When you’ve taken a summertime stroll alongside the Halifax waterfront in recent times, you’ve doubtless needed to navigate by way of crowds of individuals to get to your vacation spot.
With vacationer season quick approaching, the harbour will quickly be full of cruise ships, and the tourism increase will imply crowded walkways and packed patios.
Nova Scotia Public Works Minister Kim Masland informed reporters Thursday that she was approached by Construct Nova Scotia, which needed to do a evaluate of the waterfront.
Masland famous that between cruise ships and town’s rising inhabitants, the waterfront will get fairly crowded in the summertime. And with new ferries being added to the Halifax Transit fleet within the coming years, the present ferry terminal could also be unable to deal with elevated site visitors.
“With the ferry constructing that we’ve there now … with the wharf infrastructure that we’ve there now, it’s not going to be adequate to have these ferries are available in,” she mentioned.
This might imply creating a brand new waterfront ferry terminal, as the present one, “the place it’s now, will not be going to work.”
“It was a really busy summer time final summer time, this summer time goes to be busier, and the summer time after,” she mentioned. “The site visitors that’s going to be on the waterfront goes to be large. I believe it’s sensible to really step again and look and make a plan and a evaluate of the complete harbour.”
David Benoit, president and CEO of Construct Nova Scotia, informed a public accounts assembly final week that it was time to replace the waterfront’s strategic plan.
He mentioned they goal to take a look at the waterfront’s present strategic belongings and properties, and plan out how they’ll proceed to develop the waterfront.
“The waterfront, I believe everybody might agree, is among the most visited locations in Nova Scotia … I get feedback on a regular basis about how lovely and the way superb it’s,” he mentioned.
“And that didn’t occur by chance. That occurred as a result of a strategic plan was developed, and now it’s time to replace that strategic plan.”
Benoit mentioned updating the plan is “kicking off now,” and mentioned Construct Nova Scotia is working as rapidly as they will to progress it this yr.
“The necessity for it was recognized. Most likely, I ought to have recognized it earlier, to be completely frank with you, nevertheless it’s recognized now,” he mentioned.
In a press release, the Downtown Halifax Enterprise Fee mentioned it was “very excited and curious about a brand new waterfront plan.”
“As we proceed our work on our (quickly to be launched) Downtown Halifax Imaginative and prescient 2030, a theme we’ve been listening to is the necessity for higher connections between the ferries, buses, and bikes within the Downtown, so the time is definitely proper to thoughtfully rethink the ferry terminal,” it mentioned.
The fee mentioned the waterfront is a key a part of town’s downtown, each for guests and the rising residential inhabitants.
“We’ve an amazing working relationship with Construct NS and stay up for working with them extra as this idea strikes ahead,” it mentioned.
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