Securing schools in 麻豆精选鈥檚 growing urban centres was one of the concerns raised by city council at its Monday (Mar. 10) meeting.
There are no public schools in Downtown, Midtown, or Capri-Landmark鈥攖hree of the city鈥檚 five urban areas. There is an elementary school adjacent to the Capri-Landmark boundary. The information is contained the Urban Centres Community Trends Report.
鈥淲e know that we don鈥檛 control the school development budget,鈥� Councillor Luke Stack said, asking staff how the city can secure schools for those areas.
鈥淲e are going to be reaching out to different organizations, including the school district, which will be on our list to have discussions,鈥� Tracy Guidi, planning specialist, explained.
The city will share future growth scenarios and how populations are expected to grow in urban centres, she added.
麻豆精选's five urban centres | City of 麻豆精选
Stack also noted that only two of the five centres have indoor public space and encouraged staff to investigate including private facilities that offer public access.
鈥淚 know of certain halls people go to all the time, and they view them as community assets,鈥� he noted. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 something we should be bringing into it because that does add to the vibrancy of our urban centres.鈥�
The trends report only looked at city-owned facilities, however, Guidi said Stack鈥檚 suggestion could be looked at, but determining what service private halls offer may be complicated.
Coun. Ron Cannan raised concerns about supporting infrastructure keeping up with growth.
鈥淲hat I鈥檝e heard is, as the city grows, we鈥檙e growing faster than our infrastructure, so what will we be doing to ensure that infrastructure is in place at the same time as the density developments are built, approved, or even before that?鈥�
Guidi explained that staff will be looking at a new growth scenario as part of the Official Community Plan update, which will be presented to council later this spring.
鈥淭hat will be shared with our capital departments in order for them to consider when infrastructure needs to go in and what areas,鈥� she said.
Cannan also voiced concern over the lack of schools and that medical services, with access for all, are only available in Downtown, Capri-Landmark, and Rutland, as well as regional planning.
鈥淚 think we need to be better aligned to ensure there is a quality of life in the future,鈥� he added.
Mayor Tom Dyas thanked staff for the report, pointing out that the city is making a concerted effort to advance infrastructure.
The report is available on the city's website.
