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Community Events Fun & Games

Canada Day

This Thursday, July 1st, come out and celebrate Canada’s 143rd birthday with the York Region community and the vivaNext team. Canada Day provides an opportunity to get together with friends, family and neighbours, and celebrate the culture, achievements and communities of our great nation. That’s why we hope to see you at the Town of Richmond Hill Canada Day Home Show or at Newmarket’s Kanata Summer Festival.  York Region has a lot of be proud of, and a lot to look forward to in the future (including a rapid transit system that will help manage growth and improve transit travel times!).

Support local community groups and businesses at the Canada Day Home Show, and bring the entire family along for a pancake breakfast, live entertainment and a bike demonstration at the Kanata Summer Festival. Visit the vivaNext booths at both events to ask your questions, share your comments, and get up-to-date with the latest developments in the vivaNext plan.

Two great events and one special day – Happy Canada Day from the vivaNext team!

Canada Day Event Schedules:

Town of Richmond Hill Canada Day Home Show

Where: Sports Complex, Richmond Green Park
1300 Elgin Mills Road East, Richmond Hill
When: July 1, 10am – 5pm

Kanata Summer Festival

Where: Fairy Lake Park
Water Street, Newmarket
When: July 1, 11am – 4:30pm

Categories
Live-work-play Urban Planning

Seeing into the future with York Region’s Official Plan

futurebuilds

What’s the best way to see what the future will look like for York Region? A crystal ball? Cards? Tea-leaves?

In all seriousness, when it comes to reading the future for our community, I suggest you look at York Region’s Official Plan. This document, which is a critical planning tool, has a number of functions: it’s a public document used to describe and promote our vision for the future, but it is also a legal document used to support and defend key decisions related to public infrastructure, development and growth.

Based on a 25 year planning timeframe but updated every five years, York Region’s Official Plan sets out several key themes which will guide planning decisions, and will help make growth work for us.

One of the main themes throughout the plan is the desire to concentrate growth and development in key areas through the region. This will be done through the further development of a series of centres and corridors, meaning new downtowns in Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan. The idea is that by building more intensively in these areas, there will be less pressure for growth in the existing communities.

These new multi-use centres will be connected by transportation “corridors” that will make it easier for people to get around the region. And obviously, the best way to travel will be on the vivaNext rapidways, which will run along the corridors and connect the centres.

As they develop, the centres will become focal points for exciting new destinations, offering more choices in entertainment, dining, shopping, and other kinds of attractions. They will also provide higher density housing in condominiums and apartments, for people who like the idea of living at the centre of the action. These new downtowns will be designed with people in mind: they will include attractive, public open spaces where people feel welcomed, and be designed in ways that encourage walking, cycling and transit use.

The Official Plan recognizes that while many people may like the idea of heading to one of the newly urbanized centres to dine out, to shop, or to go to work, they may also want to have a home in a quiet residential neighbourhood. So the Official Plan directs that those kinds of communities will be protected from the kind of intensification that will be used in the centres, so people can continue to enjoy the lifestyles they already have.

And because people in York Region value the greenspaces that make up such an important part of this area, a full 69% of the Region’s landmass will be protected as either Greenbelt or Oak Ridges Moraine.

The Official Plan goes into a lot of detail on these main themes, as well as a range of others, and is well worth reading to give you a sense of how your Region is going to manage growth into the future, and how it is going to evolve.

I like to think that with this well-thought-out plan, people in York Region will truly be able to have it all: our familiar communities will be protected, but we’ll get the benefits of city-building; and we’ll have a great rapid transit system to move us easily between all sorts of exciting new destinations. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this future vision, and what it will mean for you and your family!

Categories
Live-work-play Urban Planning

Shaping the vision for the future

official-plan_2010_06_071

When you think of York Region, what comes to mind for you? The comfortable, tree-lined family-friendly neighbourhoods of Aurora or Vaughan? Or maybe the increasingly urban appearance of Markham’s new development areas, with many large head offices employing thousands of professionals? Or maybe the quaint, walking-scale downtowns of Newmarket, Unionville or old Richmond Hill? Not to mention the lovely green countryside that wraps all around our towns, offering recreation, productive farmland, and rural lifestyles. Maybe you think of how some downtown sidewalk areas could be more inviting, how much longer it’s taking you to get to work these days, or how it’s hard to get from A to B in York Region if you don’t have a car.

It’s probably safe to say that everyone in York Region has a view of what their home community means to them, and what they’d like it to be in the future. If asked, most of us could list the things we love, and the things we’d love more of (or in the case of some things, like traffic gridlock, less of!)

So when it came time to update York Region’s Official Plan, residents were asked to describe their vision for the York Region of the future. The input for the Official Plan makes a great snapshot of what people want out of their home in York Region, and what matters to them, which include:

  • Let’s be green;
  • Let’s try to live and work in the same community;
  • Let’s make it more beautiful;
  • Let’s make it lively, with lots of interesting things to do;
  • Let’s live in neighbourhoods that are designed to let us get to know our neighbours;
  • Let’s have more choices in housing availability, to accommodate every member of our community – families, single people, young and old;
  • And to tie it all together – let’s make it easier to get around, with or without a car.

That’s what people said, and then planners had to figure out how to make that vision come to life, looking twenty and even thirty or more years into the future. That vision is captured in a hefty document that is York Region’s Official Plan.

So what’s all this got to do with vivaNext? I’m going to tell you more over the next couple of blog posts, but here’s a hint: one of the key things that’s going to help achieve that vision of a greener, livelier, more compact York Region, is a rapid transit network. More than just transit, the vivaNext plan will help to shape our community into the future, and help bring those things people want – more choice, more opportunity, more green, more fun– to life. So whether or not you take transit, having vivaNext is very good news, and will be great for our community.

Categories
Community Events

Are you ready for some summer fun?

The vivaNext team at last year's Aurora Street Festival
The vivaNext team at last year's Aurora Street Festival

The 15th Annual Aurora Chamber Street Festival is taking place this Sunday, June 6, from 11am to 5pm – and the vivaNext team will be there!

A great way to kick off the summer season, the festival features family-friendly fun and entertainment for kids of all ages – and admission is free! With unique street performances, including acrobatics, fire-eating, comedy, juggling and magic, as well as live music, a vintage car show, and delicious food, the Aurora Street Festival offers a great way to spend the day and enjoy the York Region community.

With over 500 vendors along Yonge Street, be sure to look out for the vivaNext booth. Better yet, stop by and grab a free bag of popcorn, ask your questions, and find out more about vivaNext projects.

We’ll be at the festival, rain or shine – so the only question is, are you ready for some summer fun?

15th Aurora Chamber Street Festival

Date & Time: June 6, 11am – 5pm

Location: Yonge Street, Aurora (between Wellington Street (North) and Murray Drive (South)

Admission: Free!

Categories
Announcements Community Events Rapidways

Exciting improvements en route for Richmond Hill and Vaughan!

collagepcc

As we said in the previous blog post – we’re on our way! Exciting improvements are en route for Richmond Hill and Vaughan, and we want you to get involved by coming out to our upcoming public meetings.

Over the next two weeks, four meetings will be taking place to discuss vivaNext rapidway projects, and you are invited! Two public meetings are being held for the Yonge Street rapidway, from Highway 7 to 19th Avenue, and two for the Highway 7 rapidway, from Yonge Street to Pine Valley Drive.

These rapidways – dedicated centre lanes in the road for Viva vehicles – will not only improve transit travel times, they are also a key part of Richmond Hill and Vaughan’s visions for the future, and York Region’s plans to manage future population growth.

If you’ve been to a vivaNext public meeting before, you know that our open houses provide a great opportunity to learn more about the vivaNext plan, ask questions, share your comments and meet the team that is making rapid transit a reality for York Region.

We are moving forward with our rapidway plans, in line with the recently revised funding schedule, and we look forward to speaking with you and answering any questions you may have!

Public Meeting for Yonge Street rapidway –
Highway 7 to 19th Avenue

Please note that the same material will be presented on June 2 and June 3.

Date: June 2
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, Plaza Suite
10268 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill

Date: June 3
Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church, Wallace Hall
10066 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill

Public Meeting for Highway 7 rapidway –
Yonge Street to Pine Valley Drive

Please note that the same material will be presented on June 9 and June 10.

Date: June 9
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Richmond Hill Country Club, Georgian Room
8905 Bathurst Street, Richmond Hill

Date: June 10
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Toscana Room
3201 Highway 7 West, Vaughan

Categories
Announcements Rapidways

We’re on our way!!

metrolinx-announcement_2010_05_20

Yesterday, we got positive news.  But first: rewind back to March 2010, when the Province announced in their budget that, due to their major financial pressures, they would need to rejig their transit spending schedule, to focus on getting the most urgent projects built first.  So we sat down with Metrolinx to work through our plans.  We needed to figure out the best schedule that would still benefit the region-wide transit system, but with some pieces coming sooner and others coming later.  It took a lot of hard work, and yesterday, Metrolinx announced the proposed new schedule.

Metrolinx’ board gave its unanimous endorsement to the proposed plan, which means the vivaNext projects can continue to move forward, one in each of Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan. This first phase of building will see York Region getting $790 million for rapid transit expansion over the next five years.

The plan also has a second series of rapidways, which will expand the rapid transit foundation established through the first set of routes. This second phase will get $965 million for projects to be constructed between 2016 and 2020.

The bottom line is that between these two phases, the entire vivaNext plan as originally announced in April 2009 will be built. We’ve always believed that the vivaNext plan is one of the keys to getting the GTA moving, and now, after working closely with our partners at Metrolinx, we believe that the revised plan will still help us address the building gridlock that’s such a risk for us all. That’s good news for York Region, and for everyone who lives or works here.

So with this revised schedule now approved, we can really get underway towards building the vivaNext vision of true rapid transit for York Region. We’ve got our design teams, our engineers and our construction crews all revved up to finalize their planning and, as the Metrolinx proposal is confirmed by the province next month, we can keep on going. So keep visiting us at vivaNext.com for updates and news as we, with real excitement, get on our way!

Categories
Announcements Rapidways

Looking at the past, to move into the future

philglauberman

As we move forward to meet the needs of the future with our expanded vivaNext rapid transit system, most of our thoughts are on the future: our design plans, our construction schedule, our excitement about helping bring more choices to people in York Region. But at the same time, there’s one important step of our project that is focused on looking back to the past: we do an archaeological assessment of our construction site.

Next week, that backwards-looking step is going to be visible to the people who live, work or shop on Davis Drive, as archaeologists will be working along the side of the roadway.

This assessment, apart from being important to help us understand our heritage, is also a legislated obligation. Before large projects like our rapidways are built, they go through an Environmental Assessment, which is done to assess the existing environment and the impacts the proposed project could have on that environment, and commit to the steps needed to avoid or minimize those impacts. One aspect of the environment that is assessed is the existing cultural environment, which includes heritage artifacts and structures.

Under the terms of the Environmental Assessment done for the rapidways , archaeologists will be doing follow-up tests along the roadside of selected Davis Drive properties next week, to look for heritage artifacts.

People have been moving along Davis Drive for many years – Europeans since the middle of the 19th century, and aboriginal people for many centuries before that. And because Davis Drive crosses a stream, which is often where people tended to settle, it is inevitable that those early people left things behind.

Our archaeologists tell us that it’s not too likely they will find many really important artifacts. Most artifacts are found where the soil hasn’t been disturbed before, such as in a farmer’s field, but with the road, parking lots, shops and driveways, there has been a lot of development along Davis Drive over the past century or two.

Even so, there are often surprises. So the archaeologists will take their time, carefully digging small holes, each one about the size you’d dig for a rose bush. They’ll sift the soil, looking for anything of historical interest: square-headed nails or bits of pottery.

Anything they find will be identified and catalogued. And we’ll enjoy watching (and taking pictures) and be glad our project is giving us a chance to look back, even as we move forward.

Categories
Live-work-play Urban Planning

Sand castles and city building

sandcastles-and-city-buildng_2010_04_29lRemember when you were a kid in a sandbox, and you could have endless fun with sticks and pebbles, building imaginary cities and towns, with houses, stores, roads and schools. You would make sure your city had everything people would want (including great rapid transit to zip people from the drawbridge to the castle), everything would be perfectly organized, and nothing would be too far away.

Believe it or not, there’s a grown-up version of that same activity, with the not-so-catchy title of Land Use Planning. Although you may never have heard this term, land use planning affects every aspect of life in your community today, and how you will be living your life in the future. And one of the most direct ways land use planning affects you, is through your municipality’s official plan.

Every municipality in Ontario must – by law – have an official plan, which has to correspond to plans already established by more senior levels of government. For example, York Region’s Official Plan has to fit within the overall Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and York Region’s municipalities’ plans need to fit within the overall Regional plan.

Official plans are updated every few years, based on much discussion and public consultation. Just like the sand-box version, official plans identify which parts of town will be where people will work, which ones will be for housing, and which might accommodate both. Working with provincial rules, such as those set out in the Greenbelt Act and Places to Grow, official plans identify which parts of town will grow and which ones will be protected from growth. They identify the main roads, how much traffic those roads can carry before gridlock brings them to a stop, and where transit services will be needed to move people around.

(Hint – York Region’s current Official Plan, which I want to talk about more in my next blog, calls for a heavy expansion of rapid transit across the Region to help us cope with growth – which is why implementing our vivaNext plan is such a high priority for York Region).

Official plans also reflect the values and priorities shared by the community, such as a concern for the environment, or the need for a range of housing choices. An official plan reflects and shapes its community, and provides a road-map for how the community is going to grow – and respond to growth – into the future.

Of course, planning a real-life community is a huge responsibility that can affect the day-to-day lives of thousands or even millions of people. So getting it right is important, and takes a long time and a great deal of care; after all, unlike the sand version, redoing an official plan takes more than a sweep of a shovel. Hearing from the public is a critical part of developing an official plan – York Region’s current plan has a whopping 1,500 page appendix of submissions from the public!

So next time, let’s look at York Region’s December 2009 Official Plan, which highlights the importance of increased rapid transit for the York Region of the future. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you: if you could go back to the sandbox, what would be in your perfect sand-city?

Links –
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Citizens’ Guides to Land-use Planning
Ontario Professional Planners Institute

Categories
Community Events Going Green Rapidways

Who knew picking up trash could be fun?

earthday_2010_04_23

Did you know that Earth Day is the biggest and most celebrated environmental event in the world?

On Thursday, April 22, vivaNext staffers were among the one billion people in 170 countries who took part in this global event to tackle local environmental challenges. We donned our bright Viva blue shirts and raced the clock – and each other – to see who could pick up the most trash along one stretch of the future Highway 7 rapidway in York Region.

Who won? Well, everyone wins when we each do our part to clean up the planet!

You may be surprised to learn that organizers of the very first Earth Day celebrations were also supporters of live-work-play communities. Then again, perhaps you see the connection between sustainability and pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented spaces.

We certainly feel a strong connection with the values of Earth Day here at vivaNext HQ; our rapid transit service is a key part of achieving smart growth goals and creating better connected, more livable communities in York Region. On Earth Day, and every day, we are working hard to design and build a rapid transit service that offers a green travel alternative, makes it easier for you to get around, and helps to shape growth in an environmentally sound way.

Check out our video and see how we did. Tell us if you participated in any Earth Day activities or submit your video!

Categories
Live-work-play Urban Planning

Making room for everyone

making-room_2010_04_19

There might have been a time when, as it grew, a community could just continue to expand its boundaries farther out into the surrounding countryside, adding new neighbourhoods as more people moved in. But in our increasingly crowded part of the province, we’re long past the time when municipalities can just spread out endlessly – our boundaries are pretty much fixed. So finding room for new people has to happen within our existing space.

With provincial legislation setting out formal growth targets for all Ontario communities, York Region has had to do some careful planning to map out where all those new people are going to live. And we’re not talking small increases – our planners have projected that by 2031, York Region will need to find room for an additional 577,000 residents and 234,000 households. And those new people need places to work, so planners also need to factor in room for an additional 180 million square feet of employment floor space, to accommodate the 318,000 new jobs that will be needed.

York Region is pretty big, so maybe those people can all spread out? No, it’s not that easy. In the first place, although some people prefer to live in more rural settings, the majority of people in York Region want to live close to amenities – near schools, near stores, near entertainment – near all the great things that make city life interesting and convenient. And those things tend to be clustered at the heart of our existing larger communities, like Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan.

Secondly, although York Region is quite large geographically, a lot of our lands are actually very fragile environments, and are protected against significant development. In fact, nearly 70% of our total land is protected under either the Green Belt Act, or the Oak Ridges Moraine Act.

To make this a win-win for everyone, the Region has adopted a planning strategy that directs almost half of the expected new growth to existing built-up areas, with the other half going to new development areas. This approach will result in more opportunities for people to live, work and play in the neighbourhoods that they already know and love, while reducing some of the growth pressure on the surrounding countryside.

The Region’s Centres and Corridors – which include the cores of Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan – will play an important role in this growth strategy. Most of the growth that will occur within the Region’s existing urban area will take place in the Centres and Corridors. With this concentration of growth, people will find it easier to get around using existing and planned rapid transit services, and to enjoy the exciting mix of living, employment, shopping and entertainment options that are already there, and that will continue to evolve.

Those of us working on vivaNext are excited about this plan, because it will put transit at the centre of the action as York Region grows into the future. I’d love to hear what you think of this vision, and what it will mean for how you live your life in York Region?