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4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday November 12, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com St.Augustine residents spared Kerr Street traffic By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER ARIANNE TOPS 20% off NOVEMBER SPECIAL: Chance to win a $100 Gift Certificate A proposal to reroute traffic from the Kerr Village area through a residential neighbourhood has been quashed. After patiently waiting for almost three-and-a-half hours on Monday night, more than 100 residents broke into enthusiastic applause following a unanimous vote by town council to take the idea off the table. As part of a traffic study of the Kerr Street area, consultants had suggested creating a new northsouth throughfare to move traffic off congested Kerr Street. Removing the jog between St. Augustine and Maurice drives, extending St. Augustine north of Speers Road and connecting Mary Street to Herald Street, would improve traffic flow and allow for future development in the area, the consultants had suggested. But local residents told their councillors that a projected sixfold increase in traffic through their peaceful residential neighbourhood was the wrong approach to facilitating growth. "What's at stake for us is the place we live," said Blake Poland, acting president of the newlyformed West Kerr Village Residents' Association (WKVRA). "We can't see, frankly, how ruining our community fits with the vision of a livable Oakville." The traffic report, which will be used as background information for the completion of the Plan for Kerr Village, was looking for a way to maximize the growth potential of the area. Even with the creation of the new throughfare, the consultants suggested that growth plans for the congested area need to be scaled back because of the limitations of the road capacity. A 2004 Revitalization Study for the area had called for 5,000 new BRA FITTING EXPERTS from t-shirt bras to push-up bras Sizes A - JJ Christmas is Coming! g So are your guests! A new shower enclosure is sure to impress. 20% off until the 28th Have your's installed before it's too late! We cannot guarantee pre-Christmas installation for orders placed after November 28. Discount applies to materials only. r 28 materia residential units in the neighbourhood, but the traffic study has scaled feasible growth back to about 1,150 new units. A report by town planning staff warns, "By not eliminating the jog, increases in long-term traffic due to the revitalization of the Kerr Village area will not be able to be handled efficiently. This may result in the need to scale back the levels of growth to be included as part of the Plan for Kerr Village." However, Ward 2 councillor Cathy Duddeck said she didn't think the costs of the changes to the St. Augustine neighbourhood would be worth the benefits of the growth. In addition to the traffic increase through the 50-year-old neighbourhood southwest of Kerr and Speers, the new roadway would have required the town to expropriate and demolish a number of existing properties. "Growth should not take place at the expense of our existing homeowners," said Duddeck. Although town councillors were not asked to actually approve specific road plans within the traffic study on Monday night, Duddeck said it was important residents who had participated in the public consultation process be given some certainty about the future. Her motion, approved by council, directed town staff to exclude the possibility of making the changes to the St. Augustine Drive area when evaluating landuse scenarios for Kerr Village. That motion "put to rest these nightmare scenarios," noted Poland, who told councillors that the public consultation process had dragged on for meeting after meeting without any clear resolution in sight. "There is something that needs to change about this type of process," he said, noting that as many as 200 residents had shown up for a 7 p.m. meeting, only to wait until 9:35 for council to consider their item. With less than an hour before the required 10:30 p.m. end of the meeting, council heard a staff presentation of the issue, and then could accommodate only three public speakers. Mayor Rob Burton assured Poland that changes would be made as a result of his concerns. "This process on this file has shown us that there are shortcomings in our public process," he said. 550 Bronte Rd., Oakville 905.827.2951 Sexy Sleepwear Sizes XS - XXL Gift Certificates Available Bras, Swimsuits & Sleepwear 100 Bronte Road, Unit #3, Oakville Voted Best Lingerie Store for the last 11 years. 905-847-1512 South of Lakeshore Road www.goodnightgoodmorning.ca