By Pepper Parr
September 3rd, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
It will be a very full week.
On Monday, the 9th, Council starts off with a daylong meeting that has 8 consent items on the agenda.
Then details on the Provincial Audit and Accountability Fund, that’s the program that has the province coming in to help (tell?) the city how to run their operation.
Detours that transit buses will take when The Gallery starts demolition and construction opposite city hall.
Cement and dump trucks will come down John Street, slip into the construction site and then leave via James street – passing buses along the way.
The Standing Committee will be discussing Open air burning permit areas, a Stormwater management update, the badly needed Construction and Mobility Management Policy. The city got caught a little short-handed on this one; two projects that are expected to be putting up hoardings in the near future met with ward 2 residents and talked about how they would handle the trucks and the traffic on Brant Street opposite city hall and on Lakeshore at Martha. Both locations are going to be construction sites for the next 30 months – at the same time Lakeshore Road is to undergo some serious upgrades that will close it down for up to 8 weeks.
The Strategic Asset Management Policy is going to be discussed, and Consideration for free transit for students will also get discussed.
The LaSalle Marina just might end up with a very different governance model. Discussion will take place this week. Flooding has been a serious problem.
The Marina governance and operating model will be presented – this item will take place in the evening – at 6:30 pm.
Improvements to the Skyway Arena and community centre are in the works. There was a time when citizens didn’t think they were being heard. They are today. Will they be heard when a decision gets made on the massive development plan yards away from the arena
The New Skyway Community Centre will also be discussed during the evening of September 9th.
On Tuesday the 10th council meets as a Standing Committee – Planning and Development this time.
There will be two Statutory Public Meetings; these are public meetings held to present planning applications in a public forum as required by the Planning Act.
One is a rezoning application for the hydro corridor north of 1801 Walker’s Line which staff is recommending be refused.
The second is for an official plan amendment and rezoning application for 2085 Pine Street
Statutory public meeting and recommendation of refusal of rezoning application for the hydro corridor north of 1801 Walker’s Line (PB-16-19)
Both items will be discussed at 6:30 p.m.
The Heritage Burlington 2017/2018 annual report and 2019 objectives is being treated as a consent item.
Several Council members liked what was being done in Waynesboro – they want staff to look into some better ideas.
Traffic management strategies will be discussed at the 9:30am meeting along with Relocation of Bingo Connection and Downtown Streetscape Guidelines. Panhandling on streets in the City of Burlington is to be discussed – this matter often brings out emotional responses from those that delegate.
There will be a Staff direction regarding Airbnb’s and then the Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force recommendations.
This item amounts to much more than a discussion about the Task Force the Mayor set up to hear what stakeholders had to say about how efficient city hall was or wasn’t. Buried within the report is the wish of the Mayor to totally revise the way economic development is done in Burlington.
There will be an Amendment to Nuisance and Noise By-law 19-2003 and results from Halton Regional Police Service’s pilot project to stop noisy moving vehicles
Council didn’t get a chance to opine on the construction of this parking lot at John and Caroline – it just got done. This Council wants greener parking lots.
Green parking lot design guidelines for new parking lot at John and Caroline Streets and future builds. The 2018 – 2022 council has a very green agenda and were upset when the John and Caroline parking lot got opened without any serious consideration to making it a “green” space. Capital Works, the department that oversees and administrates the construction work for the city didn’t see that coming.
Wednesday is an Audit Committee meeting – dry as toast for the most part.
Thursday is a tough one. Members of Council were presented with a 152 page report on what the city is facing in terms of population growth and just where that intensification can or is going to take place.
That will be a special report later in the week.
Related news articles:
Skyway Arena and Community Centre
