Business owners believe growth in Bolton desperately needed
By MARK PAVILONS Editor

Faced with limited growth in the Bolton area in the near future, several key Bolton businesses and the Chamber of Commerce are combining their voices, in an attempt to convince Caledon council to revisit their population forecasts, and allow the area to grow.

Several large business owners met at Cedar Hills Pontiac Buick Cadillac last week, in an unified attempt to band together and get their message across to the powers that be, that growth is necessary if local merchants are to survive and thrive. Ironically, the "saviour" may lie in a huge proposed development that would rival the current town of Bolton in size and scope.

Kelly Darnley, president of the Caledon Chamber of Commerce, said the issue for Bolton lies in the Town of Caledon's approved population numbers and their concentration on growth in Mayfield West. The Town foresees no more than 1,500 new residents coming to Bolton in the next 15 years (infilling in currently available land) and that sounded the alarm bells for local businesses, who stressed they can't survive if Bolton isn't allowed to expand beyond those numbers.

Darnley said the Chamber has been working with its members, and land developer Solmar, to up the figures allowed into the South Albion Plan to benefit the greater Bolton area. To do that, she said, they need zoning and appropriate contingencies built into the South Albion Plan (and perhaps a boundary adjustment), which is currently under development. Darnley said they've held discussions with the Region of Peel, and while local planning is a municipal matter, Peel staff did indicate growth in Bolton is warranted and they would provide the necessary infrastructure to the area to accommodate it.

Catherine Cross Blacklock, owner of Cedar Hills, said she spoke with Peel chair Emil Kolb who said he'd ask staff to review the issue and respond with a staff report on the residential needs in Bolton.

Last fall, Blacklock and others met with the mayor and a Town staffer to express their concerns. "After the meeting concluded the three of us felt as if our concerns fell on deaf ears," she said. Bolton businesses contend the forecasted growth from 26,271 to 28,000 in Bolton and south Albion between now and 2021 "will not sustain our businesses."

Blacklock added the growth of Mayfield West by an estimated 14,000 in this same time frame will not contribute to Bolton business. She also mentioned that since her company's recent renovation, her property taxes have increased by almost $10,000.

"We as Chamber members require the support of all businesses in Bolton and are extremely pleased that the Chamber is working with us to achieve our goals," she said.

The Chamber is hoping to take the bull by the horns, organize its members and hire a consultant to create a report to back up their theory. She asked local businesses to provide not only their support, but pitch in funds to help offset the costs of the consultant. This third party analysis, they believe, will support their assertion that an absence of Bolton growth is detrimental. Further, Darnley said they believe not only is there land available in the greater Bolton area, but that development in Wards 3/4 will play a vital role in revitalizing Caledon's largest urban centre.

"It's survival. We need leadership," she said.

Barry Stafford, owner of Tim Hortons, said many of those in attendance have a big investment in this area. "We're all in the same boat," he said, urging the business to move forward in an organized fashion.

Would a massive development southwest of Bolton "save" the local businesses?

James Kennedy, president of KLM Planning Partners Inc., has done a lot of work on behalf of Solmar Development Corp., which envisions just such a community taking shape, on roughly 1,800 acres that borders Coleraine, Mayfield, The Gore Road and Healey Road. Known as Humber Station Villages, this "village" would include 8,500 homes and some 27,000 people. It would be home to three schools, a community centre and soccer fields.

Kennedy explained the population projections for local business owners. The Town of Caledon approved population figures last year, and they call for a Caledonwide population of 84,444 to 2021, with Mayfield West seeing the largest growth, followed by Caledon East with 6,500 more residents and Bolton with an additional 1,500. The projections also see Caledon's population reaching 108,000 between 2021 and 2031 and an additional 9,800 Bolton residents.

The current push from the Town, Kennedy said, is to bring the hundreds of acres of vacant industrial land on line and create jobs. He argued that adding this commercial land without an accompanying residential component doesn't make sense.

The province created its Places to Grow growth plan that allocates population to each region in Ontario. The Region of Peel is slated to grow by 1.64 million, largely shared by Brampton and Mississauga. While Caledon is pegged to top the 113,000 mark, there are some 32,000 of "unallocated" people, residents Caledon businesses would like to attract.

Benny Marotta, head of Solmar, said he's been working with the Town of Caledon for years, bringing a lot of prestigious commercial space to the industrial park. He was told by Town staff that three major companies want to invest in the Bolton area, but he argued they are either warehouse or trucking firms and the added traffic congestion they will create isn't in anyone's best interest. What we need, he said, is high-tech and manufacturing companies to provide a future for Bolton residents. The Town's standpoint is "out of whack," he said. He stressed some 75% of Caledon's businesses are located in Bolton.

His proposal has been in the hands of the Town for several months and now that an appeal to Mayfield West has been dropped, it can now be discussed.

Marotta said he has roughly $100 million invested in Caledon and is anxious to get his Humber Station Villages off the ground. Solmar's representatives will make a presentation to Caledon council Tuesday, March 20 at 1 p.m.

Stafford said perhaps the best approach is for the Chamber to take the lead role, since it represents some 400 members. Marotta added the more voices they have, the more the Town of Caledon will pay attention. Many of the business representatives agreed to present a strong voice and even back Solmar's proposal.

"We need steady growth feeding the business community," Darnley observed.

Kennedy stressed that if Bolton's growth is frozen, the population will actually decline and there may be an exodus. Humber Station Villages, he noted, is an exciting opportunity for Caledon. Designed as a community that works, the proposed development would include schools, parks, a community centre and well planned links, none of which would impact local traffic congestion. This project would provide roughly $245 million in development charges, $112 million of which would go to the Town of Caledon. Lands, and the planning process, need to be opened up to renew an interest in Bolton and the surrounding area.

Marotta said if the Town of Caledon comes out and says a certain amount of growth is okay, and considers his proposal, the groundwork can begin to secure Bolton's future. If all goes well, he said he could begin in two years. The development charges notwithstanding, the economic input this development would provide would be enormous to Town coffers.

Richard Whitehead, regional councillor for Wards 3/4, said while the former council set the population limits last year, they haven't closed the door on the issue at all. Bolton west will urbanize, he said, because all the key factors are in place - market forces, willingness of council and services from Peel.

"This council has to deal with it ... the door is not closed on the issue," he said.

The South Albion Plan is continuing, as is a commercial industrial study for Bolton's urban community. The conclusions, Whitehead said, may call for a boundary change that will allow for more growth.