Woodhaven residents close to halting bus depot development
Monday, August 29, 2005 -- By Craig Anderson
Although newspaper reports of the imminent demise of a York Region plan to build a bus depot near The Woodhaven long term care home are premature, says Dr. Michael Greenblatt, president of the resident’s council, resident resistance is proving effective.

“Basically we are waiting for a letter confirming [that the bus depot will not be built],” says Greenblatt, noting the combined effort of the resident’s council and the Cornell Ratepayers Association in opposing the development.

“It’s very good news,” he adds, “because the downside – pollution, noise, possible increase in crime – was too horrible to consider.”

“Although you can’t stop progress,” says Mike MacDonald, Woodhaven's administrator, "you can have good urban planning. Our home is part of the community and we don’t want our residents’ health compromised."

The resident’s council met with town councilor Jim Jones at Woodhaven, and it appears that support for the bus depot plan – is waning.

“Jim Jones informed us that there had been another meeting that had taken place with a number of regional councilors as well as the deputy mayor, and his comment to us was that they all felt that was not the right location and that York Region transit needed to go back and look at other possible solutions,” says MacDonald.

“Our point of view is that it seems that some of the decision makers are in agreement with us – this is not a good solution, it has many downsides – were hoping that York Region’s plan will be re-visited and that they will come up with a different site. So, we’re optimistic, but we’re not having a celebration saying that ‘we dodged the bullet.’”

Woodhaven’s resident’s council – led by Dr. Greenblatt, a retired dentist and resident at Woodhaven since its opening in April, 2003, have waged a pitched battle against the depot project since mid July. York Region transit had originally planned to “temporarily” build a 14 bay depot next to the Markham Stouffville hospital. The site is literally across the street from the Woodhaven residence.

This argument - that the location is only a temporary site - has also fallen on deaf ears, says MacDonald. Haste in implementing a new rapid transit system in the region, and for expanding the Markham Stouffville property to include the new Toronto Grace Hospital is also fuelling the pressure to build immediately, he says.

“The problem is that ‘temporary’ could be for ten years,” says MacDonald, who calls himself a supportive voice for the resident’s council.

The important factor, says MacDonald, is that Woodhaven is seen as part of the community, not as an isolated facility.