July 10, 2018; Liverpool, NS: As time passes, communities change, trends shift and new practices emerge; Region of Queens Municipality is taking steps to continue to evolve with the shift in demographics, changes in the business community, climate change impacts, and other developments affecting the community. At the July 10, 2018 Region of Queens Council meeting, the contact for consulting services for the Review of the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) was awarded to UPLAND for a total cost of $138,000.
“There has been much change in Queens since 2009, and Council is pleased see the MPS and LUB review moving forward under the skilled leadership of UPLAND. The Region of Queens plans to build on the success of the community, and through engagement with our citizens throughout the review. The updated plan will serve our community’s needs now and into the near future,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality.
Periodic updates to MPS and LUB documents are required by the Municipal Government Act; the current Region of Queens MPS and LUB were adopted by Council on July 20, 2009, and there has been much change in Queens County in the ensuing years.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued on May 4, 2018, with a deadline of June 15, 2018, to engage the services of an integrated land use planning and engineering consulting firm with expertise in land use planning to carry out a formal review of the Region of Queens Municipality’s MPS and LUB. The RFP identified that the project would be expected to take place over approximately 18 months in 2018 and 2019. Seven consulting firms submitted proposals, all of which were reviewed by a committee consisting of the Region of Queens Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) and Municipal staff. The proposal from UPLAND had the third highest project hours, second highest project hours by firm project manager, and the lowest overall project price. The Review Committee felt UPLAND’s experience with a similar project was an advantage; in 2017, the firm completed a review and consolidation of planning documents for the Municipality of Cumberland, which is similar to the Region of Queens Municipality in that it has a large geographic area, primarily rural with pockets of urbanized development, and extensive coastlines.
The scope of the project will encompass six guiding principles:
1. Building sustainable communities where residents have varied housing choices, and increased opportunities where to live, work, learn, volunteer, shop, and to have access to a variety of recreational opportunities;
2. Balancing the desires, needs, and unique qualities of our diverse urban and rural communities within the Region;
3. Expanding and growing the local population and economy;
4. Preserving and enhancing community character, the natural environment, and the Region’s sense of space;
5. Responding to climate change; and,
6. Engaging local residents, business community, community organizations, and external agencies and departments throughout the planning process.
The project is expected to start ion the next couple of weeks, and will provide plenty of opportunity for the public to become involved in helping to shape the future of their communities.
