Newmarket is planning to give drivers a visual reminder of why you should drive slowly with cut-out signs featuring children.
Town council is set to review its traffic-calming measures March 21, which now include a pilot for signs featuring a school-aged child telling drivers to slow down for her safety.
Council is also due to explore new heritage designations and make a zoning approval for residential development.
Here is what NewmarketToday will be following:
Traffic safety signs
The town is piloting a new way to address speeding.
Staff is planning to place two cut-out figures of a child on busy streets to see if it helps reduce speeds. One is to be placed on Lorne Avenue, while another will be placed on another street “based on technical factors.”
Staff is also reporting on other traffic calming measures already in place, including traffic bollards, urban shoulders and solar radar boards.
There are also recommendations for some new measures to be used on Penn Avenue, west of Main Street North, to Maple Leaf Public School. Staff suggested adding bollards, solar speed boards and a boulevard sign campaign.
Heritage designations
Newmarket’s canal system and York Region’s headquarters on Yonge Street are on their way to receiving heritage designation.
Town council will review requests to provide these two sites the designation, with bylaws coming forward later.
The canal system along the Holland River, built between 1906 and 1912, is associated with Sir William Mulock, an "early and vocal proponent" of it. A heritage designation report said it is a conspicuous landmark in the town's core.
The regional headquarters, built in 1994, is also getting heritage consideration, with a report considering it “an excellent example of a postmodern institutional building.”
Residential zoning approval
Council will consider zoning approval for 42 apartment units in two four-storey buildings at 49 Charles St. and 52 Prospect St., along with 11 stacked townhouses at 55 and 59 Charles St.
Staff said the 42 apartment units will meet the region’s affordability criteria for development charge deferrals, and the council is also due to weigh in on that.
Staff said the developer removed trees from the site without authorization, and compensation will be required before site plan approval.
If the bylaw is approved, a site plan application process will follow.
The meeting will be streamed live from Newmarket’s municipal offices. You can view the stream through newmarket.ca/meetings or email [email protected] to send correspondence or register a deputation.
