Council and city staff are scrambling a bit after the province announced the location of a new downtown Brampton university campus last month.

On April 19, the provincial government, Ryerson University and Sheridan College revealed the new campus would be located at the corner of Mill Street North and Church Street West, currently the site of the downtown GO Station parking lot.

“A lot of residents think that we made that decision (about the campus location). It was a shock to us, quite frankly,” said Coun. Grant Gibson, adding the decision was entirely up to Ryerson.

“It never would have dawned on me that is was going to go on that site. We suspected it might go on the site south of tracks,” he added.

At an April 25 committee of council meeting, Gibson and fellow Ward 1 Coun. Elaine Moore, raised a number of short and long-term concerns about the chosen site, and tabled a motion to have staff look into a number of potential issues.

Adding to the concerns, are two large, already approved condo projects in the same area which will be under construction at the same time. The corner at Main Street and Nelson Street will be home to three highrise condo towers, while a 300-unit condo complex at Mill Street and Railroad Street is also in the works.

Moore said dump trucks and building-supply deliveries will be an ongoing concern during construction, and wants to make sure residents are prepared and properly informed.

“People just need to know that we’ve anticipated what the impact could be on them, and that we share the pain of having it there,” she said.

According to Gibson and Moore, traffic flow is already an issue in the area at peak commute hours as commuters come and go from the GO station. In addition to the short-term pain caused by the construction phase, both councillors also noted possible long-term implications.

“This is a neighbourhood that has a lot of traffic, especially coming through the north. They cut through on Rosedale and Isabella, and Mill Street for parking,” said Moore.