The dead-end sign at the end of Greenhouse Road in Breslau may soon be unnecessary, as Woolwich Township is working towards building the Breslau East Connector Road.
The road would see Greenhouse Road connect to Fountain Street and the Dolman Street extension with the goal of uniting a physically separated Breslau.
“I think it’s an important road because Breslau has developed into two sections,” Mayor of Woolwich Township Sandy Shantz said.
The proposed road was a hot button topic at Monday night’s council meeting where the vote was split.
In a staff report presented to council, Woolwich Township planners said the connector road would provide a vital link for neighbourhoods in Breslau, and could also connect to a possible future Go-Train station.
The price for the entire road is estimated at roughly $30 million with about $15 million of that cost going towards a railway overpass.
“Public health and safety is obviously a part of the decision tree,” township director of infrastructure services, Jared Puppe said.
Puppe said that leaving the railway at ground level could mean increased liability for the township, as it would be more accessible.
Shantz explained in the extreme case of an accident, it could cost upwards of $15 million to clean up, which is why she is in favor of the overpass.
Details regarding the future Breslau GO station have yet to be determined. A spokesperson for Metrolinx confirmed they continue talks with the township. It is also Metrolinx policy that no new level crossings will be created on their corridors.
'Development should pay for development'
The proposed funding for the road would come from increased development charges, placed on new builds throughout Woolwich Township.
Many municipalities throughout the province experiencing quick growth have recently increased or begun using development charges.
Once collected, the fees are deposited into the township's development fund where the money is used to build many different kinds of infrastructure throughout the township.
“There are a number of projects listed in the Township of Woolwich that are funded partially or wholly by development charges,” Puppe said.
“In this instance, this is a project that is funded solely through development charges. There is no what’s called ‘benefit to existing' in this instance.’”
That means existing residents or newcomers to town who purchase existing homes do not pay development charges or contribute to the development fund in any way.
“Our thought has always been that development should pay for development,” Shantz said.
To summarize, “essentially anybody who pulls a building permit or completes a site plan application would fund into the development charges portion,” Puppe explained.
For now, it's undecided how much each new build would be charged in the future.
Council is still hoping other levels of government may help foot the bill for the road. The project's environmental assessment is also still under review.
“We are going to be able to report back to council mid-year, hopefully with what the new development charges rate will be, which will include this project, but also a number of other projects,” Puppe said.
If approved by council as is, the plan states construction of the road could be completed by 2031.
