No concrete for this Burlington neighbourhood as residents resist sidewalk plans

A group of residents in a Burlington neighbourhood are concerned about sidewalks…they don’t want them.

The residents, who live on Linwood Cres, Maureen Crt. and Bromley Rd. have asked the City to exclude them from plans that would see sidewalks placed in front of their homes.

A petition signed by 43 of the residents on those streets was presented to councillors this week.

Their position is opposite to what residents usually want which is the inclusion of sidewalks.

In this case, the residents want to maintain the neighbourhood the way it is as well as preserve the trees that would have to be removed to build the sidewalks.

“They don’t want them. They bought those homes and there were no sidewalks and they don’t want them now,” said Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman. “The residents say if the sidewalks go in, several trees will have to be removed. They want to protect the trees…and we have been talking a lot about protecting trees…so it’s kind of tough to not be supportive of this.”

Sharman went on to say the resident feels very strongly about the issue and that they are going to be forced to deal with something they don’t want.

“The people who live there feel that they are under assault,” Sharman said. “They don’t want to be party to it. And I think we need to respect them and deal with them in a way that they want to be dealt with”

Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna agreed.

“This is a perfect example of community engagement,” said Bentivegna pointing out the City has been encouraging more public participation in the decision-making process.

City staff have been directed to reconsider plans for the sidewalk installation and report back to council on the impact if the project is scrapped.