Newmarket council will take a deep dive into the current realities of residential parking and what could be done in the future.
Councillors will take part in a workshop on the recent residential parking study Dec. 9. The study found most residents (84 per cent) did not find issues with on-street parking near their homes, but 55 per cent of respondents also found parking bylaws too restrictive.
Council will also be considering declaring Christian Heritage Month and finalizing the budget at a Dec. 9 meeting. Here is what NewmarketToday will be following:
Residential parking
Newmarket council is trying to figure out what to do about residential parking in the community.
A preliminary study was presented to council in October, finding the town has enough on-street parking to meet demand. Council will now spend a workshop on the study and its findings.
The study gathered insights from 880 respondents along with examining parking in several areas of town. It found there is some concern about restrictive parking bylaws, particularly overnight parking. Lesser concern existed in areas like visitors not being able to find nearby parking (41 per cent of respondents) and difficulty accessing visitor parking to reach nearby businesses (29 per cent of respondents).
Consultant WSP Canada will be refining the report in the coming months, with a final report due back to council by the end of 2025.
Budget passing
Newmarket council is set to pass a budget with a 2.99 per cent tax raise increase.
Council is due to formally pass the budget at the Dec. 9 council meeting. The budget comes after months of work and will see the average annual tax bill in Newmarket raise about $75.
The increase is tentatively the lowest of any York Region municipality this year.
“The budget process at the Town of Newmarket is challenging every year. We work hard as a team to deliver amazing services, find efficiencies and keep tax increases as low as possible,” Newmarket Mayor John Taylor said on social media. “I believe we do a very good job of finding the right balance.”
Christian Heritage Month
Newmarket plans to proclaim every December as Christian Heritage Month.
Coun. Grace Simon brought the idea forward during the Dec. 2 committee of the whole meeting. She said she has received messages on a regular basis for several months on the idea. She said 35 municipalities have already done this, including York Region this year.
“In Newmarket, it is really the fabric to our community,” Simon said Dec. 2. “How much support we receive, and service we receive, from people of all different kinds of faith, but especially our Christian heritage, our Christian faith in the community.”
The municipality is streaming the official plan workshop on Dec. 9 at 9 a.m. and the committee of the whole meeting at 1 p.m. You can view the meetings at newmarket.ca/meetings or attend in person at 395 Mulock Dr. You can also set up a deputation or send correspondence by messaging [email protected].
