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JULY 2002 So much for "Country Close to the City". Now we are talking growth. Big time. At a public meet- ing held by town council on lune [8 (with another to be held lune 25), Whitchurch-Stouffville residents were pre- sented with details about the changes planned to take place over the next l5 years. Changes that include an increase in population of something like 20,000 new res- idents. Did you get that? 20,000 new residents. There is no doubt that a huge set of developments like the ones presented will dramatically change Whitchurch-Stouffville. We will be a small town no more. I wonder if I stand alone or if others support my vision of a mral town. As i said when I spoke at the public meeting on lune l8. 1 think Whitchurch-Stouffville should do what Uxbridge is doing: return to our rural roots. Development should be curtailed for IS years. Why IS years? In part because I think that, at that time, we can assess the value of having a rural town. With York Region growing so rapidly there will be no shortage of new subdivisions for people to move to. What there won't be is a small town - unless we do something about it The other reason why I suggest I5 years is that | real- ly believe that development standards are going to change. The lessons learned from Scarborough, Markham and Mississauga are that large scale developments cause raffic iams, are usually ugly. and do not protect the envi- ronment. Future developments hopefully will. As we see the effects of global warming and other forms of pollution many on June 17 Noah Gywnne and Nicole Brunett front the band at Mother Goose Academy's concert and graduation cere- Sunshine Seafood Steak, ChIckcn, Gourmet Pizza, Fresh Pasta Live Lobster Graduation Hiiinks BRUCE STAPLEY I STOUFFVILLE THIS MONTH RESTAURANT 0-61 15 0 Stoufl'Vllle we will begin to realize that new ways of doing things are necessary. My hope is that new subdivisions will respect the nat- ural environment - trees will be left intact, and built around, even if it means less houses. Swamps won't be drained. Good farmland won't be built on. Bicycle paths and walking paths will be at least as plentiful as roads. Every house will be within walking distance of a park or parkette. We will recognize that we need a large, natural buffer between Markham and Whitchurch-Stouffville. Not the 30 metre buffer currently planned, but something more substantial. like 500-l000 metres. Unfortunately. I don't really think there is much to be done. Council and the town planning department have worked with the developers for some time on these plans. Too bad it wasn't an election issue. By the next election it will be too late. With that said, if you share my vision of a rural town, speak up anyway. A very large number of focused. com- mitted residents can do something. Let's try. Eric R. Button, B.A., L.L.B. Gordon c. Ness, 0.0. and Associate Kenneth c. Goodbrand B. Comm. LLB. 905-986-0941 905-640-3530 Port Perry 6361 Main St., Stouffville BU I ION, ARMSTRONG NESS BARRISTERS SOLICITORS Expert Legal Service Since 1896 0 Real Estate 0 Wills Estates - Litigations 0 Corporate 0 Family Law TAKE OUT SERVICE AVAILABLE Stonehouse Travel OUSE iANADA” 905-640-5491 6142 Main St, Stouffvillc Half of each day will be devoted to arts and half to crafts. The arts portion will cover basic drawing skills and painting techniques. as well as mixed media art. and some outdoor projects. Crafts will include the use of wood, plaster, paint and fabric to create mobiles, masks and other three-dimensional pieces. The cost Is $125. and Incltides all materials. For more information call 905-642-READ. “WHITCHUHCH-STOUFFVILLE THIS MONTH" - 19 Just Across The Street from the GO Station On behalf of Siouffville businesses, thank you for your ongoing Support. Look for us at the (- Strawberry g: Festival «~- on Main L...- Street. J. Drop in ' 3mg Mom and/or Dad forfi Ice Cream Cone Mower; ITICO" chflo1678869 0 Grab your morning Coffee 0 Daily Lunch Special: 0 Best Sandwiches in Town! 0 Soft Drinks including Coke 0 Milkshake: