Stable neighbourhoods must be prioritized by Council

January 24, 2018 · 0 Comments

The headline in the December 21 edition of The Auroran indicates that Council will “eye” the interim control bylaw to help protect our stable neighbourhoods.
This is certainly a step in the right direction. However, words like “interim” and “temporary” are a concern as this issue requires a permanent solution and until such a time, it will continue to plague us. Our older sections of town will continue to be degraded by these supersized monstrosities being blindly approved.
Upon hearing that the review of this issue will not be completed until end of first quarter 2018, it rings of the expression that “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” We sincerely hope that Aurora Council does not do the same while our older sections of town are permanently destroyed.
Bureaucratic pace should not be accepted for this issue as permits continue to be issued and neighbourhoods scarred with each delay…this must be prioritized by Council. Strict timelines are needed before the character of these neighbourhoods are lost forever.
We should not be forced to wait months for reports which should take a couple of weeks to complete.
By the time any meaningful decisions are made, the 2018 building season will be nearing conclusion!
This leads us to question—Are Council and planning departments so influenced by developers and revenue generation that they choose to ignore the wishes of local taxpaying homeowners?
Is this new study just political posturing and grandstanding? Is Aurora Council really serious about making positive changes to protect our stable neighbourhoods? We the residents need our Councillors’ support on this important matter.

Greg Kessler
Aurora