As city councillors wrestle with the idea of allowing more commercial uses along the Oshawa waterfront, including a new ethanol fuel plant and a rail spur line that will serve existing port-land businesses, they are trying to figure out the best land uses for this area. It has taken a long time to get to this point and on-going land-use studies and a recently released federal report on future development in the area could mean even more years in the planning stages. Meanwhile, the area is increasing under attack by various interests.

Industrial proponents will continue to suggest ways to convert the area to more of these types of land uses, citing jobs and the local economy as reasons for growth. These proponents will serve the best interests of companies like an existing asphalt business. Meanwhile, politicians from the city and Ottawa simply waffle, point a finger elsewhere, and continue to study land-uses for the area and do little.

Each layer of government means more stalling and less action. These politicians have done little for six years, since a recreational marina was closed and future growth effectively frozen out of the area. The Lake Ontario shoreline is the crown jewel in the city’s land holdings, and offers a huge potential to remake this part of the city, and to re-invent and reinvigorate the city’s image from that of an industrial town struggling as its manufacturing base is eroded.

One of the greatest achievements of the city through its many decades of existence has been the creation of Lakeview Park, a slice of heaven amongst miles upon miles of subdivisions and industrial buildings spreading northward as the city grew over the years. This waterfront park offers a breath of fresh air for the city, its residents and those who come to visit. And city officials know this, using the park for important civic events like the annual Canada Day celebrations, among other activities.

But the waterfront area needs some help, in the form of some new development. There needs to be new blood pumped into the community, in the form of condos or other forms of accommodation, restaurants and cafes, a vibrant boardwalk, and other uses. This new development will bring new people into the area, with new ideas. It will mean a gradual cleaning up of the area, and a reinvigorated city in general. The people who move in will eventually add to the vitality of the area and the city as a whole.

In the past, the city has allowed subsidized housing in this area, near the waterfront. It has allowed in some industry that shouldn’t be there. Perhaps there is a place for some commercial uses, located more on the east wharf, as part of an industrial port. But on the west side of the harbour lands could be a great recreational marina, with restaurants and walkways that everyone in the city can enjoy.

Residents can go for a stroll, sit at a waterfront café and enjoy the wildlife, and the sailboats as they go by. The port lands are partly owned by federal entities like the Oshawa Harbour Commission which runs the industrial port, and partly by the city.

It is really time for the politicians to get their act together and complete the studies once and for all and to swing open the doors to allow development to begin, and to open a new chapter in the city’s continued development. A federal election is a good time to catch the attention of politicians, who happen to be listening a bit more attentively.