Common council will vote to adopt the Central Peninsula Plan on December 9th. (Danielle McCreadie)
The city’s Planning Advisory Committee got its final look at the Central Peninsula Plan on Tuesday night before it goes back to council for approval.
The long-term plan aims to guide development in the city’s core over the next 30 years.
It’s been described as a “cohesive vision” for the city’s core, and includes a number of action items and bylaw amendments to ensure its achieved.
Committee Chair Eric Falkjar says the plan presents a vision of a city everyone should want to live in.
“It builds on what we have that is strong and that is good, and actually starts to put in place that foundation. It creates this virtuous spiral up rather than a vicious cycle down,” he said.
Falkjar says he’s especially excited by the vision the plan has for areas in the south end like St. James Street, turning it from underutilized and full of vacant homes, to a place full of potential for future developers.
Some of the main goals and ideas in the plan include increasing public access to the waterfront, protecting heritage buildings, developing empty lots, exploring active transportation, and green-ifying the core by planting more trees.
Melissa Wakefield, an uptown resident and a member of the heritage development board, says she’s excited to see the plan come to fruition after many years in the works.
“There’s a lot of really tangible stuff. For a plan, that’s always the hard bit. It’s great to get everything onto paper but how do you turn that into something for the community that’s real. That action list really represents the voice of the community,” she said.
Growth targets for the central peninsula over the next 30 years include 1,200 new residential units, up to 3,000 new residents, 350 new businesses, 4,000 additional jobs, and $350 million in new tax base.
The Central Peninsula Plan also includes a five-year action plan that focuses on capital projects, such as improvements to Rainbow Park and the pedestrianization of South Market Street.
There are 12 actions around beautification, 12 around arts and culture, and growth and development, and a half dozen on transportation and other community projects, say planning staff.
“The vision establishes central peninsula as the most complete community in Atlantic Canada,” said key staff planner Andrew Reid.
Councillor Gary Sullivan says he’s excited to see what his fellow councillors think of the plan.
“This is a plan that doesn’t speak to the next two years, it speaks to the next 10 and 15 years and lays out something that I think is going to help us get through the rest. This is really exciting stuff. I’m looking forward for when it comes in front of council because we need some good news in this city,” he said.
The committee is recommending that staff adopt the plan and the amendments it brings to the Municipal Act, as well as adopt a number of zoning by-law amendments.
Council will vote on the recommendations at a special meeting on December 9th.
