Draft Official Plan vision reveals what’s most important to Huntsville residents

As part of Huntsville’s Official Plan five-year review, a draft copy of the visioning statement, goals, and objectives is now available online for comment.

The document is a result of responses to a questionnaire and visioning workshops held in the fall of 2015.

Details were revealed at an open house at the Active Living Centre last night (February 2). In his presentation, consultant Gregory Bender of MMM Group shared some of the highlights from the results:

• Seventy-four per cent of respondents said that the Town’s Official Plan vision is still valid.
• The ten areas noted as most important to respondents were closely weighted with only seven percentage points separating the first from the last. In order, they were: Environment, Quality of Life, The Economy, Character, Heritage, Housing, Access to Lakes and Rivers, Recreation, Growth, and Tourism.
• The top three issues noted for protection in the future were: preservation of the natural environment, employment, and affordable housing. The top three concerns related to growth were: availability of services, too many people, and the ability to accommodate additional traffic.
• Huntsville is a community of communities – the urban town centre, waterfront communities, settlements like Utterson, Port Sydney and Novar, and the rural community – and all need to be considered in the Official Plan.
• Seventy-three per cent of respondents said waterfront development should be restricted (Bender clarified this to mean it is still possible but won’t be an open door for developers).

View a PDF of the full presentation here.

There is still opportunity for residents to have input on this high-level document. First, review the Vision, Goals and Objectives document (click here for a PDF) and then complete the comment form and return it to the Town’s Manager of Planning, Kirstin Maxwell, before February 9.

“It’s very important for us to get input,” said Bender. “This document is considered a partnership between the Town and its residents and stakeholders. It’s something that (Town) staff and Council will be using for the next 20 years. It does get updated every five years but we want to get it right now.”

There will be opportunity for further public comment as this high-level document is translated into more detailed policies in the draft Official Plan in the summer of 2016, but residents are asked to make comment now if they feel anything is missing.

Read Doppler’s story about earlier Official Plan Review workshops here and visit the Town of Huntsville’s Official Plan Review page for more information.