T-Squared
Active Member
Novea Res Urbis - October 1, 2008, GTA Edition
Growth and money concerns
The $50 billion Regional Transportation Plan and Investment
Strategy unveiled by Metrolinx last week, met with criticism
at Friday’s board meeting, as members charged the
plan neglected future growth centres and expressed concern
over the fact that financial tools intended to fund the
plan’s implementation beyond 2015 were left out.
Though the draft plan was approved by the board and
will be released for consultation with stakeholders and the
public, board member and Durham Region chair Roger
Anderson expressed concern that the plan did not sufficiently
address Durham and the growth that it anticipates
over the next decades.
“This is a good document, but it’s not a complete document,â€
Anderson told the board on Friday.
“I think they’re missing a lot,†Anderson said in an interview
with NRU. “I think they’re missing 70,000 people in
Seaton.â€
Though a gateway transportation hub is planned for the
Seaton area in Metrolinx’s 25-year outlook, Anderson does
not think it is sufficient.
“I can tell you in 15 years there will probably be 50-
70,000 people living in Seaton with no buses,†Anderson
said. “If they get used to driving their car, they’re going to
continue driving their car. They’ve got to deal with this in a more timely fashion. I don’t want to be at the
end of the 30-year plan.â€
However, board member and former
Toronto chief planner Paul Bedford said that
the plan successfully connects transit and land
use planning, and seeks to encourage intensification
at major transit stops.
“If you want transit as part of this regional
transportation network, you better deliver on
the land use intensification or you’re not going
to get it,†Bedford told NRU. He added that
land value-based property tax systems, such as
are found in parts of Australia, encourage
intensification by taxing the land value, rather
than the market value of the property as a whole.
Bedford did note that the Oshawa GO
Station, located on the waterfront, is not in an
ideal location as the city’s revitalization is largely
taking place in the downtown area, further north.
Bedford does view the plan as a key document
in encouraging intensified urban development across
the region and feels that it should have the authority granted
by provincial legislation, such as the Places to Grow Act.
Bedford believes that the transportation plan and investment
strategy should work in tandem with Places to Grow to
ensure that good planning decisions are made.
“All of that has to be in line so it trumps and supersedes
a municipal council that decides to do something different,
or an OMB panel that approves a Wal-Mart at a GO
Station,†Bedford said.
“That stuff can’t happen anymore. There’s no point in
doing all this if the OMB can still make independent decisions
that approve suburban big box stuff at transit stations.
It has to conform.â€
However, Bedford wants Metrolinx to consider future
funding options now, rather than waiting until 2013. While
the province has committed $11.5 billion in funding, and it
is hoped that the federal government will add another $6
billion to that, any tools with which to raise the remaining
$32.5 billion are not discussed in the investment strategy.
“I understand why the province doesn’t want to open up
the world to new revenue sources right now, given the economy,
but there’s no way we should be waiting until 2013 to
even talk about it,†Bedford said. “We should start a process
of dialogue with the people. If people really want that
regional transportation plan…they’re going to have to bite
the bullet on those tools.â€
Bedford said that the discussion needs to start now to
avoid a worst case scenario, in which the province’s contribution
is entirely spent and there is no more money to fund
the plan.
Growth and money concerns
The $50 billion Regional Transportation Plan and Investment
Strategy unveiled by Metrolinx last week, met with criticism
at Friday’s board meeting, as members charged the
plan neglected future growth centres and expressed concern
over the fact that financial tools intended to fund the
plan’s implementation beyond 2015 were left out.
Though the draft plan was approved by the board and
will be released for consultation with stakeholders and the
public, board member and Durham Region chair Roger
Anderson expressed concern that the plan did not sufficiently
address Durham and the growth that it anticipates
over the next decades.
“This is a good document, but it’s not a complete document,â€
Anderson told the board on Friday.
“I think they’re missing a lot,†Anderson said in an interview
with NRU. “I think they’re missing 70,000 people in
Seaton.â€
Though a gateway transportation hub is planned for the
Seaton area in Metrolinx’s 25-year outlook, Anderson does
not think it is sufficient.
“I can tell you in 15 years there will probably be 50-
70,000 people living in Seaton with no buses,†Anderson
said. “If they get used to driving their car, they’re going to
continue driving their car. They’ve got to deal with this in a more timely fashion. I don’t want to be at the
end of the 30-year plan.â€
However, board member and former
Toronto chief planner Paul Bedford said that
the plan successfully connects transit and land
use planning, and seeks to encourage intensification
at major transit stops.
“If you want transit as part of this regional
transportation network, you better deliver on
the land use intensification or you’re not going
to get it,†Bedford told NRU. He added that
land value-based property tax systems, such as
are found in parts of Australia, encourage
intensification by taxing the land value, rather
than the market value of the property as a whole.
Bedford did note that the Oshawa GO
Station, located on the waterfront, is not in an
ideal location as the city’s revitalization is largely
taking place in the downtown area, further north.
Bedford does view the plan as a key document
in encouraging intensified urban development across
the region and feels that it should have the authority granted
by provincial legislation, such as the Places to Grow Act.
Bedford believes that the transportation plan and investment
strategy should work in tandem with Places to Grow to
ensure that good planning decisions are made.
“All of that has to be in line so it trumps and supersedes
a municipal council that decides to do something different,
or an OMB panel that approves a Wal-Mart at a GO
Station,†Bedford said.
“That stuff can’t happen anymore. There’s no point in
doing all this if the OMB can still make independent decisions
that approve suburban big box stuff at transit stations.
It has to conform.â€
However, Bedford wants Metrolinx to consider future
funding options now, rather than waiting until 2013. While
the province has committed $11.5 billion in funding, and it
is hoped that the federal government will add another $6
billion to that, any tools with which to raise the remaining
$32.5 billion are not discussed in the investment strategy.
“I understand why the province doesn’t want to open up
the world to new revenue sources right now, given the economy,
but there’s no way we should be waiting until 2013 to
even talk about it,†Bedford said. “We should start a process
of dialogue with the people. If people really want that
regional transportation plan…they’re going to have to bite
the bullet on those tools.â€
Bedford said that the discussion needs to start now to
avoid a worst case scenario, in which the province’s contribution
is entirely spent and there is no more money to fund
the plan.