Bradford focuses on Hwy. 400 for future jobs

By Sean Pearce Barrie Advance Jul 12, 2012 

The Hwy. 400 employment lands remain council’s focal point for future economic prosperity, but Bradford residents may be in for a bit of a wait if they’re holding out for higher paying local jobs.

At the last council meeting before the summer break, town staff presented an update on the status of the various capital projects on the horizon, including the Hwy. 400/5th Line interchange, which has been cited as an important asset needed to lure industry to Bradford. According to the report, the environmental assessment has been completed and detailed design is anticipated to start this year with construction wrapping up by the end of 2015.

That being said, even the town’s director of engineering services, Debbie Korolnek, said that timeline may be somewhat optimistic.

“Depending on the financing, I would see there being an 18-month design phase followed by two years of construction,” she said. “That’s three-and-a-half years in total probably putting us into 2016 at this point.”

Currently, the town is also trying to draft agreements with Simcoe County, the province and local land developers to equally split the cost of the estimated $54.1-million interchange between the three parties, while also convincing the latter group to foot the nearly $18-million cost of servicing the Hwy. 400 employment lands as identified in OPA 15 and the almost $20-million cost of running water and sewer service out to Bond Head as per OPA 16. 

The town has been successful in obtaining front-end financing from the same group of developers, which counts major players Geranium and Metrus among them, in the past, Ms Korolnek said, explaining it’s a sound strategy as it means the town won’t have to borrow the needed money and recoup it later through development charges.

“We have assurances from those parties that they’re on board,” she said. “But there’s nothing official yet.”

According to Ms Korolnek, the town won’t be able to proceed until such time the province comes to the table and cash for the necessary infrastructure materializes.

“If we don’t have the funds, we can’t start,” she said.

The lack of a firm commitment to finance the interchange and the hazy schedule has former council candidate and Ontario Green Party critic, Meade Helman, worried.

He’s made his own inquiries on the subject, but said he’s received different answers depending on who he’s spoken to at the town. Residents were left with the impression that the Hwy. 400/5th Line interchange was an urgent priority toward enticing Toromont Industries to come to Bradford West Gwillimbury and bring with it a number of new jobs, he said, noting he now believes that the company’s re-location plans are anything but a done deal.

“Developing our industrial tax base is very important,” Mr. Helman said. “We need to have a plan to develop whatever currently serviced industrial/commercial land we have today and not just wait for Toromont. If Toromont comes, great! We need it, jobs and taxes, (but) if they don’t…”  

Ward 3 Councillor Gary Lamb has also expressed concerns about the town’s current heading with respect to the Hwy. 400 employment lands.

The last spurt of significant industrial development in Bradford was about a decade ago, Mr. Lamb said. There’s been plenty of residential and commercial development since that time, but well-paying local employment has remained elusive, he said.

“We’ve had plenty of new retail jobs in the past few years, but that doesn’t make a sustainable community,” he said. “You’ve got to have it all; we need higher-paying jobs.”

Part of the problem is that so much of the Hwy. 400 lands’ viability rests with the construction of the 5th Line interchange, Mr. Lamb said. The town can’t afford to sit idle for years while the province makes its decision and needs to come up with a back-up strategy should the wait prove too long, he said, explaining an alternative could be as simple as running a new road south of Hwy. 88, which already has an interchange with Hwy. 400, down to the 5th Line. 

Bradford needs new high-quality employment as quickly as it can get it, he added.

“If this bridge doesn’t happen, we need a back-up plan,” Mr. Lamb said. “I just want us to hedge our bets.”

Ward 4 Councillor Carl Hordyk said he’s looking forward to having the Hwy. 400 employment lands come together. The town needs the type of jobs development on those lands will bring, he said, and the 5th Line interchange will create a new way to access the town from the south.

“We need this,” Mr. Hordyk said. “I’ve said it before and I said it last (council meeting), that this is the No. 1 strategic priority for this council.”

Beyond jobs and tax revenue, the community will hopefully reap other benefits from the new area as well, Mr. Hordyk said, adding there are a few business sectors that are currently lacking within the town that could be on their way.

“I’m excited about the employment lands,” he said. “We desperately need some hotels or a conference centre in this community… That is so important, because that way we can bring in soccer, hockey and other tournaments.”

One thing that will have to be watched, however, is the cost, Mr. Hordyk said. The EA has identified a cost in the neighbourhood of $54 million, but council recently learned the hard way that estimates in the early going can be off significantly as was the case with Dissette Street where the pricetag went from some $12 million to nearly $35 million once all of the dust settled.

“We’ll have to be extra vigilant on this,” Mr. Hordyk said, adding he has expects council will be keen stay on top of the project and ensure that the estimates align with the realities.

For his part, Mayor Doug White expressed confidence that the different funding partners will come together and strike a deal on the interchange in the not-too-distant future. The lands are important to the county as well, he said, and the town has secured pre-payment agreements with the same developers on other projects.

Discussions with the province are ongoing, he added.

As for a back-up strategy, Mr. White said the town needs to remain focused on the current path. The Hwy. 400 employment lands are vital for the town’s future prosperity, but only with the interchange in place, he said, explaining other lands slated for industrial development along what was supposed to be the Bradford Bypass route simply aren’t feasible without that link between Hwy. 400 and Hwy. 404 being built.

“The problem is that those lands are not at all viable until a highway is built,” he said. “That is the frustration I continue to have with this.”

The fact that the province doesn’t have the Bradford Bypass included in even its 30-year planning horizon makes the previously identified employment area even less of an option, he added.

Once the interchange gets going, Bradford will be in an enviable position, Mr. White said. The employment area is located right alongside a major “400-series” highway, is just 20 or so minutes north of the city and about the only such large parcel of developable industrial/commercial land left in the area as the majority of the land between Vaughan and Bradford West Gwillimbury is protected by the legislation.

“No municipality anywhere near us has this much land to market,” Mr. White said. “They may have a small parcel here and there, but what we’re talking about is 2,000 acres of employment lands.”

Those type of factors will make Bradford very attractive to prospective employers, he added.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation didn’t have much to say on the subject of the interchange except that they are working with the town and the county.

“We recognize the importance of this new interchange in terms of opening up access within the town and County of Simcoe,” said ministry spokesperson Astrid Poei. “We are currently in the early stages of discussions with the town and County of simcoe.”