Waterdown growth may be delayed for years
October 28, 2005

City staff are raising strong doubts about at least the timing of the 6500-home expansion approved for Waterdown. The massive growth is expected to double the town's population, and is driving an unpopular $50 million road building plan.

Tim McCabe, the city's director of real estate and development, told councillors earlier this month that 500 homes are likely to "proceed very quickly over the next three years". But he added that "we may be at a standstill in Waterdown for a good 6-7 years beyond that 500 units."

McCabe said anything beyond 500 units is dependent on the resolution of the hotly disputed transportation plans which include the proposed widening of Waterdown Road to four lanes, and the construction of a new east-west bypass through the provincial Greenbelt north of the town.

Most of Waterdown Road lies in Burlington, which means Hamilton can't use development charges to pay for the costs. Hamilton officials hope Burlington will pick up some or all of the $10 million cost, but if that doesn't happen the bill would fall on the shoulders of Hamilton taxpayers.

McCabe cited "the funding discussions that we have to have to get this up and running" as one of two major obstacles to the growth plans. The other is "the possible bumping of the EA", a reference to a legal opportunity of citizens and the city to ask the provincial government to take over responsibility for an environmental assessment of the transportation plans.

The plans are currently being examined by a municipal class assessment process, but all such assessments are subject to being 'bumped up' to full environmental assessments. Requests are normally made by opponents of the class assessment conclusions, and are almost always turned down. However, a bump-up request can also be made by the proponent - in this case the city of Hamilton government. That would be difficult for the province to ignore the fact that McCabe sees a successful bump-up as a possibility suggests this may be under consideration.

City council has recently come under sharp criticism from Flamborough MPP Ted McMeekin who told opponents of the Waterdown road plans to take their case to the city. McMeekin taunted city officials with the comment that "after all, one of the celebrated rationales of the 'new' City was that it would ensure much better planning."

Even Hamilton officials involved in the transportation planning have been loathe to defend the wisdom of the 6500-house expansion that was originally approved in the early 1990s by a set of Flamborough councillors who were all replaced in 1994. Later in the 1990s, McMeekin was one of two Flamborough representatives on the losing end of a regional government decision to push ahead with the growth plans. A subsequent battle at the Ontario Municipal Board ended in a 2002 provincial cabinet decision that approved the growth but added the requirement for completion of a transportation plan.

That approval was given by the previous Conservative government. It seems to be completely contrary to the so-called smart growth policies of the current Liberal administration at Queen's Park, but the McGuinty government has not yet shown any interest in re-thinking the residential expansion.

The growth is expected to add at least 15,000 people to Waterdown, doubling the size of a community where the majority of workers already commute out to Burlington or other parts of the Toronto area. Liberal policies call for transit-supportive development that allows residents to live and work in the same community. No significant new employment is planned for Waterdown, virtually guaranteeing a huge increase in commuters heading for the 403 and QEW.

The disputed road proposals are focused on finding ways to get them there. But in addition to sacrificing greenspace and being very costly, the transportation plans appear so convoluted that it is hard to imagine how they will attract drivers. While it is expected most commuters will want to travel east to their jobs, the dog-leg north-south proposals would force them to travel up to two kilometres due west before getting down the escarpment to Burlington and being able to double back toward the east.

Commuters from the approved growth areas in north Waterdown would also be expected to drive west to Highway 6 before being able to proceed east towards Burlington and Toronto. Alternatively they could try to wend their way through the town's already congested business district to get to Waterdown Road.

At this point, Waterdown has no public transit, resulting in a severely car-dependent community with an average of 2.1 vehicles per household. Hamilton's transportation planners concluded that won't change much. While the plans call for the introduction of limited HSR service sometime after 2015, the assumption is that no more than 10% of commuters will switch to transit at any point in the future.

The road proposals also put part of the east-west bypass through a class one wetland and the new provincial Greenbelt north of Waterdown.

The recommendations for road expansion in Waterdown are posted on the city's website at
http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/
CityDepartments/PublicWorks/CapitalPlanning/WaterdownAldershot
TMP/Reports+and+Presentations.htm.

McCabe's comments can be examined in the CATCH report at http://www.hamiltoncatch.org/planning/plan_051018.htm.