t the last OSCA Annual General Meeting on November 6, a new board was elected and it held its first meeting a couple of weeks later on November 19. A number of veterans have left the board, including our former past president Doug Stickley, our membership convenor Pat Kealey, external affairs chair Brian Tansey, Larry Spencer, Jennifer Tipper and Caroline Calvert. They will be missed and we are all grateful for the service they have devoted to our community over the past years. While most board members decided to stay on, we have five new board members including Diane Borg, Colleen Leighton, Don Cummer, Jeff Hume, and Doug Kane. At the November 19 meeting, we also elected a new executive with myself as your new president, Michael Loewen as vice president, Kristina Liljefors as treasurer, Anne-Marie Corbett as secretary and John Graham as our past president.
As many of you will know from John's column in last month's OSCAR, we were faced with another car-oriented commercial development on Bank Street with the proposal to demolish the Strand Theatre and put in its place a Tim Horton's donut shop. While making the commercial district on Bank Street a pedestrian friendly and intensively developed retail area are key objectives in our Neighbourhood Plan, the commercial zoning on Bank Street has not effectively integrated these objectives into the zoning rule book. As a result, the zoning permits developments such as a Tim Horton's shop.
OSWATCH opposed the proposal at the city's Planning and Development Committee earlier this month, because of the impact it will have on encouraging more car-oriented commercial development right at the time we are trying to achieve the opposite with the rebuilding of Bank Street next spring. I am pleased to be able to report that as a result of OSWATCH's efforts, we have made some headway on this issue.
While the Planning and Development Committee did approve the Tim Horton's application to build a shop on the site of the Strand Theatre, they did ask the developer to work with OSWATCH to make sure the building's design reflected the 1920's architectural style of the older buildings on our part of Bank Street. More importantly, the committee has asked city planning staff to do a study of the zoning on this part of Bank street to see in what ways it can be made consistent with the Neighbourhood Plan's aims to promote a more pedestrian friendly, locally oriented commercial district. The results of this work are to be available in six months time, and OSWATCH intends to work closely with city staff in terms of helping to define the development issues and objectives that need to be examined.
On several occasions over the past year, significant numbers of residents have come to board meetings on relatively short notice to seek our support on a particular issue, such as traffic problems, liquor licensing applications, or a particular development proposal. Everyone appreciates this expression of "direct democracy." Members of the community want to be able to petition their board and seek its support. Unfortunately, these issues are usually pretty complex and the board is often not always as prepared as it should be on such short notice. As well, other residents may have very different views on the same matter, but may not have had the same opportunity to present their views.
After a long discussion, the board has decided to establish a new procedure for dealing with such last minute representations. If a group of residents wishes to make a presentation, it should contact the president in advance. If it is appropriate, the group will be asked to take the matter up with the appropriate OSCA committee, for example, OSWATCH on a zoning issue, and the committee will work with the group to help resolve the issue and if necessary report any recommendations to the board.
If it is still necessary for the group to approach the board, the president will arrange for a specific place on the board's agenda at its next meeting. The board will then hear the group and consider whatever recommendations have been made by the OSCA committee. In cases where the issue may have significant impacts on a number of residents it is likely the board will suggest that a public meeting be held on the issue, if that has not already been done. At a public meeting, all views can be canvassed and a consensus developed or resolution passed. The result will then be that whatever position the board takes will have had the benefit of detailed committee work and, if appropriate, a community based consultation.
We think this process will be fairer for everyone. It will help the board develop community positions that are based on some detailed committee work and a fairly developed consensus, or at the very least, a full canvassing of the community's views.
As many of you will know a working group of community representatives, including four members of the OSCA board, a representative from each of the two schools near Bank Street and four representatives of the merchants on Bank Street, have been working with city staff and consultants on the redevelopment of Bank Street.
The results of this work will be presented at an Open House to be held at the Firehall on Tuesday, December 11, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The proposals cover redesign of intersections, new sidewalk layouts, new street and pedestrian lighting, landscaping and street furniture. The group has deliberately "pushed the envelope" to come up with some innovative proposals with particular priority attached to pedestrian safety and increasing the attractiveness of the street.
We now need your input - have we got it right, what works and what does not, and what have we forgotten?
Remember, this is a once in a generation chance to make a difference and we will all have to live with the result - so come on out let us know what you think!