Dear Mayor and Councillors
My name is John Pearson and I am the owner of 36 Victoria Street. I concur with the article in the Municipal World, February 2014, "current and future owners who wish to alter the exterior, renovate, or replace, or demolish the structure face a long and uncertain review process. Typically the authorities can delay such actions, impose penalties for noncompliance or "illegal" work or, in some jurisdictions, simply and unequivocally deny the request".
My experience in consulting with The Heritage Program Planner, which is required as the property is "listed", would verify the above article.
For this reason I do not want a BY LAW registered against my title forcing Heritage Designation on my property or that of my fellow neighbours
VOTE THIS STUDY DOWN -- DO NOT DEFER IT -- AND PUT IT TO REST FOR GOOD.
Thank You
JOHN PEARSON
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A Public Planning Meeting will be held at the town hall tomorrow night.
A report giving the entire history of a consultant study with appendices attached should be accessible on the town's web site . It is part of the program.
No better example exists to illustrate how a "Study"comes about on a pretext of demand from the community .
Get the popcorn and chips and whatever libation is to your taste and settle down to watch the shoot-out at the old coral.
A determined effort will be made to keep the study going.
An even more determined fight to stop it in the here and now is on track.
I am wholeheartedly with the opposition.
For the life of me , I see no reason why anybody in his or her right mind would voluntarily agree to a restrictive bylaw being registered against title of their property, to be administered no less, by a faceless bureaucracy.
Furthermore, no business case has been made to suggest neighborhood heritage designation is of any benefit whatsoever to the municipal corporation.
Council can and should make the decision at the Public Planning Meeting.
They may not. That's happened before.
This is not the first hearing. A delegation expressing strong opposition has already presented.
Council members, in favor of the project, expressed themselves surprised and astounded by the strength of opposition. They stated they were certainly opposed to imposing something not supported by the majority.
Since then, a measure of reversal appears to have happened.
Forces in support ,mainly staff ,consultant and original handful of proponents, have presented purported rebuttal on shaky premise.
Opposing Forces continue to gather strength each and every day .
Powerfully worded e-mails from people with deep roots in Aurora have been forwarded to Mayor and Council .
Desperate accusations of lies ,misrepresentation and worse have been hurled by proponents at opponents.
Who , in turn, have held their ground and maintained dignity.
I do not suggest to-morrow's meeting starts out without bias .
Au contraire
The outcome is not a foregone conclusion.
This fight will be well worth watching.
To coin a phrase ... or two ....
it will separate the men from the boys....
the women from the girls.
But will the ones with clout allow the meeting to be streamed ? It is odd how many times meetings that are of interest to the public do not get streamed. It can't all be the fault of communications.
ReplyDeleteToo much money has already been squandered on this proposed Code of Conduct for the homes, trees and surroundings of Aurora residents.
ReplyDeleteBrought to you by the same folk that banned team baseball in the town park.
We cannot count on common sense prevailing, Evelyn. I am certain that a # of councillors have committed their votes to the proponents. It may well be a repeat of that dreadful public meeting over the Centre when a pattern of pandering to the loudest most demanding residents was set.
ReplyDeleteI just drove north from Richmond Hill to Aurora following Yonge St. right through our proposed heritage area. Avoid it at all cost. If this is about planning it is not money well spent.
ReplyDeleteYour poster, a resident of the area, has it correct. Can you imagine having to get on your knees, probably pay a fee and wait wait wait to get approval to paint your front step? Oh but wait, perhaps there would have to be a public meeting before a final decision could be rendered.
Priestly's long arm excavator should be more in demand than more consultants.
The whole thing is headed for the courts.
ReplyDeleteAs long as there is money in the Hydro Fund, it will be abused. This was not the reason this Council, all of the members, were elected.
Interesting meeting. Councillor Gallo was missing. It begs the question if he might be avoiding confrontation over his declaration of Mayordom ?
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic & sad that Council have moved to support the initiatives of those who did not vote for them & forgotten about those who did.
ReplyDeleteI expect the resident critic to be all over my comment. So be it.
Once again it has become a personal fiefdom instead of a town council representing everyone and dealing with essentials such as services and taxes.
ReplyDelete19:19
ReplyDeleteOr maybe he had another engagement!
Always with the conspirasy theroies.
Apparently, it also separates the published from the unpublished, comments-wise.
ReplyDeleteAuroran has their maintenance sign up again. Weird.
ReplyDeleteCllr Thompson will be unable to resist referring/deferring.
ReplyDeleteScott Johnston has a great cartoon about the ward system.
ReplyDeleteHave a good evening, E. For once there is some balance to the proceedings.
ReplyDeleteit is a shame that residents cannot count on their Council to act for them and have to get into these ugly situations. I had hoped we had seen the last of them.
There had better be streaming.......
It was easy to tell that it's an election year with all the ass-kissing that went on.
ReplyDelete23:06
ReplyDeleteI prefer the word " grovel "
I don't understand. It sounds like the proposed Heritage designation was put off again. Is this going to cost the town more money ?
ReplyDeleteEverything costs us more money. There not a meeting in that chamber that doesn't cost us big buck every time.
ReplyDelete