{"id":30430,"date":"2021-12-09T21:37:25","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T02:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=30430"},"modified":"2021-12-09T21:43:01","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T02:43:01","slug":"streetscape-improvements-re-examined-for-downtown-promenade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/streetscape-improvements-re-examined-for-downtown-promenade\/","title":{"rendered":"Streetscape improvements re-examined for Downtown Promenade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

They were largely left on the backburner nearly nine years ago, now Council is set to re-consider streetscape improvements to make Aurora\u2019s Yonge and Wellington corridors more attractive for residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council has received a report on potential streetscape improvements in the Aurora Promenade Area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A list of potential improvements was first presented to Council in 2013 and while some of the recommendations were put in place over the last eight years, others were either rejected or postponed. Now, according to Lisa Hausz, Economic Development & Policy Manager for the Town, it is time to re-evaluate the original suggestions, considering \u201cnew policies, technologies and needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the improvements up for consideration are street light pole replacements along Yonge Street, new illuminated features signaling the start of the Promenade area, sidewalk and crosswalk improvements and enhancements, parking improvements in the Downtown BIA area, and improved broadband\/high speed internet and cell service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeveral factors informed the need to evaluate and recommend the increased scope of the Streetscape Design and Implementation Plan including: condition of infrastructure to accommodate future signage and lighting needs; current developments underway in the area; connectivity and broadband availability; parking requirements; accessibility needs; and the involvement of the local businesses and residents in the area,\u201d said Ms. Hausz in her report to Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe majority of the proposed streetscape improvements will occur on Yonge Street and Wellington Street. An approach to focus on \u2018main street\u2019 areas first was intended to ensure that a critical mass of improvements could be completed within a relatively short timeframe in a focused geographic area. A Streetscape Needs Assessment is now being undertaken to validate the original proposed improvements while taking into consideration new policies, technologies and needs. The intent of the Streetscape Needs Assessment is to solicit feedback through consultation with various groups and the public that will inform an updated plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the perspective of Councillor Wendy Gaertner, however, one area where the list of potential improvements falls short is bringing street trees to the corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need street trees,\u201d she said. \u201cI know that the underground infrastructure is not going to allow that and it would be very expensive, but even above-ground trees in planter boxes\u2026 we will have to think of some way. I can\u2019t think of any downtown core that doesn\u2019t use trees to make it more inviting and I hope we can find a way to do this, somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councillor Rachel Gilliland added that she was \u201cglad\u201d to see Council was taking another look at recommendations to bring a \u201cmore refreshed and revised look\u201d to the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am happy to see we are consulting with all the Advisory Committees [with] different takes on all levels through heritage, environment and community engagement, as well as accessibility,\u201d she said. \u201cI personally would love to see more green initiatives, whether it be through the kind of materials we use, being more forward-thinking as downtown has green components to it, whether it be streetscapes, electric vehicle chargers that are upgraded or something to that effect, and some uniformity in terms of the signage and the colours. I think there\u2019s a lot of great things we can do to improve, but I am excited to see what the community has to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the fact Aurora is currently in the middle of updating its Official Plan, Mayor Tom Mrakas said \u201ca perfect storm is brewing\u201d for Aurora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll these things I think combined are going to help us build on our past to build an exceptional future, not only for our downtown but for the whole municipality,\u201d he said. \u201cAll I can say to the residents is the best is yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong>
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/em><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

They were largely left on the backburner nearly nine years ago, now Council is set to re-consider streetscape improvements to make Aurora\u2019s Yonge and Wellington corridors more attractive for residents. Council has received a report on potential streetscape improvements in the Aurora Promenade Area. A list of potential improvements was first presented to Council in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-7UO","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-06 07:33:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}