WE ARE OPPOSED TO THE CURRENT PLAN FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF THE GUELPH YOUTH MUSIC CENTRE / GOLDIE MILL PARK PARKING LOT
There is deep concern shared by many citizens of Guelph about the current plan to redevelop the grounds around the Guelph Youth Music Centre (GYMC)/Goldie Mill Park. To date, there has been no public meeting/input into the planning of this project before it was put out for tender. We deem this to be unacceptable and call for the immediate halt of this initiative until the City exercises due diligence and completes such a process.
Cutting down heritage trees to make way for a black top asphalt parking lot is a completely irresponsible activity in 2009. We challenge the City and ourselves to do better. This as an important opportunity for a pilot project (noting the City has just completed the new LEED SILVER CERTIFIED City Hall). Our youth music centre deserves the most environmentally sound parking lot possible. Let’s go for the PLATINUM.
The following concerns must be addressed by the City of Guelph:
REMOVAL of TREES: Of paramount importance is the protection of mature, heritage trees, in this area and throughout the City of Guelph.
The notion that new plantings can replace the aesthetic and ecological value of mature trees in our city is folly. The current plan lists 9 trees slated for removal. Several of these trees are statuesque mature trees which contribute to the beauty and health of the environs. People have been married under these trees. Children play in the shade they create. The building currently benefits from the shade they provide. This resource is irreplaceable in the lifetime of a Guelph resident.
ASPHALT PARKING LOT: We demand an alternative to a black top asphalt parking lot.
Immediate consideration must be given to the infiltration of storm water, noting the City’s current desire to promote surface infiltration and reduce directed run-off into storm sewers and the rivers. Building a black top impermeable surface is completely inconsistent with this initiative and would be an irresponsible decision for a location adjacent to the Speed River.
HEALTH of the RIVER: This proposed development is in a sensitive riparian area directly adjacent to the Speed River.
Adding a black top impermeable surface and draining it to the river will provide a direct conduit for automobile pollutants such as oil, gas, and particulate matter; in addition, runoff of winter de-icing salt will have negative ecological consequences for this fragile aquatic ecosystem. This is unacceptable for the City of Guelph and for everything and everyone downstream from us. Input from the River Systems Advisory Committee is required. Furthermore, the City’s Official Plan states that an Environmental Impact Study is required, “where a development proposal may negatively impact a natural heritage feature or its ecological function”.
PARKING SPACE and TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES: A traffic flow study concerning the parking lot use is required to justify any increase in number of spaces.
Transportation alternatives should be promoted and existing, underutilized, parking space alternatives must be made use of (e.g., expanding public transit routes to the GYMC, using existing parking space in the area such as the Norwich St. lot at Wolfond Park East, street parking, and the commercial lot at Norwich and Cardigan).
Concerned neighbours and friends of Goldie Mill Park.