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Council endorses Downtown Revitalization Master Plan
City of Cranbrook council July 10 endorsed the Downtown Revitalization Master Plan (DRMP) and requested city staff to begin implementing initiatives.
The DRMP was identified as a Council Strategic Priority in their 2020-2024 Cranbrook Strategic Plan and in 2021 at council’s direction and through the city’s budget process, staff initiated the planning process and hired a multi-disciplinary team of consultants to help draft the plan.
The plan was developed through a number of phases which included a public consultation consisting of pop-up events, online engagement, survey, stakeholder advisory group, Downtown Business Association input and enhanced engagement with council, explained Rob Veg of Engineering and Development Services in a report to council.
Feedback themes heard through the engagement process included peoples’ desire for a more walkable downtown, more vibrancy, better gateways into downtown, the love of Rotary Park, and desire for more events on downtown streets, to name of few, Veg noted.
“The plan provides comprehensive policies and guidelines with respect to land use, transportation and infrastructure and urban design including streetscape, architecture and built form as well as a comprehensive list of implementation options for the short, medium and long term,” said Veg.
“This plan also has multiple synergies with goals and recommendations that came out of the recently endorsed Tourism Master Plan. We are excited to begin working to implement many of the new initiatives included in this new downtown plan.”
The proposed draft plan was presented to the public at an open house on June 19, with approximately 17 people in attendance via the virtual platform. In addition, the plan was available for review and comment on the project webpage. Given the responses, no significant amendments to the plan were required and it is virtually identical in nature to the draft that was presented to council in April.
Staff will begin working on implementation, namely looking to incorporate elements of the plan into the new OCP and zoning bylaw review which is tentatively scheduled to begin later this year.
“I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the development of this plan. The plan is designed as a roadmap for the future that will address short to long term revitalization initiatives,” said Mayor Wayne Price.
See the City of Cranbrook’s Downtown Revitalization Master Plan.
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