Milton council opts for environmental assessment to guide greenspace bond properties

Public Works Director Sarah Leaders told the Milton City Council on Jan. 22 that staff recommends pausing the purely staff‑led green-print effort and securing consultant expertise for the environmental components of the greenspace bond properties.

Leaders said the planned environmental assessment would "define the natural areas, looking at what wildlife habitats, if there's some protected species, looking at some additional wetlands or water quality," and would examine whether any of four water‑feature properties could qualify as receiving areas for mitigation credits. She described three options for the council to consider: continue the staff‑led phased plan; commission an environmental assessment; or pursue a more detailed master plan like the one developed for Milton City Park and Preserve.

Council members asked about timeline and scope. Leaders estimated the environmental piece would take "4 or 5 weeks" and described the $40,000 figure as the current ballpark for that environmental assessment. Several members emphasized preserving the sites' existing character rather than installing extensive infrastructure: one councilor warned against converting all properties into highly developed trail parks, saying some sites should retain a "rugged" feel and not necessarily include restrooms and heavy amenities.

Leaders said the consultant scope will be refined to include community input and interaction with property owners, including giving local, qualified landowners access to provide information to the consultant. She said the refined scope and professional services agreement will be returned to council for approval.

Next steps: staff will refine the consultant scope to ensure community involvement and bring a professional services agreement back to the council for formal approval before procuring the environmental assessment.