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The Burlington Post recently ran a substantial (3,700-word) two-part overview of the development that has been taking place in Aldershot.

In Plain View: Transforming Aldershot - Part 1
(Burlington Post, Tina Depko-Denver, Aug 19 2013)

Twelve years ago, Aldershot’s Plains Road corridor had 11 used car dealerships, seven abandoned gas stations, aging motels, empty storefronts, two adult massage parlours and two adult video stores.

The route, which was converted from King's Hwy. 2 to a road in the mid-1990s, still had the feel and look of an old highway.

The Aldershot Community Council decided in the late 1990s they had enough and wanted to transform the seven-kilometre stretch of Plains Road between the Royal Botanical Gardens and IKEA.

As a result, the Plains Road Village Vision Committee was born in 2001. The committee combined the passion of residents with the resources of Aldershot businesses, the City of Burlington and Halton Region.

Fast-forward to 2013 and Plains Road is well on its way to becoming the main street the committee first envisioned.

New developments, both residential and commercial, have sprung up with a number of others in the building process. There are areas featuring updated landscaping, flower-planted medians, a gazebo, new sections of wider sidewalks and additional benches....

There are several objectives of the Plains Road Village Vision regarding the corridor’s redevelopment.

Among these are new developments built close to the street, wider sidewalks, increased mixed-use development and retail/commercial space, parking lots at the side or back of new developments, natural-coloured building materials like stone and brick, increased landscaping and more services for residents.

The mixed-use corridor and urban development guidelines established by the city’s planning and development department help ensure builders are consistent with the Plains Road Village Vision.

The area’s redevelopment has garnered the attention and respect of area politicians, such as Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring.

“When you look at what is there now, the improvement is significant,” said Goldring.”We’re transitioning Plains Road from a ’50s, ’60s suburban highway into an urban main street. There’s still a lot of work to do, but the progress has been absolutely fantastic.”


Here's the article in full, as well as the companion article.