RESTORE COOTES

Finally! Pleasantview appeal dropped The landowners pushing for residential development in the last rural area of Dundas have abandoned their  Ontario Municipal Board appeal  of the city’s new rural official plan. Bella Court Developments Limited and three numbered companies had been  seeking permission  for 760 units along York Road. This appears to be the final chapter in a saga dating back to the early 1990s that  last year  saw the provincial government agree to place the Pleasantview lands under the protection of the Niagara Escarpment Plan.   (Source: Citizens at the City Hall )

My first thought when I saw this lovely project was: east end of Dundas: If ever the Hydro building was in a position to be repurposed, something like this would be a beautiful attraction to the area. Celebrating the outdoors and helping create healthy recreational opportunities would enhance this part of Dundas, so long used as a dumping ground/industrial zone. Hamilton's interest in cultural policy relating to development should follow Toronto's, according to Hamilton's Cultural Heritage project manager Ali Sabourin: Toronto’s cultural policies are used in development, for example, by looking at the cultural corridor around a site and how the developer can “add to the vibe of the area”....We want the spaces to reflect what’s interesting in the area,” Sabourin said. [source: Hamilton Spectator ] So, transforming the east end from literal dumping ground into a natural/recreation region would begin by restoring the natural beauty so abundant, but neglected, in previous ...

The editorial position of the Hamilton Spectator is in support of the restoration project at Crooks Holllow Dam. Read it below: Dam decision tough, correct CROOKS HOLLOW DAM  The area conservation authority had to make tough call when it OK'd demolishing the Crooks Hollow dam beloved by local residents. Hamilton Spectator file photo Striking a balance between being environmentally and socially responsible is never easy. The Hamilton Conservation Authority’s decision to go ahead with a $1-million project to demolish the aging Crooks Hollow Dam in Greensville is a good example. In case you missed this story, it centres around the decision to go ahead with the plan to remove the dam and rehabilitate the river system in the area to return it to a pre-dam state. Local residents, hundreds of whom signed petitions and protested the plan, are predictably unhappy. And if you’ve visited the area to enjoy the scenic and sensory pleasures offered by Crooks Hollow, you might understand why t...

The Hamilton Conservation Authority is moving ahead with the task of removing a dam and restoring the original watercourse on Spencer Creek at Crooks Hollow. Restore Cootes has supported this move since it was first announced .  This type of project is philosophically central to this blog's mandate: i.e. to restore disrupted patterns of nature. Human interventions have weakened the natural world's ability to sustain life, and looking at local projects that can restore natural processes and enlarge habitat for biodiversity, well, that's exactly what we want to see more of. Below is the news article from the Hamilton Spectator. Deadline for a beloved dam Gary Yokoyama/The... DUNDAS A $1-million project to demolish Crooks' Hollow Dam and rehabilitate the area will be finished by the end of 2012, says the Hamilton Conservation Authority's chief administrative officer. Despite hundreds of residents protesting the removal of the aging structure near Greensville, th...