Stouffville set to connect Millard to Main Street via Edward Street for $3.4 million

Local historian Fred Robbins raised concerns about impact on neighbourhood rich with history

Yorkregion.com
March 19, 2020
Simon Martin

Stand at the end of Edward Street in Stouffville for a few minutes and you are bound to see the infamous turnaround — a car greedily hoping to find a shortcut to Millard Street only to be foiled by a dead end.

A major change to downtown Stouffville traffic appears imminent as council issued a notice of completion for an environmental assessment that would open up Edward Street to Millard Street. The initial cost estimate for the project was $3.4 million.

“Once it opens up you will think it was always like that,” Ward 4 Coun. Rick Upton said. “It’s desperately needed. It’s hard to believe the access we have to downtown is so limited.”

The town undertook a municipal class environmental assessment to determine whether to extend Edward Street to Millard Street in 2015. The preferred solution of extending the road was endorsed by council last year.

The right of way north of Edward Street, which would connect Edward Street to Bramble Crescent, is currently owned by the York Region District School Board. There is a cost associated with the acquisition of the right of way and discussions between the town and the school board are underway.

Schell Lumber, located on Edward Street, has been in support of opening the road to Millard to improve access to the business.

Upton said the extension would provide better access to the GO Train parking lot located on Edward Street for people coming from Millard.

Not everyone thought opening up the road was a good idea.

Local historian Fred Robbins had a few concerns with the project in a neighbourhood rich with history. “It was never designed from day one to be a connector road. It has been an interior neighbourhood street in a very small neighbourhood,” he said.

Robbins was also concerned Edward Street simply was not wide enough for all that was being proposed.

 

“It is going to be a very, very tight squeeze to get traffic and bike lanes and trees and sidewalks,” he said.

Robbins would prefer the street to be one way

The extension would incorporate two 4.25-metre wide shared lanes, a 3.0-m wide multi-use path on the east side of the corridor and a 1.5-m wide sidewalk on the west side of the corridor for the entire project length. Also included in the project are servicing improvements such as storm sewer, sanitary sewer and water main.

According to a staff report based on the public comments received, there is clear support from the broader community to extend Edward Street to Millard Street.

Public comments received in support of the extension include traffic relief for surrounding streets, and better connectivity to downtown Stouffville, particularly once the Main Street Reconstruction project commences. Concerns raised included pedestrian safety, traffic and drainage.

The preferred design includes landscaping elements such as concrete sidewalks, street light fixtures and the planting of street trees, where the boulevard width permits.

The EA now goes through 30-day public review period. If there are no requests, the town can move to detailed design and construction.

Upton said the town is hoping to complete the Edward Street extension before embarking on the long-awaited Main Street reconstruction. “Main Street is a much more expensive venture,” he said.

Once completed, Upton said the Edward Street extension would help alleviate traffic problems during Main Street reconstruction.

The town has two portions of Main Street reconstruction to complete: Ninth Line to Albert Street and Albert Street to Park Drive. Originally scheduled for 2018, the project was pushed back several years due to financial reasons.

The first phase of the Main Street reconstruction project, from Stouffer Street to Tenth Line, was reconstructed in 2016. The second phase, from Park Drive to Stouffer, was done in 2017.

The town’s previous chief administrative officer, Roman Martiuk, said delaying the project was necessary. “When we look ahead, we have many more projects than we have funding for,” Martiuk said at the time.