By Pepper Parr
September 19th, 2018
BURLINGTON. ON
There is another way of looking at the idea the Mayor has of annexing parts of Waterdown.
There is a real drive to keep Brant Street the way it was in the 60’s and 70’s; small, quiet, slightly quaint.
The picture got over-developed (pun intended) when the city approved a 24 storey structure opposite city hall. ‘There goes the neighbourhood’ would certainly apply in this situation.
The Burlington the city is going to get …
The Burlington many had hoped the city would be. We couldn’t keep what we have – so we are going after parts of Waterdown.
In a Scott Radley radio broadcast – the link to that is HERE, made it pretty clear that Mayor Goldring had not really thought this one through.
To not even advise Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger beforehand is an insult and just plain bad politics.
Goldring’s rationale appeared to be that annexing Waterdown would “help alleviate the growth pressure on Burlington” Goldring sees a natural affinity between Burlington and Waterdown and thought that this was an idea to at least consider.
Eisenberger didn’t see it that way. Hamilton has invested more than $50 million in Waterdown and didn’t take kindly to the Mayor of Burlington grabbing the tax revenue and development charges that are generated by developers and tax payers in Waterdown.
In the Scott Radley radio program, on which the interviews took place, Goldring said that no one at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs thought it was an outrageous idea.
Eisenberger, trying to be polite, thought that he was owed an apology for the way Goldring “completely blind-sided” him.
“This sounds like an idea that Goldring just threw up in the air without thinking it through. I don’t know where this is coming from.” Said Eisenberger.
Hamilton just might take the property back when the lease expires.
It probably puts the kibosh on Burlington’s efforts to buy the water lots that are part of the LaSalle Park and owned by Hamilton. They just may have a very nasty surprise for us..
Eisenberger pointed out that he saw Goldring as a huge supporter of intensification and that what Burlington was doing amounted to the tail wagging the dog – he could have added that the dog just might decide to bite.
Hamilton has 165 hectares of land that it is ready to develop; and there are 5000 residential properties currently in various stages of development.
Eisenberger thought that at a minimum there should have been some analysis and research done before putting an idea like this on the table.
Messy messy. To get back to that quaint feeling that many in Burlington want to keep – it seems to be something that is now gone putting the Emerald and St Luke communities at considerable risk.
The quaintness that Burlington wants will be in Waterdown where the streets are a lot more vibrant than anything Burlington has.
Look at the Waterdown street scrapes.
Salt with Pepper are the opinions, reflections, observations and musings of the Gazette publisher.
Its not about “quaintness”, whatever that means. Burlington does not want or need “quaintness”, but to be a modern, liveable, and affordable city. Yes some work and study and consultation needs to be done re potential amalgamation. It takes leadership and courage o look to the future with an open mind and some vision.
Interesting bit about Hamilton and LaSalle Park.. that would be the icing on the cake. Burlington takes four million dollars from Hydro reserve fund to build a new floating break wall for some 210 boaters – what if Hamilton retaliated by not renewing the lease or selling the water lots to Burlington…Oh well, lease isn’t up until 2022 (I think).
Totally agree Waterdown has a smaller version of Oakville vibe in its downtown. Something in my 33 years in Burlington i never experienced in our downtown it has always been old and crappy not quainbtt. At least from mid1980’s till present.