I lived in Seattle for a few years.  Seattle reduced the total volume of storm water leaving streets simply by reducing paved surfaces and planting trees. It not only resulted in lower future operating costs, but it also ended up cleaning air and beautifying neighbourhoods.  End result is roads like these :-

Notice the centre heavily landscaped centre median?  In Redmond, WA almost all 4-lane roads are decorated with a landscaped median.  Another benefit is that it creates a perception of narrowness and acts as traffic calming.  Bike lanes are off road, for cyclists’ safety. 

Here’s a view of another road that not only shows the landscaping that goes on the median, but also the heavy landscaping they do to screen parking lots from main roads.  This is a highly commercial area.  Compare this to our commercial areas, like Steeles Ave.

This is how buildings are screened from main roads. That way even highly urban areas get a very ‘foresty’ feel.

I worked in one of these buildings for five years.  Notice the setback and landscaping around buildings. 

Another road showing landscaped median, trees screening the building and landscaping and trees screening the parking lot. 

The above view shows something else as well.  Parking lots in that area are designed such that each row of parking is divided by a landscaped median.  With time parking lots get a forest canopy and start to feel like parks, instead of concrete slabs. 

Another parking lot, another road with median and another building screened by trees. Notice how pleasant the sidewalk becomes in this case. You get trees on both sides providing you with shade. 

Yet another parking lot illustrating my point.  There seem to be just as many trees as cars (if you include trees along the parameter). 

As already mentioned, all these pictures are from a densely populated highly urban area.  However, they all show that all urbanization do not have to look same.

Milton should adopt some of these ideas to set itself apart from all other municipalities in the GTA.

Trudeau Drive, with a beautifully landscaped median and multiple rows of trees:

Holly Ave that came later. Not as nice is Trudeau but still a nice looking median with nice street lights with hanging pots:

Scott Blvd, that came after. Tiny, ugly median with no beautification:
 

We should be learning from old construction and making new ones better, not worse. 

Shameless promotion: This also underscores why it is important to have councillors who actually live in the neighbourhood (I live near Scott Blvd).  If Ward 8 councillors actually lived here (and spent time thinking about residents instead of writing borderline-racist document demonstrating questionable intellect – yes, this guy is our current councillor), we would have a safer road and a beautiful neighbourhood. 

Instead we are represented by a local councillor who almost lost his seat four times in last couple of years because he skipped meetings for almost three months in a row.  Even now, instead of representing residents on subcommittees (he doesn’t sit in a single one), attending public meetings (I attend all of them and have never seen him in one), council meeting on budget (he skipped) or council meeting to take feedback on the official plan that could make roads like Scott Blvd nicer and safer (he skipped it); he chooses to spend time writing on how all other cultures are destroying Canada and and causing “us to lose our moral compass”, how all other countries are “moral and/or financial cesspools”, Canadians who got stuck in a war zone and asked to be rescued were “bitching” and, well, go read for yourself and then decide if you want to elect a councillor from among your neighbours or an outsider who doesn’t live in ward 8.

This is a follow-up to Permanent Link to Derry Scott Asking for Variances.  I spent some time going over the proposed site plan. I also spoke with the developer and the consultant, and went to see the site.  Finally, I drove back n’ forth on Derry and Scott to try to envision the plaza all built.

At this point I am satisfied provided that the developer adds some additional landscaping (especially trees).  I will work with the site approver to push for that. 

Breakdown:
It’ll still have enough parking spots.  Though the setback is reduced, it has pond at the back (I know, it seems like pond is on the side but apparently that’s the back).  Loading bay door is partially screened by the TD Bank building.  It has an acoustic fence next to it that should screen it from Derry.

Personally I would’ve preferred no loading dock at all since they are not planning for a restaurant, but apparently it’s required. 

I appreciate all the time several folks spent on the phone and e-mail with me. 

One of the items in tomorrow’s Committee of Adjustment meeting is an application from Derry Scott development (northwest plaza) to:

• Put 14 fewer parking spots than required
• Reduce the rear yard setback by 50% (building will be closer to homes)
• Bring parking area closer to buildings
• Put loading bay door facing the street without having to screen it (right now loading docks are not allowed to face the street, unless they are screened)
• No designated loading area for one of the buildings
• Increase allowed square footage

Basically they want to have more square footage with reduced parking and fewer urban design requirements.  Where do people park if there are not enough parking spaces?  Do people want to see loading bay doors from the street?  What about the minimum setback? 

We should be raising minimum requirements from commercial developers, not reducing them. 

(Shameless plug: this is why it is so important to have councillors from your own areas, precisely why Milton divided itself into different ‘wards’.  That way councillors have a vested interest in working for their own neighbourhoods.  I really do work for all of us, even though I am not in the Council yet).

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/785470–town-hall-revamp-reinvents-past-for-milton-s-future

He ends by saying (emphasis mine): “The town hall is an important reminder that the future of Ontario’s small towns does not require the destruction of the past. Indeed, history gives so many of these communities their appeal as well as their identity. When everything looks and feels the same, it makes no difference where you are. But as Milton reminds us, not all towns are born equal. And not all die equal”.

And that is the reason why I’ve been a broken record on the need of have stricter urban design requirements and site controls. 

Imagine if Apple just let smart and capable developers write different parts of iPhone independently. It’d have a horrible collection of well designed software applications.  iPhone is popular because it’s good. It’s good because Apple controlled the experience (and still does). 

Old Quebec is one of my favourite places to visit in Canada.  It’s nearly perfect.  It was also no fluke. At the end of the 19th century people wanted to demolish the fortifications.  Governor Dufferin, showing foresight, successfully managed to preserve the character of the walled city.  He actually went further and made sure that expansions enhanced Quebec City’s charm.  I’ve written about it before. 

Leavenworth, Washington nearly died out until the 1960s when they decided to convert themselves into a (mock) Bavarian village.  I’ve visited it a number of times and you really do feel like you’ve entered a historic Bavarian village even though buildings merely have facades on them.  Solvang, California turned itself into a traditional Danish town and Winthrop, Washington (impressed with Leavenworth) adopted the American Old West theme. 

18th century development in Europe was specifically designed to appear attractive with aesthetics in mind. Just look at Beth, England.

Each of these stories has a theme.  In each case it was planners who started with a vision of what they wanted to see in their product or town. I’ve given my uncensored random thoughts on Milton’s urban planning.

What’s Milton’s vision? Where is Milton headed?  What would you like to see Milton transform into?  Milton only has two options: accept that its residents will enjoy a lower property value than people in Mississauga and Oakville; or give itself a unique character. 

Should Milton leave it to chance? 

I am afraid Milton is slowly turning into a carbon copy of the sprawl to our East.  Is that what we want?

In order for Milton to be unique, we really need to come up with a vision and then implement it. Councillor Mowbray keeps bringing it up, calling it “urban design regulations”. 

Call it what you like, but a collection of perfectly laid out subdivisions can still turn into an ugly sprawl.  I would like to see Milton turn itself into a sought-after community people pay a premium to move to.  That requires planning. 

Am I the only one who is annoyed at the lack of right-turn-lanes in Milton?

I often have to go south towards Derry.  It doesn’t matter whether I take Thompson or Ontario, neither has a dedicated right-turn lane. 

The image above shows that there is more than enough clearance for a right turn lane.  Why, oh planners, do you insist on not putting them?  I often find myself stuck on red lights behind just one car waiting to turn right.  Major arterial roads should be optimized for traffic flow. 

I can’t imagine how much time and gas is wasted because of this in Milton.  

You already saw my post about the Big Belly, here’s another innovative concept: turbine powered street lights. And dang, they look good too!

Municipalities need to figure out how to reduce the operating cost of street lights.  1% of Milton’s property taxes go towards it.

How is it that a town that created the beautiful downtown Main Street let other parts of Main Street (and all of Steeles Ave) turn into such an eyesore?

Milton just went through an intensification study.  The final report will be available online here.  If executed well, this can do wonders for Milton.  But Milton has gone through other ambitious exercises (Eco Village) with no results.  The key is to make sure that this does not turn into one of those exercises.

My view is that turning Main Street from Bronte to James Snow into the following is potentially a good thing :-

However, I don’t want to see any more of these in Milton:

The study proposes respecting surrounding low-density neighbourhoods by staging heights :-

Another trick is to make sure that zoning is handled well and respected.  Only then can we create walk-able neighbourhoods:

You can see the core urban area map here:

I would personally continue intensification all the way to James Snow, if not further East.  There is a second GO station planned at Trafalgar.  Maintaining a higher population density along Main Street between these stations will help greatly with transit. 

The Thompson / Main GO station is one reason why I don’t think the central library should have gone at the Thompson / Derry intersection. That was an ideal spot for a residential area from where residents could walk to the GO station. 

Now that you have my thoughts on this, what do you think?

Vieux-Québec has done a great job maintaining its unique character.  Can Milton do something to achieve same level of success? 

Milton still has a lot of growth left.  As many new neighbourhoods get created, town planners have an opportunity to define the character of the entire future city.  What can Milton do to achieve a more European-esque look and feel? 

Essentially look at the main historic downtown and think about ways to achieve the same feel, likely via townhomes and 3-4 storey condos, on all arterial roads like Britannia, Loius St. Laurent, James Snow (it’s too late for Derry, unfortunately).