Changes to Woodcrest Road have been uncertain for 21 years and the street’s ward councilor doesn’t believe residents will support the city’s latest plan either.
City administration on Monday presented city council with five options that would transform the street between John Street Road and Hutton Park Drive.
Recommended options include curbing and paving at a cost to property owners of between $201 to $275 per metre of frontage and sidewalk paving between $170 and $263 per metre.
McIntyre Ward Coun. Trevor Giertuga said the most pressing issue for his constituents was the inclusion of cycling lanes in all the recommended options, as Woodcrest falls within the city’s planned Active Transportation Corridor.
“It’s the loss of parking and the bike lanes,” Giertuga said.
For the plan to move forward, it would require two-thirds of residents to approve. Giertuga doesn't believe any of the recommendations will enjoy that degree of support among Woodcrest residents.
“I don't think there is and I don't think there is on Hutton Park as well. As a city, we'll have to look at -- if it doesn't pass -- how we're going to deal with these issues and how we're going to get this development finished.”
The report emerged from a February council meeting, at which residents protested the city’s intention to apply a local improvement petition, which Woodcrest residents presented in 1995.
Residents said the street's property ownership had undergone significant turnover and one resident claimed the city’s plan would require her to pay $56,000 over 20 years for sidewalks and gutters.
Giertuga committed to holding a ward meeting this autumn to discuss the city’s proposals with his constituents.
“It has been over 20 years now but the first local improvement was so long ago we do require a new one,” he said.
“And with that, people aren’t going to vote on something until they see what they’re going to get with their dollars.”
