From 2010 to 2018, Burlington was led by Rick Goldring. He ran again, but a third term was not in the cards. He, like many who choose to serve, loves his city. He grew up here and has raised his daughters in this place. But now Burlington is changing. Used to be that most people went somewhere else to work and came home to rest, play, and head back out the next day. Classic suburbia. Today, many stay and work in this city of 200,000. Here’s the challenge: Burlington has reached its growth limits and in Rick’s mind, it’s time to embrace the new urban reality. There is no more physical space to grow out, so the only way to accommodate the 75,000 more people expected to move into the city over the next few decades is to intensify. Simply put, more people in less space.
Burlington has to build in and up now. That’s not what some people want to hear. They like the way it’s been. Rick has other ideas. Rejuvenate the downtown core and make it a destination. Build high-rise hubs around the GO stations, bring street-level retail into the neighbourhood so that people can walk to the store, bike around the city, and spend time in expanded green spaces. Is this the next Burlington? Does it sound fine as long as it happens somewhere else in the city? Let’s ask the former mayor.
