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Exactly what's in store for our historical downtown? Town, Chamber, and merchants planning ways to keep core alive By IRENE GENTLE The Champion Ask a Main Street retailer what they'd like for Christmas this year and they just might say a boom- ing downtown core that'l keep sizzling long after Milton's upcoming growth spurt nearly triples the cur- rent population. And playing the role of Santa this year is the Town, which is busily planning ways to keep the downtown alive. - To accommodate the impending growth apuri, almost a million square feet of additional retail space will be needed. That's more than double the 800,000 square feet already in exis- tence. 'Me new retailers will mun along an expanded downtown core, stretching fromn Bronte Street in the west to Thompson Road in the east. To keep it hot, the Town has "I think everyone looks to downtown Oakville, and 1 don't thmnk it's outside the bounds of possibilIty or reality." 3ANIY MARTI completed a Central District Business (CBD) plan, which out- lines guidelines for growth in the ares. And currently in the works is a streetscspe study, aimed at dealing with both the infrastructure and aesthetic needs of the retail strip. Downtown retailers, building owners and Chamber of Commerce representatives have psrticipated in the process, and if their input could be summed up in one word, it would be "parking," said Milton Chamber Executive Director Sandy Martin. "And it was ever thus," she said. "The primary concern is parking." Though placing a parking garage near Main or Mill streets han been suggested, the projeet would require mammoth amounts of cash that couldn't easily be recouped, said thse Town's streetscape Project Manager Ken McAlpine. Parking discussions have also revolved around the best delivery %,of on-street parking, which involves taking a deeper look at the current sidewalk configurations. Creating consistency between the historic Main Street retail strip and that which will spring up east of Ontario Street in the future is also a challenge. Building height restrictions, cur- rently at between two and four stooeys in thse historic ares and set for no more than seven in the stretch east of Ontario, will help. 1I think the idea is to get com- mercial on the ground floor and office or even residential above it as you get further away," said Mr. McAlpine. It's a mix." Streetscsping efforts such as tree- planting, benches and lighting will also aira for a compatible atmos- phere. 1I think you have to have, as much as possible, a cohesive look," said Ms Martin. But developers tackling the area will require some flexibility, and perfect matches won't likely occur. "I'm sure the historic core will always maintain a separate identi- ty," said Ms Martin. "But that con enhance and cora- plement. e ee OTIIER on page 11 ATTENTION MILTON WALLACE PONTIAC bas moved our ENTIRE DEALERSHIP To our NEW LOCATION at 801 MAIN ST, E. (across trom the GO Station) We invite YOD to corne& see our fabulous new building. Take advantage of our continuing great service & deals on new and Optimum Used Vehicles. Dori ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ F1 . t lis tt- try .i o best seleOtu-6:OOpu le *