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I?“ GROWTH: Bi The uniformity of the architecture has inspired homeowners to landscape their properties for a personal touch, Mr. Ching said, adding garages at the back of homes might mean fewer going-to-the-car encoun- ters, but it also means more people strolling “When my family first looked at the area before buying a house, we knew that the Cathedraltown park dream probably wouldn’t happen for at least five years," he said. Ion Ching, a resident for two years, started the Cathedraltown Post blog to cre- ate a forum for the neighbourhood. He’s optimistic the European-inspired vision will come to fruition. However, employment lands are expect- ed to fill 42 acres of scrub along Hwy. 404, to which Cathedraltown residents could eventually commute without ever needing a car. For now, the community is entirely resi- dential. An arboretum is bisected by the original Orr Farm road and Ms Roman~Barber points out heritage trees while fussing about how to improve the profile of a bear sculpture, partially masked by underbrush. Although the plan has evolved over the years, its principal architect is Donald But- tress, best known for overseeing the resto- ration of Westminister Abbey in England. “It’s meant to be a people-friendly town geared towards people and not the car,” she said. Many of its winding streets have been named after her father’s Holsteins, includâ€" ing Reflection Road and Charity Crescent. He financed the building of the cathe- dral amidst 250 acres of farmland near Woodbine Avenue, north of Major Mack- enzie Drive. It was she who developed the plan for a European-style community following the 1988 death of her father, mining magnate Stephen Roman. Monarch Homes, Andrin, Romandale and FRAM partnered to build what Ms Roman-Barber considers more a town, than a subdivision. Helen Rornanâ€"Barber displays pride driving around the community, taking interest in little details. With its Georgian-style homes and pedestrian-centred design, Cathedraltown could be an ideal example of new urbanâ€" ism once complete. or 20 years, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration stood alone, towering over Markham fields next to Hwy. 404, just south of Whitchurchâ€"Stouffville. Now, slowly but surely, one of the region’s most unique communities is growing around it. ‘It’s meant to be a people-fiiendly town geared towards people, and not the car.’ BY DAVID FLEISCHER dfleischer®yrmg.com ‘1 Bishop left four years ago, following dispute There’s still work to be done, in and around the cathedral, but Mr. Ching takes heart in the changes he’s seen, including a thriving local real estate market. A halI in the cathedral’s basement will be a centre for the community to host wedâ€" dings and other events. Residential development has been slowed due to inadequate sewer and water capacity, expected to ease in the next few years. But the plan, Ms Roman-Barber said, was always to start with single-family homes on the perimeter followed by higher density development around the cathedral. A mural on wall of the sales office shows a two-acre piazza around the edifice, lined with shops and cafes. In the meantime, No 'Il'espassing signs line the promenade and weeds poke through the chipped stone of its steps. The bulk of development to the north is cut off by a pond. Scaffolding inside prevents the cathedral from being used regularly, but paint, gilding and mosaics constitute the bulk of what’s left to finish and things will be very different in the next five to seven years. He suspended permission for any of his priests to celebrate mass there and asked the Toronto Roman Catholic Archdiocese to do the same, according to a report in the Catholic Register. The builaing was last open to the public in 2009, to celebrate the completion of an 82-foot mosaic, Ms Roman-Barber said. “It’s really in the hands of the owners of the former cathedral," Bishop Pazak said of any hopes its status might one day be restored. . The eparchy (equivalent to a diocese) “walked off in a huff" and there haVen’t been any discussions since, she said. Ms Roman-Barber’s Slovak Greek Cath- olic Church Foundation owns the prop- erty and though she wanted to accede to her father’s wishes, giving the cathedral to the church upon its completion, Mr. Pazak sought ownership of the surrounding 50 acres, Ms Roman-Barber said. By definition, a cathedral must have a bishop. A sign along Woodbine Avenue adver- tises the times of services, yet a service hasn't been held at the cathedral for several years. Technically, it isn’t a cathedral, since Eparch John Pazak, head of Canada’s Slovak Byzantine Rite Catholics, left it in a dispute four years ago. Standing 65 metres tall, with a trio of golden onion domes, the community’s namesake building poses a few contradic- tions. Initially, Mr. Ching didn’t think a tower- ing cathedral would be an appealing view from his from his front porch. He soon changed his tune, however. the streets. A mural on wall of the sales office shows a two-acre piazza around the edifice, lined with shops and cafes. With its Georgian-style homes and pedestrianâ€"centred design, Cathedraltown, at Woodbine Avenue and Elgin Mills Road, could become an ideal example of new urbanism. CONTINUING EDUCATION Visit centennialcollege.calparttime for all the details or to register today. There is still time to register in one of our evening, weekend, online or alternative format courses beginning in September. REGISTER NOW For Fall 2010 Classes STAFF PHOTOS/DAVID FLEISHCER no.