Shopping Convenience .... or Not

Some years ago when there was no Michael's Craft Store here I took a leisurely Sunday afternoon Drive to Barrie. From the minute I exited the 400 onto Bayfield I knew the trip was a fool's errand.

I crept towards the turn for Michael's. It took ages to make it. In the parking lot I waited for a vacant spot and observed the foot traffic going to and from the store. I waited ten minutes before deciding a visit to Michael's at that moment in time was not what I had in mind when I set out. There could be nothing in that store to entice me to visit under these circumstances.

Without getting out of the car, I headed back to Bayfield. But not so fast. Getting out took longer than getting in. My recollection of the visit is of mass driving chaos. I remember thinking City Council must not have any traffic planners to advise them. Furthermore I could see no possibility for improvement. I never returned to Michael's but subsequent visits to a family satellite behind the Koslov Centre convinced me there was no hope for change.

That experience and others persuaded me a signalized intersection within feet of the Bayview-Wellington intersection was not how to welcome patrons to a new retail centre in Aurora.

The 404 draws from places North and South. Aurora Sideroad or Wellington Street carries traffic from East and West. If congestion is such they never want to return to Aurora no benefit can be derived. Since the Region was created, all direct access to and from Regional roads has been restricted. Roads have had to be built to provide access off Wellington Street.

Council was faced with a dilemma last week. And a few weeks before that. And a few weeks before that. Twice the Rice Group, owners of the north-west corner site of Wellington Street and Bayview have come back to council with witnesses to argue a signalized intersection was essential for the success of their enterprise. They offered to pay all costs of undoing hundreds of thousands of dollars of elegant infrastructure already forked out by taxpayers. The third attempt to obtain a different decision was by letters indicating the signalized intersection is a condition of locating in Aurora.

Three times a majority vote has been cast to refuse the request.

There are arguments for both sides of the question. New assessment, new retail jobs, an exceptional and proven quality of service versus abandoning a vision and careful planning, destruction of infrastructure ,inconsistency in decision-making , traffic chaos and inconvenience to would-be patrons of local commerce and a hint of preferential consideration.

It was no contest.

There was irony in the situation. During the last term, the Rice Group came to council and asked for a change from Office Space to Retail Commercial. Our planners recommended against the change. The Town's Official Plan envisioned highest and best use of the site to be office space. The Town's Economic Development Officer anticipated the need and endorsed the vision.

The Rice Group was cordially received. Their request was granted with two councillors opposed; myself and Councillor Wendy Gaertner. We supported the planners and the vision.

Taxpayers in Aurora and throughout York Region spend millions of dollars every year for planning and engineering expertise. Hundreds of people toil conscientiously in their cubicles, poring over documents, examining minutiae of figures and drawings. They work for months to do all things necessary to ensure every "I" is dotted and "T" crossed. They prepare concise reports with endless details for political masters, only to have them summarily dismissed when private interest waves its magisterial arm. I am constantly amazed by what I consider to be senseless squandering of public resources. The process is redeemed only when common sense prevails. But not often enough.

Until now, the Region of York has been firm and consistent in exercising its authority over access and egress on Regional roads. From "No Way Jose ", they are now saying "We would prefer it not happen that way."

It is not a positive sign.

For the third time, Councillor McRoberts, MacEachern, Gaertner,and myself voted to refuse the request. In the last vote, Collins -Mrakas voted against the refusal but in favour of two clauses that allowed the motion to pass. And so it has come to pass. Finally. Hopefully.

Yet it's odd how some things, like the question of a by-election can be off the table after a single vote in committee and others keep coming back to be re-hashed repeatedly in the transparent hope of a different conclusion and despite Rules of Order intended to mitigate against precisely that eventuality.