Quote:
Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere
Burlington has run out of residential greenfield, but still has a ton of undeveloped employment lands. And yea sure the downtown is relatively small, but it's bigger than most of the old "villages" that serve as the historic core of most GTA suburbs. It properly functions as an actual downtown with paid parking, city hall, event centres, lots of restaurants and bars, etc.
Too often cities cave and stick development where it is "easy" with little opposition, like large commercial corridors. Burlington is exciting because it's an existing historic location with a tight street grid and urban, walkable feel that allows the density to create an urban environment that is actually interesting. Condos beside suburban GO stations can't do that. Once all the currently planned condos are built downtown is going to have a much higher population, and will really push commercial and pedestrian activity to a busier level.
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Agreed. I hope some balance can be found for the density/height issue. I also want to see more employment downtown, not just retail and restaurant but more offices built into some of the condo blocks (I doubt we'll see any dedicated office buildings going up; there are a few small ones now).
In the latest edition of the new official plan there's a reference to having enough employment land until 2031 to meet forecast demand. Not sure how long beyond that there might be available tracts, but right now there are large ones remaining south of the 403 east of Aldershot GO, a few larger lots along the QEW, and in the business park west of Burloak. There's also the strip of land along the south side of the 407, on the north edge of the urban boundary. There are also opportunities for intensification on existing employment lands, which is a goal in the OP. Lots of candidates for that.
The city needs to stay strong on keeping that land prioritized for business and light industry. There will probably be a push by developers in some areas to change to commercial/retail (if not residential, especially along the 407 and 403 where residential growth has been occurring nearby in Alton and Aldershot).