City of Kitchener, Planning Department Meeting-June 15 th , 2016
In attendance;
Brandon Sloan (Manager, Long Range & Policy Planning)-City of Kitchener
Rohan Thompson-City of Kitchener
Helen Van Osch-SGCA Director
Carl Keller-SGCA Director
Christine Bettencourt-DaSilva-SGCA Director
Lurdes Jordao-SGCA Director
Questions raised by residents; presented by SGCA Board of Directors;
1) Oak Trees that have been cut down, can the trees be replaced along Deer Ridge Drive? We will be meeting with the Operations Department in the fall and will raise this question at the meeting.
2) Can we expand our little park to include additional swings? Parks Department question
3) How can we prevent speeding along Deer Ridge Drive? And running the stop sign at Candle and Deer Ridge? Transportation Department; for street calming and Police Services to clock speed
4) Many dogs are off leash lately. Are the bi-law people around? Please call the bi-law officer at City of Kitchener to report any concerns.
5) A question I have is the increased traffic coming in from Old King street to Deer Ridge drive given the TD bank, Lulu's plaza traffic and now the new plaza going in. Will there be access to the mall off of Old King to keep the traffic down? Yes, there will be access to mall off Old King.
Will they lengthen the light at the corner so that more traffic can get through/off Deer ridge drive in the morning and after work hours? Customer Service line at Regional of Waterloo for inquiries (Traffic Signal Time)
6) Why do we not have a community center in the area? How did this subdivision get planned without taking consideration into it's residents including children requiring these services? Why are there no areas for children to play baseball or soccer? Are there any lands available that we can plan out something to permit children to play safely in our neighbourhood? Are there any additional park lands being allocated in the future, including dog parks?
History; In 1996,, the developer of the area, Thomasfield Homes, submitted zoning request for this area to begin construction of our neighborhood. The plan was registered in the late 90's with no consideration or requests for a community center or playing areas for children (ie baseball/soccer). The plan contained certain heritage features such as walking trails, access to river and storm water management area, but no other requests were included for additional park lands. Today, when planning any new subdivision/neighborhood, 5% is allocated for parkland. This did not occur in 1996, when Setter's Grove and Deer Ridge area were established. There is no additional lands available to provide additional parkland space nor build a community center in our neighbourhood. Our board of directors continue to look into other options that may be made available to us.
7) It has been noticed that speed signs are missing in the neigbourhood. Can these get replaced? This will be addressed after construction completion. All signs should be replaced once construction has ended on corner of King and Deer Ridge.
8) My main focus is green space planning. Our "park" is totally secluded with is the opposite of every other park in the city which leads me to believe it was an afterthought. Tremaine Park is the centre of its development. Our park is a safety hazard with no visibility and next to a creek which is now overgrown. All inquiries pertaining to existing parks, should be addressed to; Operations@kitchener.ca
9) Is the asphalt on Deer Ridge being replaced? With all the construction that has happened in the last couple of years, the roads have affected and conditions are poor. Please confirm plans to have the asphalt replaced. All inquiries pertaining to existing parks, should be addressed to; Operations@kitchener.ca
10) We know that the City is installing LED street lights around the city. Do we know when this might happen in the Deer Ridge area? This will be conducted in a phased approach and is a Regional initiative. Timing of the installations across the city have not yet been established.
11) At 100 Deer Ridge Dr, right in front of the community mailboxes, on the road there is a huge cemented water main installation. It is very rough to drive on and many vehicles drive around it. . This inquiry should be adressed to; Operations@kitchener.ca
SGCA is requesting at this time:
Dedicated Space to conduct association business in lieu of a community centre not available in our neighbourhood. Business plan to be developed by board of directors and submitted to City of Kitchener for consideration.
Next Steps:
2nd meeting with Operations Department to be scheduled for fall, 2016
SGCA Board of Directors to establish Scope for our association and publish on our website so that our residents can become familiar with items belonging to City of Kitchener and appropriate contact numbers.
