PAGE 8, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1977, WHITBY FREE PRESS ."Small and vulnerable" Brooklin studied by professor By BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer One of the most critical development areas in the Town of Whitby is the hamlet of Brooklin, which is the subject of a secondary plan study by Donovan F. Pinker Associates, who will present phase one of their study to council in the near future. A lot of publicity has been given to the Pinker study, but little is publically known about the largest landholder in the Brooklin area, Consolidated Building Corporation, is doing about the future of the hamlet. CBC owns 1,200 acres of land surrounding Brooklin on the north, east,·and west, and intends to be deeply involved in the planning and develop- ment of these lands over the next 15 to 20 years. In mid 1975, CBC hired one of Canada's top planning and architecture consultants to examine Brooklin and surrounding area and study all phases of its impending develòpment. He is James Murray, a professor of architecture at the University of Toronto, a Fellow of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada and a member of the CanadianInstitute of Planners. He studied under the famed historical architect Eric Arthur, and is editor of a magazine entitled The Canadian.Architect. Professor Murray is a man very sensitive to the planning problems of Ontario's small communities. He points out that the British abandoned the idea of creating new towns from scratch 10 years ago, and he prefers to.build on a community like Brooklin, which already exists. Professor Murray worked on planning the community of Erin Mills in Mississauga, and proposed housing policies for Erin Mills, the North Pickering Development, and a community in Winnipeg. "Planning and architecture are inter-related", says Professor Murray. "My interests are community structure, how you think about a community related to the people in it, and the validity of a neighbourhood". Professor Murray sees Brooklin as "a very attractive pleasant village with almost unique qualities", and secs opportunities for enhancing certain of these qualities. His major concern is to maintain the scale and general nature of Brooklin within the growth system, as it relates not only to the hamlet itself, but to the Town of Whitby, the Region of Durham, and the Central Ontario Urban Complex. One thingProfessor Murray would like to discuss- with the people and planners is TUEDAY, FEBRAY2 THRIFT BOX keeping the main street of Brooklin as the centre of the town, which is intended in the official plan at this time to grow to 10,000 people. He has made a careful and intensive study of small villages and their main streets, and points out that the exist- ing focus of the hamlet extends from the fair grounds to the Meadowcrest Public School. He points out that CBC has taken the choice to retaining the old downtown core, instead of building a new core around shopping centres, as an idea of prînciple, as the developer does not own any property on the main street. In his study, Professor Murray has listed 14 points of housing policy which fie feels should be applied to Brooklin.- Among these are the need to bring adequate employment opportunities to Brooklin. "We have no vision of a commuter town", he says. "We want to propose a well- rounded community". Much ofProfessorMurray's work to this point has been to undertake basic studies on environnental issues, soils and water quality, and make an iriventory and assessment of these qualities. He has also made a careful evaluation and inventory of existing Brooklin, made drawings on community structure and drawn up some planning ideologies. "It is indeed possible and desirable for Brooklin to grow without damage to its existing qualities", says 119 Green St. Protessor Murray. "It will be able to hold its younger people at 10,000 rather than 1,800 people. If it values its independence it will have to be more master of its own house". To Professor Murray, "Brooklin is small and vulner- able", and is "socially and physically in danger" to hold its identity in relation to Whitby, Courtice andOshawa". Growth will be physically and socially non-destructive if we build up around a community and enhance its strengths". The main threat is it can't stay the way it is socially", he says. Professor Murray hopes that he and CBC can interact with the Town of Whitby and the Donovan Pinker study, and involve as much public participation as possible in the planning process for Brooklin. In about a month, after phase one of the Pinker study is released, CBC intends to open a public information centre in the old Bank of Commerce building in down- town Brooklin, staffed at least twice a week as a point of contact between the community and the developer. "I would be there person- ally and other staff at adver- tised times", says Professor Murray. "CBC is obliged to have its expert people to respond to specific topics". He sers the arrangement as a drop-in centre or community concept centre with a progran for the people to discuss, rather *than holding public meetings with 300 people in a hall. ifttk MtULOS eut, set, permanent A good or professional 668-9262 JAMES MURRAY "This would be the first time in Canada such a sincere effort has been done to get before the community", says Professor Murray. He does not see CBC's role as a mani- pulative process between the developer and the Pinker, study. CBC will be involved in the community for 15 to 20 years, whereas the Pinker studies will last only about six months, and lead to guide- lines and goals for the secondary plan study, to which the developer must respond, he says. "CBC's role is hopefully that of an experienced and enlightened developer respond ing to the Brooklin study", says Professor Murray, "We are committed to the open planning process, and can't plan till we have an open dialogue with the comnunfity". "Brooklin lies between an urban area and a rural base", says Professor Murray. "It would be good to draw from both these strengths". Of concern to him also is a year-by-year look at the staging of growth in Brooklin over the next 15 years, so that facilities are not over- crowded as development Woccurs. With 1,200 acres of land in the hands of one developer, the work and outlook of that developer will have a critical bearing on the future of Brooklin. Professor Murray as chief planning consultant for that developer, expresses a concern about taking the community as it is, and en- hancing its'character and opportunities through growth and development. As he says, it is a far cry fron the approach of devel- opers 20 years ago who did not make such intensive studies of the areas where they were to build. Further announcements are expected of when the community concept centre is to open in Brooklin and when Professor Murray will be avail- able there to talk with the people of this significant growth area in the Town of Whitby. AUS tuned toyour budgetI ot Sanders Recipe Ket'uck9 ried Ckickea A CANADIAN COMPANY Colonel Sanders' boys and girls make it "finger lickin' good.' REGULAR $4.25 7YOU 70 PLYMOUTH FURY SPORT, 2 dr., 383, 4 barrel 69 CH EV CAPRICE, 2 dr., V-8, auto., 54,000 miles 69 CHEV IMPALA, 4 dr., V-8, auto 69 CH EV BE LAIR, 4 dr., V-8, auto 69 FORD LTD, 2 dr., V-8, auto 68 CHEV IMPALA, 2 dr., V-8, auto, new paint 64 IMPALA, 2 dr., ht. (ALL PRICES LISTED ABOVE ARE "AS ISI totots ckickenitd. OVER 100 LOCATIONS IN ONTARIO- SEE VOUR PHONE BOOK FOR THE ONE NEAREST YOU. 4,b e 4 64, ~ é f ' ~$ BRADLEY MO TORS 841 DUNDAS ST. 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