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gssgssafejgga ecoiwmist sunwelection 2000 issues 9 2060 i tv isy0rk paceof growth too fast v j -r- ri staff photorobalary frances walker left who has beehlivirigon the same york region farm for 83 years- has watched s a subdivision grow up beside her land she vows to protect her farmland until the day she dies bydawnliersch staff writer hen frances walker was offeredtop dollar k from developers for her farm on mulock drive innewmarket about 20 yearsago she flatly refused s- believing it was the only way to preserve some of the rolling fields that used to cover the town walker vows to protect ker preciousfarrii- lahd until the day she dies ill never sell it we need some green space said walker who has livedat the site for 83 years her grandfatherwilliam stickwood bought the property from the bogartjfamilyin 1884 it was a lot of money but i did- nt have any troublei turning it down i just hope other people will want to protect it when imgone from her backyard walker can already see komies from the stonehaven subdivision popping up on what was once sprawling green space and shejs hoping the same fate is not in store for her own land but with york region deemed the fastestgrowing region in the province the next slate of politi- cians will have the tough task of try- ingtb preserve green space ahdpre- yent traffic gridlock from spiraling butof control- f development and growth has proceeded at a horrendous pace and we cant keep up with the infra- jstructure roadways we have to take a seribuslbbkatwnether we can allow the growth thats project ed said ruth burkholder presi- dent of the markham board of trade v worried gridlock will escalate as the regions population grows burkholders group has joined chambers of commerce- across canada in lobbyingthe provincial and federal governments to provide more money for roads in the meantime the markham board of trade plans to demand the region make changes to road sys- terns such as doubleturn lanes to allow a faster flow of traffic bur its only a bandaid solu tion burkholder warns mary mccormackbadinski a newmarket councillor candidate suggests a major reform in planning is needed to deal with growth it seems like were always back- tracking we allow growth and we ddnt have the infrastructure to sup port it if we r dont bring die infra- structure upto speed the results are gridlock and a strain on facili- ties she said using newmarket as an exam- pie mccormackbadinski points to the congestion on davis drive and the fact a recent consultants- report showed the town is already lacking adequate parkland as a sign its time to ease up on growth we have to let the town catch up to where we are its not easy for us to shut down growth but why cant we make greater demands of 1 developers we have to use our irifluencetq our greatest ability she said some councillor candidates are even promoting a ban on develop ment in certain areas brenda hogg a richmond hill regional councillor candidate is largely basing her campaign on pre venting development of the oak- ridges moraine its not just a backlash on devel- oprhent its recognition of a special area we cant save all the green space but we have to save some environmentally sensitive areas like the oak ridges moraine because we cant buy it back shesaid we have to be responsible and put together officiat plans and secondary plans for growth you certainly have to do your homework as to what you can and cant do development already leads to problems with traffic and urban sprawl and developing the oak ridges moraine will just compound the problem gosimo lacaria whos running for catholic school trustee in vaughan says dozens of students are being crammed jnto portables because the region is growing too fast i lacaria wants municipalities to tiein hew development- to the- availability of schools were growing too fast and were 1 not providing the essentials to the community such as schools and recreation facilities children end up being bused to other communi- ties or put in mouldinfested porta bles he said joe sponga a newmarket coun cillor candidate wants all housing development in newmarket except for affordable housing r be halted residential development pro- vides the lowest taxbase and its also the most expensive to sup port hesaid pointing out that there is a lot of vacant space in strip malls along davis drive sponga suggests the town should concentrate on attracting hightech industrial growth to those areas instead to boost the taxbasev r development yes but from a different perspective we have to concentrate on development that fuels the economy such as high- tech offices he said eastgwillimbury also desper ately needs more industrial com mercial development to build up the tax base but mayoral candidate jamie young stressed the town must proceed with caution with nearby newmarket run ning out of land to develop young fears developers will flock to his town and pressure council to allow them to build there instead we heed industrialcommer cial development to offset the tax base but i want east gwillimbury to be in a position that we can choose what we want in we have to keep a handle onmevelopmentwe have to keep control he said youngs top priority is to ensure the proposed queensville develop ment contains a mix of housing and industrialcommercial deyelop- ment pointing but council has already reallocated some commercial development to other areas he worries thetowri may now allow housing in queensville to proceed without the commercial develop- ment i dorft want to see another bed room community in queensville i dont want us to stray from the plan he said georgina mayoral candidate rob grossi also stressed the impor tance of careful planning to pre serve natural features of the town while still allowing it to reap some of the rewards that come with new development in keswick where the most new housing has occurred the cornmii- riity has also gained new schools road improvements a new twin pad arena and commercial devel opment new commercial development has made it easier to stay and shop at home it has brought benefits but weve still allowed the community to remain very rural in nature he said- we have tcube responsible and put together official plans and sec ondary plans for growth c you cer tainly have to do your homework as to what you can and cant do rtri xo a