Calling it the issue he's received the most calls on since he joined City Council, Ross Fisher agrees there needs to be further study done before the decision is made to close off 7th Ave North off Broadway Street, rendering it a cul de sac.
It's tough to say 'in a nutshell', but in a nutshell, Home Hardware is looking to expand onto the Terry Ortynsky Royal Ford lot on 117 Broadway Street. I am not opposed to Home Hardware expanding its business and don't blame them for trying this. Their neighbor is motivated to sell his lot, it's convenient, and there's no reason to think they won't be just as successful with an expanding business as they are with what they have now.
I do, however, feel lumber yards and RTM construction are more suited to be an industrial park style of business and not suited for downtown. That's not to say Home Hardware doesn't do a bang up, visually pleasing job; but I just think the industry they are in is not one that should be expanded and promoted downtown. Having said that, they are already there and if they want to stay, that should be fine; but if they want to expand there are other parts of Yorkton that are better suited.
On one hand, the City deserves a thumbs up for trying to promote expansion for a rooted Yorkton business and good corporate citizen. I just think it could be better served by offering tax incentives in another location of the city altogether and opening up yet another prime piece of real estate downtown.
Council deserves a lot of credit for listening to the concerns of those who stood before it on Monday night requesting the matter be deferred to a later date (December 3). I think the opposition to this was underrated and I give them full marks for putting the brakes on this decision.
The City, rightfully so, has made requests of businesses to help beautify Yorkton. One could argue allowing RTM/lumber yard industry on the main drag takes away from this effort. Furthermore, I have a concern with parking. Sure, parking is an ongoing issue for Yorkton, but closing off 7th Ave N is only going to add to the problem, not alleviate it. One councillor suggested on Monday night that Saskatchewan Property Management (owners of Broadcast Place) be approached on what their solutions are for parking. SPM, it would seem, requires quite a few spaces and an already tight situation is only going to see the noose go up another notch as far as that is concerned. I know from experience of working in that building for eight years that if you don't get to work at five in the morning, you are quite possibly out of luck for parking nearby. I wonder if SPM has an interest in using that property as a parking lot. I wonder if the City has an interest in buying that as a parking lot. At least if the City had control of it, they could dictate how much of it to sell at a later date should a lucrative offer come along.
Yorkton is growing, as evidenced by the construction of a new Holiday Inn Express on 7th Ave, north of Broadcast Place on Smith St. I think having access to our amenities from as many arteries as possible is important at this point in time and we shouldn't be cutting any off. Smith Street will soon be as busy as Broadway just by virtue of the new business and residential expansion.
Other than accommodating the Home Hardware expansion, I can't think of a single good reason to turn 7th Avenue into a cul de sac. One comment I've heard is that we need a cul de sac for emergency vehicles suche as fire trucks, but I'm not sure that is a make-or-break issue as far as dealing with emergency situations is concerned. I do not recall an instance where a firefighter has spoken up and said he could have performed his job better had he had access to a cul de sac.
This is an issue I have been very vocal about opposing for a number of reasons and I don't at all mind saying because friends of mine live on 6th Avenue is one of them. I don't need them to point out the negatives. They are clear. Mayor Bob Maloney challenged me to attend a council meeting to get more information and I did that on Monday. My opinion remains the same. This is the wrong thing to do. You, as a resident of Yorkton, can let city representatives know how you feel about this issue by sending letters, emails, or making phone calls.
What struck me on Monday was there wasn't a single submission heard that was in favour of this decision. And, when the voting took place to determine whether they should defer the matter until next month, it passed 5-1.
I think it should be noted that Home Hardware, in a show of high class, also requested the city defer the matter and do more study before making the final call.
