Growth is inevitable, but it can’t compromise the town’s unique character

At a black-tie gala at the Court House on Saturday night, the Niagara Foundation celebrated Ward Simpson as its newest Living Landmark recipient. In his address to the gathering, foundation chair Lyle Hall spoke about the urgent need for careful development as Niagara-on-the-Lake experiences unprecedented growth in the coming years. This is a partial text of his speech.

Lyle Hall
Special to The Lake Report

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to say a few words about the Niagara Foundation and our mandate.

Since its founding in 1962, the Niagara Foundation has promoted the history, traditions and culture of the Niagara area.

What does that mean?

Initially, the foundation focused on identification of historic buildings.

We published a reference guide covering the town’s early architecture. We purchased, restored and protected buildings such as the Apothecary and the Foghorn House at 99 River Beach Rd.

And we supported, financially, repairs and restoration of many heritage buildings.

More recently, though, we have concentrated on advocacy, addressing the rapid and significant changes brought about through growth and its associated development – mostly residential.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is not immune to growth. The world around us is evolving and development is an undeniable part of that evolution.

However, in the pursuit of progress, we can’t lose sight of what has defined us, what has given our town its unique character and charm.

We see it daily in our streetscapes, heritage commercial and residential buildings, and notably, in the care and attention paid to keep up these fine examples of heritage.

But what about the future?

I like playing with numbers.

In 1971, a year after the town and township of Niagara were combined to become the Town of NOTL, we had a population of 12,500.

In 1991, two decades later, we had grown to 12,900.

In 2011, another 20 years and with growth of 20 per cent, our population had risen to 15,400.

Last year, within just 10 years, we experienced another 20 per cent growth, rising to a population of 19,090.

By 2051, there could be 29,000 people in Niagara-on-the-Lake – a 50 per cent increase over last year and 2.5 times the number of people who resided here in 1971.

Now, I’m not here to be the town crier of doom and gloom, but we need to have an open conversation about how we’re going to accommodate thousands of additional residents.

And not just where they live, but where they shop, educate their children, engage in recreational pursuits and otherwise enjoy their community.

Does that mean accommodating all of the expected growth, in highrise structures, on greenfield sites solely in Glendale? Of course not.

Glendale is part of the solution and a big part of the town’s future, but development will occur throughout the five villages and rural areas that comprise Niagara-on-the-Lake.

While development is inevitable, it doesn’t have to involve destroying heritage streetscapes, the very thing that makes all our villages unique.

Incompatible land uses, densities, and/or structures compromise our enjoyment of the community. And, from a tourism perspective, they gradually erode the motivation for visiting in the first place.

Bad development is like inviting termites to a picnic – you might not notice the damage immediately, but over time, it eats away at the foundation of what holds a town together.

We’ve seen some bad development and we are seeing pressure for more. We’ve also seen responsible development with new projects that complement our heritage buildings.

Our town council has a big job, and a big responsibility, to manage this growth through this term and in subsequent years.

We believe the foundation also has a job: to maintain the history, traditions and culture of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

We hope to do that in lockstep with town council and in a way that results in a community where we want to live and invite others to visit.

The bottom line is that change is inevitable, but so is the responsibility to ensure that the essence of our town isn’t lost in the shuffle.

Lyle Hall is chair of the Niagara Foundation.