While many Milton businesses have experienced Milton’s phenomenal growth over the past ten years, a lot of the new businesses and residents may not realize where we have come from, in such a short time. So here’s a look back and a peak into what the next decade holds in store for us.
THE YEAR WAS 2000…
• Milton’s population was 31,400. The previous census had shown the community to be the only one in the Greater Toronto Area that had actually DECREASED in population.
• Milton District Hospital had an active search on to recruit an obstetrician so they could RE-OPEN the Obstetrics Ward. The hospital is now averaging 1200 births per year!
• The urban boundaries were Steeles, Derry, Thompson and Bronte Roads, with pockets of industrial construction north of Steeles in the east and north of Highway 401 at Highway 25.
• The only four-lane roads in town were Steeles Avenue and Ontario Street. Local residents and businesses knew Milton was about to start growing. After a decade of zero growth due to water/waste water limitations, “the big pipe” had been approved and built.
Residential developers were starting to build sales offices on Main Street near James Snow Parkway and “way out” on Derry Road east of Fourth Line. The Town’s new Economic Development literature for the year 2000 welcomed the arrival of six new residential builders, “as part of Milton’s 5000+ new homes in Phase 1A of a 15-year growth plan”. That same literature forecast a rise in population to 84,000 residents by the year 2016. Milton passed that number in 2009!
• Building permits had been issued in 1999 for over $100 million dollars in industrial and commercial projects including:
• Mohawk Slots to bring 750 slot machines, entertainment… and Ontario Lottery Corp. revenues to the Town
• Expansions to Meritor Suspension Systems, Toronto Auto Auction and Ontario Tree Fruits
• New buildings to accommodate the arrival of Upwardor, Axis Logistics, Blue Line Trucking and Harrow Truck Lines
• Maplehurst Correctional Centre for a 312,000 sq. ft., $50 million provincial facility.
THE DECADE 2000 TO 2009
Here we grow!
• Residential building permits really kicked into high gear by 2002. From then to the end of 2009, an average of 1887 new single family homes, semi-detached and townhomes was built EVERY YEAR.
• Over that eight-year period, the value of residential construction totaled more than $2.4 BILLION in Milton.
• Our population rose from 31,400 in 2000 to 53,900 at the time of 2006 census, when Milton was designated as the fastest growing community IN CANADA. Our current population is estimated at in excess of 86,000. (2011 is the next national census year.)
• Industrial/commercial growth (new and additional) has exceeded 10.3 million square feet with a construction value of more than $813 million.
• Major new businesses/employers that chose to build in Milton included: Modatek, Parker Hannifin, Reckitt Benckiser, Princess Auto, Assured Logistics, Coremark, Sysco, AMB, Mercury Marine … and the biggest project of the decade, Whirlpool with 755,000 square feet in a $25 million warehousing complex.
• On the retail/commercial side, Milton grew from one major retail mall (Milton Mall) and a couple of strip malls to include major retail shopping centres at Steeles and James Snow Parkway; Maple Avenue east of Thompson; Thompson and Louis St. Laurent; Thompson and Main; James Snow Parkway and Main; and Derry Road at Bronte.
• The car dealers ‘discovered’ Milton too – adding Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and now Mazda to the mix while others expanded, rebuilt or moved dealerships to new locations.
• Milton Chamber of Commerce membership also grew… nearly doubling to 800+ businesses.
• Roads have been built at a furious pace trying to keep up with the demand. Major expansions of Town and Regional roads have seen Derry Road, Trafalgar Road, Thompson Road and Main Street all expanded to four lanes. The railway underpass at Thompson Road was the biggest single roads' project for Milton in the past decade.
2010 AND BEYOND
Growth continues unabated in the face of last year’s recession and this year’s economic recovery.
• The Town of Milton’s 2010 capital budget is its largest ever at $78 million including over $26 million for roads projects. The Town has benefited from federal/provincial infrastructure funding incentive and other programs and now has underway:
• New Arts & Entertainment Centre and Central Library at the southeast corner of Main and Thompson
• Expanded Milton Sports Centre with two new rinks and a swimming pool
• Retrofit and update of Tonelli Arena
• Rebuilding of Campbellville Community Centre
• Development of Fire Station #3 and new Central Fire Station Population projections for the Town of Milton now forecast a community of 147,400 residents by the year 2021 and 238,000 by the year 2031. Secondary plans for the third phase of the residential growth plan, known as the Boyne Survey, were approved by Milton Council in June 2010, as was the 2000- acre Derry Green business park to the east of James Snow Parkway. The Town is predicting a total of 119,000 jobs by 2031 to maintain the existing ratio of one job for every two residents of Milton. The urban boundaries of Milton will extend to James Snow Parkway on the east, Tremaine Road on the west and Britannia Road to the south. Milton is looking to the provincial government for funding and support of expansion of Milton District Hospital (which was built to serve the needs of a population of 35,000) and also to finance construction of the proposed university campus of Wilfrid Laurier University in the future Milton Education Village south and west of Tremaine and Derry Roads. Infrastructure costs to service the forecast growth is pegged at $1/2 billion to 2021 and $2.5 billion to 2031.
This article is courtesy of Milton Chambers of Commerce.
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