Why City Councils’ Should Not Have a Say Over Planning Policy and Regulations

You know what really grinds my gears? An absurd city council.

“Council Hopes New Mall Will Stimulate Economy” was a headline of a recent article in The Cambridge Times online. Council wants to go against the city planners’ expertise in favour of implementing a new strip mall in Cambridge. The councilor’s insist it will help “boost” the economy, so why not reinvest in the city elsewhere instead of creating yet another boring strip mall in an over-serviced area already?

The site is proposed for the corner of McLaren Avenue and Dundas Street, adjacent to Rockwell Automation. Surprise, surprise – “the strip mall will include a new Shoppers Drug Mart as its major tenant and a new unnamed bank in addition to smaller retail stores.” How many Shopper’s does Cambridge need? Maybe it will also house a new Tim Horton’s which would be 2 minutes away from the other nearby coffee shops! Give me a break!

What else is dumbfounding about this decision is that fact that staff say this part of the planning process is required because it sits within a kilometre of another commercial facility or the site is on a major intersection. In this case, the development is too near the Highland Plaza, and McClaren Avenue is not a major street.

I’m glad to see that council can see fit to just override not requiring a recommended official plan amendment!

You know what would be nice in Cambridge?!? Some restaurants and retail establishments on the forgotten west side of Cambridge!  Invest in that to boost the economy!

Source: CambridgeTimes.ca