Thank you for your continued interest in the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Suburban Plan!

In this issue of the Suburban Plan newsletter, you'll learn about our Main Street Visioning Workshops and next steps in the Suburban Planning process.

“Main Street” Visioning Workshops

Last week, we concluded our ten “Main Street” Visioning Workshops , in which a whopping 315 community members participated! The two-hour workshops focused on the following areas:

1. Waverley Road (Red Bridge Pond to Montebello Drive)
2. Cole Harbour Rd-Portland St (outside the Circumferential Hwy)
3. Dutch Village Road
4. Herring Cove Road (Spryfield)
5. Bedford Highway (Halifax, Bedford)
6. Lacewood Drive
7. Main Street (Dartmouth, Westphal, and Lake Loon)
8. Main Road – Cow Bay Road – Shore Road (Eastern Passage)
9. Sackville Drive
10. St. Margaret’s Bay Road (Timberlea)

After a short presentation about the current context of the specific main street, participants were asked to work in small groups to answer several questions, including what they love and what could be improved on their commercial main street. We talked about design and scale of buildings, streetscaping and sidewalks, parks and public gathering spaces, and the types of services, businesses and housing that should be encouraged along each main street.

Many themes arose from the workshops, including:

• A desire for more community spaces for residents to connect and host events;

• A safer experience for pedestrians accessing businesses and walking along streets;

• Celebrating community identity through art, beautification elements, and supporting local businesses;

• Openness to mixed-use buildings at varying scales;

• Encouraging space for outdoor patios, seating, landscaping, and shade outside of businesses;

• Recognizing the competing transportation, commercial and community functions of main streets;

• Ensuring main streets are accessible, inclusive, and welcoming; and

• Encouraging housing that meets a variety of needs.

These workshops were also great opportunities to learn about what makes each commercial main street unique. We learned about important histories and incredible natural assets, like lakes, rivers, shores, and trails. We also learned about special businesses, buildings, libraries, recreation centres, and long-running community events. Residents want to ensure the rich cultures and stories and important community assets are integrated into future planning.

The final goal for each workshop was to create a list of guiding principles and visionstatements for how the main street should develop in the future. We asked participants to think 20 years into the future and to think outside of the box. We were truly inspired by each group as they enthusiastically shared their vision with the room. Participants generally expressed support for each other’s visions and most of them were well-aligned. The shared aspirations of each community will be used when drafting new land use planning policies and regulations for the lands surrounding each of these commercial main streets.

We were pleased to see people with a huge variety of perspectives (including some passionate teens!) attending our workshops. We appreciate everyone who took the time to come out and dream big for their main street! We plan to update our webpage with more detailed information about the findings from these “main street” workshops in the next couple of months. Stay tuned!

Analysis of all feedback underway

So far, we have engaged more than 1000 community members in person through workshops and open houses, over 700 community members through our online surveys, and over 200 community members through our interactive maps. Staff are currently analyzing all the feedback, ideas, and concerns received so far. This information will be summarized into a What We Heard Report, which will be published after this phase of engagement is completed in early Fall.

Upcoming In-Person Engagement Opportunities

We are planning more pop-ups, so stay tuned for information on those.

Building the Framework Workshops

Our next block of public engagement will be Building the Framework Workshops, where we will be reporting back on everything we have heard and learned, and sharing how we will be using this information. While we were initially planning to host these events in June, we would like to take the summer to complete a comprehensive review of the feedback, research and analysis to make these sessions as informative as possible! We are planning to return in September with a new set of events across our suburban communities!

How can you stay in touch with us?

While the Summer will be quiet for Suburban Plan in-person engagement, we’re always available by email or phone to share your thoughts and ideas!

Email: suburbanplan@halifax.ca

Phone: (902) 499-0607

Website: www.engagehalifax.ca/suburban-plan

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