Work continues on municipal plan updates and a new housing action strategy in Quispamsis.
Jennifer Brown with Dillon Consulting provided an update to council during their meeting this week.
She said many people participated in a series of public engagement sessions held earlier this year.
“Over 450 survey responses is excellent. Around 350-plus in-person folks coming through those open houses, which is also really good news,” Brown told council.
The municipal plan will provide an overall new direction for growth and intensification in the community and set up a new zoning approach.
The housing action strategy will help to better understand the town’s housing needs and create a robust action plan for staff, council and the community to implement.
Brown also took councillors through a preliminary overview of some of the feedback they heard from the community.
“We heard a lot, no surprise, about housing diversity and affordability, heard a lot about transportation. Small-town character is a big one,” she said.
There were also suggestions for reducing permitting fees, building affordable units and incentivizing development.
Brown said the housing action strategy is expected to be presented to councillors sometime in October.
The draft municipal plan will come before council this fall followed by the draft zoning bylaw in the winter.
A second round of engagement sessions will occur during the winter months before final approvals in the spring.
