Has Knowlton become a town exclusively for rich older NIMBYs? This was a concern voiced by many younger residents and families at a town hall meeting for under 45s held at the Centre Lac-Brome on September 19th.
Billed as a call to work out a new strategic development plan for the next five years, the well-attended meeting brought together around 60 residents from different villages in the Town of Brome Lake, including many young families who had recently moved to the area.
In a congenial and effortlessly bilingual atmosphere emceed by consultants from Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, participants were asked to submit ideas for how to improve development in four categories: social, business, urban planning, and environmental.
Many of the same concerns, criticisms and suggestions were aired and shared.
People agreed on the basics: access to schools and more afford- able housing were essential.
But they also want to live in a place that is vibrant and cultural, is dense and walkable with lots of cafés, restaurants and local businesses that can support themselves unhindered by overly restrictive municipal bylaws.
Greater densification benefits merchants and local culture. For this to happen more construction of all kinds needs to happen, including near the town core and including cooperatives and plexes.
Merchants present said that the town could do a better job listening to their needs and communicating, citing difficulties in getting businesses off the ground.
Some pointed to an entrenched culture of naysaying when it comes to new proposals, primarily among older long-time residents.
And many expressed a sense of relief in meeting so many young people who were on the same page. One speaker said that after attending some town council meetings, she felt that many of the senior decision-makers lived in a bubble, with lengthy discussions tending to focus on relatively trivial issues like recycling bins and parking spots.
Knowlton is a beautiful town and no one is suggesting we gut its historical character. But it’s often dead, particularly in the winter. It’s worth asking what we can do to change that, and increase its commercial and cultural vibrancy.
Whether we like it or not, change is always inevitable.
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