Meeting Notes
Community Information Session

Monday Sept. 16, 2013 6:30 pm
Cultural Centre - Theatre

This is an excerpt from a community meeting facilitated Glenn Pothier from GLPi as part of the community engagement strategy for Vision Georgetown. After a presentation and Q & A.  The group was asked a series of questions.  Below is a summary of the responses:

PLENARY FEEDBACK SESSION:

Glenn facilitated the plenary session, the details of which are as follows:

Question #1 – What characteristics contribute to a great neighbourhood?

Attendees were encouraged to answer this question on their comment form and submit it to Town staff.

Question #2 – What communities are you aware of that have been well planned? What makes them so?

Responses

•  The Beaches – low density with a maximum of 4 storey apartments with rental units on top, compact, small businesses close by, apartments above businesses on the main street.
•  Rockwood – the creek, greenery and the small town feel.
• Glen Williams – large lots, walk to shops, small town feel, safe, houses not right at the street.
• Santa Fe, New Mexico

2a) What makes up the ‘small town feel’?

• Not sterile;
• Diversity in types of homes;
• Space between homes;
• Different depths;
• Lots of trees;
• Public gardens;
• In Georgetown there are pockets of really great areas;
• Diversity in housing form, varying setbacks.

  Question #3 – What are the positive attributes/assets of Georgetown today – what are the strengths on which we want to build?

• Small enough to know people when you see them at the mall
• Small size and control over the size of the Town, in contrast to Milton
• The Glen (Glen Williams) – stays true to nature
• Neighbourhoods are structured to be neighbourhoods (example Munroe Circle – no through traffic).

  People can be neighbours without traffic flowing through

• Should limit the height of fences
• The country feel – keep out high rises and transit and keep forests and agricultural lands
• Independently owned small businesses, and hope that more will be in the new area
• Quick response from the Mayor and Council to public requests
• Maintain successful Georgetown downtown and farmers market to bring in local agriculture
• Be restrictive on where to put commercial – keep it in one part of the neighbourhood and not have

  commercial everywhere

• Quiet, low traffic residential neighbourhoods

  Question #4
  In developing this community, what do we want to avoid?

• Becoming a Milton or Brampton
• Building houses first and then soft infrastructure later
• To get rid of all existing trees – can we use existing trees to line streets?
• Flat urban sprawl – make it look full
• An area that is disconnected with the landscape. We should build using the natural contours of the land
• Altering intermittent streams
• High rise apartment buildings – Santa Fe has height restrictions which prevent high-rises
• Overcrowding in existing schools and recreation centres. We need a new high school in a timely fashion

   

• Low paying commercial/service jobs

• New community that doesn’t provide things for the youth to do

•  

Putting larger buildings on the ground later. Put them in first and design them to reflect Halton Hills.

Question #5 – Complete this sentence: “I will know that this new community in Georgetown has been well designed if...”

Attendees were encouraged to answer this question on their comment form and submit it to Town staff.   

To see the full notes click HERE