The Process of planning Guelph’s last green-field land in the south end (better known as the Clair/Maltby Secondary Plan) has been a long one to date:

• 3 years.
• Pro-active engagement from city staff.
• Stakeholder meetings
• Town halls
• Council meetings
• And more….

Today, the long awaited Phase Two report and recommendations have been released from our professional city staff to have considered at an upcoming special council meeting on June 14th and then ratified on June 25th.

There’s many results contained within this report (found by clicking HERE) but the top two that most people will certainly be interested in are:

1. Removal of Rolling Hills properties in its entirety – including the ones fronting onto Clair Road and “pushing” it for further studies to 2022.

2. Removing the road connection through the rear Marcolongo property as Gordon Street can handle projected transportation/mobility needs.

So how did we get to these recommendations?

WE LISTENED.

The city must follow processes and these often include looking at many options that are required under the professional standards of our planning staff, through Provincial policies and more.

These options, considerations and explorations of what may or may not work can often feel extremely uncomfortable. So for those that have had to go through it with us, I applaud all of you. Especially those within the Rolling Hills neighbourhood. I’ll admit that some of what we’ve gone through together I didn’t enjoy too much either – So many questions, unknowns, anxiety and opinions. Yet the journey has brought us to what we have before us today and my hope is that there is some relief given to many.

My blog post from last week provides further Q&A’s regarding how the city is engaging the environmental monitoring and other processes that are being undertaken with these lands. You can read that by clicking here: Q&A’s

I’ve said many times over many years, (as both a councillor and as Mayor), that Guelph needs a full range of housing types in our community. From small to big we are all a part of the community and we contribute to what makes our city great.

The process to date also confirms that we care about what neighbourhoods say, care for our environment, water, transportation needs and how we plan out what our city will look and feel like in the years to come as we welcome new Guelph’ites to our collective doorstep.

There’s more to do. It’s a process. Let’s keep moving through it together.

Feel free to email me your thoughts on the report: mayor@guelph.ca

Take care,

Cam