The Daily Telegraph

By Rohan Smith

Plans are afoot to create the future Hornsby CBD and the council just might borrow an idea or two from New York City.

The mayor and general manager could be off on a $15,000, seven-day tour of the Big Apple in September, hoping to bring back ideas for the west side of Hornsby.

Organisers of the program, the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, still need to approve Hornsby’s bid to participate in the program.

The council wants to transform the rundown appearance of the old town centre and last year exhibited a planning proposal that includes rezoning the area for high-rise development.

Submissions on the proposal are being received until next month. The Hornsby-Ku-ring-gai Greens have called on ­residents to reject any ­proposal to build higher than 16-storeys in Hornsby.

“The Hornsby West Side Planning Proposal, if accepted by council, would make Hornsby indistinguishable from Chatswood or St Leonards,” the group said.

The Greens want to see a childcare centre, sports facility, community hall or medical centre guaranteed as part of the development.

The planning proposal can be viewed at www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/council/major-projects/hornsby-west-side.

“We expect better for our town. We want to foster community-centred prosperity, not developer profits,” they said.

This article was originally published in the The Daily Telegraph