First it was the Hart Department Store in the spring of 2005. Now it
is Canadian Tire and Mark's Work Wearhouse. This fall, development
is expected by a major retailer on the northwest corner of Deschesne and Hwy
69N right across from the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. Within the
next month a new Subway Restaurant is expected to open beside Caza
Auto. Next summer we expect to see work begin on the construction of
an international motel chain on the mall property. Just down the
road at the end of Elmview we have the Howard Armstrong Recreation
Centre, the Citizen Service Centre/Library and one of the largest
soccer complexes in the City of Greater Sudbury.
With
all of this activity certainly it easy to understand why this part
of Hwy 69N is being dubbed "The Power Centre" of this part of Valley East. In fact, when
you consider the tremendous increase in housing starts in the
community on top of the commercial growth, it is no wonder that
Valley East is becoming the municipality of choice for both new and
current residents of the Greater Sudbury region. A new leader is
emerging in the Greater Sudbury Area, and it is none other Valley East - not the Downtown Core;
not the South End; not New Sudbury!
When the Canadian Tire / Mark's Work Wearhouse opens this fall,
it will change the landscape of this corner of the region forever. Situated right
in the middle of the 15,000 strong Ward 6, with close to another
5000 people 15 minutes away to the north in Capreol, and another
10,000 people in Val Caron and Blezard Valley, the "Power
Centre" is expected emerge as the "Downtown Core" of
Valley East and catapult the municipality to new heights with
respect to economic development and residential expansion.
As some residents are already beginning to say, "Except for
going to work, we won't need to travel to Sudbury for
anything."
The strength and continued growth of the Hanmer & Val Therese
will also make other City Councillors sit up and take a long look at the
Barrydowne Extension Highway. As Valley East becomes more and more
attractive as a residential setting, the demand will increase for an
easier access route to the busy employment and commercial sector in Sudbury proper.
People will still have to work in core of the City, but they will
want to live in an outlying area that contains all of the amenities
available in Valley East.
It will be an interesting few years, especially if City Council
decides to begin promoting development in Valley East. Right now,
all of the growth is simply happening on its own, driven by consumer
demand and the speculation of the private sector.
Indeed, Robert Kirwan, a long-time resident of Valley East, has
decided to seek a seat on City Council as Councillor of Ward 6,
Hanmer & Val Therese in order to fight for the infrastructure
that will be needed to accommodate the escalating demands for
services.
Kirwan,
during an interview recently at his home-based office in Val
Therese, provided us with insight into why he feels so strongly
about the potential of Valley East, "The population of Valley
East is going to explode during the next five to ten years. Ward 6,
Hanmer & Val Therese is right in the middle of a population base
of over 30,000 people when you include the catchment areas of Val
Caron, Blezard Valley, Capreol, the Radar Base and Skead. There are
new mining developments occurring just north of Capreol that will
ultimately create an even greater demand for housing in this area.
The next municipal council is going to be 'forced' to begin in
January 2007 to 'decentralize' its services, placing more and more
dependence upon the Citizen Service Centre (former Library) which is
located at the end of Elmview Drive. The Valley East Industrial Park
is primed for expansion, which lends itself well for people building
houses close to their place of employment. And, as the baby boomers
of southern Ontario seek to sell their million dollar homes around
Toronto, they will begin to look north to Sudbury where they can
establish a beautiful retirement existence and still be close enough
to visit their sons and daughters in the south. It has been said
that demographics explain two thirds of everything. And if you known
anything about demographics, you know that Valley East is exactly
what the baby boomers are looking for as they approach and enter
into their retirement years."
"When you look at the
whole region, Valley East is the one municipality that offers people
just about everything they could want from a community. It is
central to the Greater Sudbury Region; close to the large box
stores, yet far enough away to avoid the traffic and congestion;
close to all employment areas; and contains all of the retail and
recreational choices that one might ever need to enjoy the fantastic
quality of life we are so desperately looking for as individuals.
All we need to do now is make sure that the community is prepared
for this growth," Kirwan went on as he explained what he
intends to fight for if he is chosen to represent Ward 6, Hanmer and
Val Therese on Council. "We absolutely need to rezone the area
north of Hwy 69N and along Deschesnes Road for residential
construction so that development can surround and be close to the
'Power Centre' of this part of the region. If people can build a
home within walking distance of the 'Power Centre' and the 'Town
Centre' they will come in droves. We absolutely need to provide
encouragement and incentives for the private sector to build senior
apartments in Valley East. We absolutely need to expand our day-care
facilities. We absolutely need to expand the transit services to the
subdivisions, creating a central bus depot at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre. If that means using smaller buses for the
subdivision routes, or allowing residents to "hail buses"
from in front of their properties as the buses are running their
route through the subdivisions, then these are ideas we must look
at. We must upgrade our sewer and water pipes in the Hanmer area in
order to allow for the development of subdivisions in this part of
town. We absolutely must improve our neighbourhood playgrounds in
order to improve the image of our community. We must promote the
Valley East Industrial Park. We must support the work being done by
our senior-friendly organizations, such as the Club Age d'Or, the
Knights of Columbus, the Lions' Club and the Kin Club of Valley
East. We must enhance or develop a network of walking and nature
trails that will be used by young families and seniors. We must
ensure that the municipal taxes paid by residents of Valley East do
not include special levies such as the one we are currently paying
for full-time firefighters. And, finally, we must begin to plan for
the much-needed Barrydowne Extension Highway linking Valley East to
New Sudbury."
"There is a lot of groundwork that has to
be done in order for all of the above to be in place during the next
five to ten years," Kirwan concluded. "It is going to
require the efforts of people who have a 'vision of the future' and
the kind of "predictive intelligence" that will allow us
to focus on the right groundwork in order to make things happen that
will facilitate that vision coming true. I have worked all my life
in strategic planning and feel that I am in the best position of
anyone else in this community in order to make these things happen.
That is why I feel it is time for me to take my place on City
Council and get on with the work of preparing Valley East for a very
exciting future."
