News that John Taylor, our Regional Councillor, wants to see a cap of 15 storeys on new development is a step in the right direction.

As he writes in his blog Newmarket is a town. We are not aiming for city status. 

I want to see our town grow - but not at any cost. New developments should be attractive, well designed and built on a human scale.

The future of our town is too important to be left to the troika of professional planners, developers and councillors. The rest of us should have a say too!

And because millions of dollars can turn on Town Hall decisions to re-zone land, we need complete openness and transparency.

There should be no place for off-the-record and whispered briefings when fortunes can be made from land use decisions.

All the facts should be put on the table.

Councillors and Town planners shouldn't hoard information but should share it widely.

The decision by the Town to allow a 20 storey condo at the junction of Davis and George Street illustrates the point perfectly.

The Mayor told us that only two people turned up to the public meeting called to consider the proposed development. But only a tiny number of residents were notified. The surrounding area is almost all commercial, the LCBO, Shoppers and so on.

In the circumstances, the fact that as many as two people turned up was, in itself, a minor miracle.

It should not be read as indifference.

The sky is not the limit.