Is Holland St. destined to be a major east-west traffic artery or an inclusive public space to live, work and experience culture?
That’s ultimately the decision Bradford West Gwillimbury council faces as the municipality undertakes a Schedule C Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for the roughly 2km stretch of Holland St. E. and Holland St. W. between the Bradford GO station and the town's combined leisure centre and library campus.
The first of two Public Information Centres were held Feb. 17, with two virtual sessions taking place for residents and stakeholders to get an overview of what the EA entails and what steps have been taken so far.
The evening was also used to launch a survey that consultants will use to help shape the plan for the Holland Street corridor, which will be showcased in more detail at the second Public Information Centre in April.
Coun. Jonathan Scott, who also chairs the Downtown Revitalization Committee, watched both sessions and was impressed by the overview provided by staff and consultants. He also feels the public’s appetite for transformation in the downtown is different than previous attempts.
Where in the past, the question might have been about if revitalization would happen. Now, it’s a matter of how it’s going to happen.
“I think people have had a decade now to digest, since the last time this was considered, the fact that we need public infrastructure in our downtown to be conducive for businesses,” he said. “They need a positive environment where people want to walk, where people want to have a drink or a meal on a patio in order to be successful.”
The study is key to revitalizing the downtown core, with a goal of aligning Holland Street to the town’s Strategic Plan. The hope is that Holland Street could become a regional destination for locals and visitors alike.
Today, it is a regional road at best, utilized more for people to drive through than to stay and shop or eat (or, ideally, both).
Coun. Peter Dykie has a better view than most of the current state of Holland Street. From the front window of his business, Bradford Jewellery, which has been in operation on Holland St. E for more than 30 years, he gets to see the thousands upon thousands of vehicles travelling through the core every day.
“Look how many trucks go through; you spend two hours here and watch how much traffic there is,” he said. “This is a very busy road. I know what they mean by making it more walkable or friendly, but look at the traffic.”
Occurring simultaneously with this EA is the town’s Transportation Master Plan study. That study looks to “develop a guide for the sustainable, efficient, and safe movement of goods and people within and around the town,” while identifying “transportation infrastructure requirements and multi-modal network recommendations,” the town’s website for the EA stated.
Part of that plan is likely to show how traffic can be diverted from the Holland Street corridor, a process that began with the construction of Marshview Boulevard and the reconstruction of Dissette Street and Line 8, east of Barrie Street. Those roads would be essential detour routes during the reconstruction phases of Holland Street East and Holland Street West.
But what is hoped to have the greatest impact on east-west traffic through Bradford West Gwillimbury is the construction of the Bradford Bypass. Now that the highway has been approved by the provincial government, transforming the downtown isn’t dependent on the bypass being finished, Scott believes.
“The stars are aligned in turning Holland Street back into a downtown and not just a de facto highway,” he said. “We don’t want to delay making the change that is necessary to create a people-friendly, business-friendly Holland Street”
Dykie, first elected to Bradford town council in 1985, has seen attempts at downtown revitalization before, most recently about a decade ago. The EA completed for that project – complete with public meetings and plans, at a cost of more than $200,000 - remains on the shelf, which irks Dykie.
Ultimately, Dykie said, what stopped the last major downtown revitalization process was a lack of support for narrowing Holland Street from four lanes to two. Given the traffic he sees daily, he’s still not convinced that’s the best option either, especially before the Bradford Bypass is open.
And while Dykie is bothered to be going through the process again in full, rather than revisiting what was completed in the 2010s, Scott is determined to make sure what happened the last time doesn’t happen again, and ensure that all the work done on the future of downtown Bradford – past and present – actually leads to something.
“I didn’t run (for council) to participate in thinking about issues; I ran to get the things done we know need to happen,” Scott said. “Council will make the ultimate decision on the preferred design in June and it’ll be up to the next council to pull the trigger on the final budget, going to tender and starting construction.”
Scott added the plan for downtown will be something he runs for re-election on in October.
Reconstruction of Holland Street East and Holland Street West is necessary, Dykie admits, but in a downtown that has seen businesses closed because of hardships exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s essential a plan is put in place to ensure the survival of the services and stores that would benefit most from a walkable, liveable, downtown.
“When they do construction, and they don’t have timelines, they could put us all out of business,” Dykie said.
Dykie is desperate to avoid a big dig on Holland Street that would see the road closed entirely for a lengthy period, particularly after everything business owners have faced during the pandemic. That’s where he and his colleagues on council will come to play a role.
“How we sequence construction has something to do with it,” Scott said. “We have to look at what the town could do in terms of some of the tools that are discretionary but are available (for) small business support in the downtown core during construction.”
Part of the EA’s consultation process is a public survey, open until March 4. All those who take the survey have a chance to win one of four gift cards to a local restaurant of their choice.
To share your thoughts on the future of downtown, and view the slides presented at the first Public Information Centre, click here.
