe Street, the current site of the Bradford Community Centre.

A gathering place could include recreation/event space, a civic administration building, redeveloped community centre, affordable/accessible housing and even a skating rink around the property.

RESIDENTS WEIGH IN

The mayor may have his dreams and goals for the town, but residents have their wish lists, too, and they are a little different.

Here's what a local citizens would like to see in the year ahead:

“For families that don't have access to vehicles, keep some things downtown. We need more baseball diamonds. Adults and kids fight for space. Maybe they could put them behind the community center which they want to transform." - Lisa Skippen

"I’m concerned that the focus on solving traffic is focused on the south west and north, but doesn't address the elephant in the room: the east. All roads get funnelled to one bridge over the Holland river. This creates massive backlog, particularly on holiday weekends or if there is an accident on the 400. We need a new bridge. We should connect all that new development in the south to either Bathurst or Dufferin. Yes, it's expensive and would go through all that amazing farmland, but if you can't fix the traffic, you shouldn't be building new homes." - Larry

"Better access roads in and out of town are needed so farming rural roads are no longer used as ever-increasing bypasses. Let’s build fewer houses and more industrial development to create local employment opportunities." -Fernando Virgilio

"Less housing development until infrastructure can catch up. Our town schools are overflowing." - Kristi Carlyle

"I really hope mayor Rob Keffer puts affordable housing for young families higher than fourth on his list of top five priorities (and not $500,000, 850-square-foot condos). Families with young children should be able to live where they grew up." - Christine Vanbeek-Bootsma