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September 26, 2008,
Town of Richmond Hill - Press Releases
Mayor Dave Barrow
Richmond Hill Economy & Community Have
Never Been Healthier
 RICHMOND
HILL – While much of the world sits in wait to find
out what will happen next with the North American economy,
Mayor Dave Barrow told members at the Richmond Hill Chamber
of Commerce's Annual Mayor's Luncheon & Member Showcase
that Richmond Hill is well positioned for success and sustainability.
“Richmond Hill is very competitive in its market with
its industrial tax rate being the third lowest out of the
26 GTA towns and cities and its commercial rate the fourth
lowest,” said Mayor Barrow. “Richmond Hill is
still one of the hottest markets and our property values are
remaining very high, a sign of a healthy community,”
said Mayor Barrow.
Highlighting the Town’s economy, the Mayor went on to
say that the Richmond Hill business community is growing at
a solid rate with jobs in the employment lands consistently
increasing, averaging of 3.5 per cent a year and a total of
31.6 per cent over the past nine years.
“The Town currently has 13 active development applications
in the employment lands totaling some $72 million in construction
value,” the Mayor added. “In addition to the 58
corporate head offices currently located in Richmond Hill,
we are also welcoming BMW, Ash City Clothing, Trimark Sportswear
and Toy Galaxy to name a few.”
When it comes to residential properties, housing starts have
decreased compared to past years due to the lack of water
and wastewater infrastructure capacity in the Region and residential
resales are also down. Despite this, the average price for
a detached home in Richmond Hill is $587,496, which is the
second highest property value in York Region, and the highest
number of Region-wide sales in townhomes and condos occurred
in Richmond Hill.
The Mayor said that another sign of a healthy community is
how it cares for its youth, seniors and the environment, using
Crosby Park as an example. The Park opened just last month
to rave reviews from people of all ages and abilities. This
innovative community partnership is a first of its kind in
the GTA, if not all of Ontario. From an environmental perspective,
he announced that the Town’s mission to protect the
environment lead the Town to become the first municipality
to be awarded the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation’s Moraine
for Life Award, noting how proud Council and the community
can be of these unique and important achievements.
Another great initiative that Council has been proud of since
taking office are the new annual cultural events the Town
hosts for the rich and diverse ethnic communities that characterize
Richmond Hill. The Town has hosted several celebrations, including
Chinese New Year, Norooz (Iranian New Year), Eid (Muslim holiday)
and, later this fall, the Town will also be hosting its first
Diwali (Hindu light festival) celebration.
The Mayor also discussed some of the main initiatives the
Town will be undertaking in the coming year to help engage
the community, including the shift in moving the People Plan
Richmond Hill project from Strategic Plan creation into the
development of first new Official Plan that the Town has seen
in years. Others include a report on the feasibility of relocating
the Town’s Main Municipal Offices, schematic designs
and construction tendering for the Oak Ridges Community Centre
and the much-anticipated opening of the Richmond Hill Centre
for the Performing Arts.
As a member of the GO Transit Board of Directors and Chairman
of the Yonge Street Subway Advisory Committee, Mayor Barrow
is a big supporter for public transit initiatives across the
Region. Just a few of the upcoming Provincially-funded projects
that the Town will benefit from include the expansion of the
Yonge Street Subway to Highway 7; full funding of phase two
of Viva, which includes bus rapid transit in dedicated lanes
on Yonge Street and Highway 7; and increased Richmond Hill
GO Transit rail capacity and frequency.
Transit is one area that the Government of Ontario has financially
supported this year in the community. The Mayor thanked local
Members of Provincial Parliament Reza Moridi and Helena Jaczek
for their concerted efforts on behalf of our Town.
“This year we are pleased to announce that we have received
grants totaling over $12 million from the Province to refurbish
our roads and accelerate projects that would not otherwise
be able to do without raising the taxes,” said Mayor
Barrow. “However, we continue emphasize the lack of
funding that the Region of York and, in turn, the Town and
York Central Hospital receive compared to other areas in Ontario.”
As we move closer to the federal election it is our hope that
those elected will do more to help municipalities through
partnerships and funding. The Mayor re-stated his position
that the property taxpayer should only be responsible for
the services related to his/her property (i.e. roads, water,
sewer, fire, police, parks, libraries, etc.), not those like
transit or social housing.
“Our focus now can shift to the federal election. We
need a national transit strategy to provide adequate transit
resources to increase ridership,” said Mayor Barrow.
“We also need a national action plan for housing to
eliminate homelessness to preserve and modernize Canada’s
existing social housing stock.”
In closing, the Mayor noted that while almost halfway through
its four-year term and mandate, Council has accomplished much
and that residents and businesses can be confident that the
Town is poised to face the next two years with a strong, healthy
economy and community.
Read the Article in the Liberal on www.yorkregion.com
It’s
business as usual, mayor says in ‘state of town’
address
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