April 18, 2023 at 3:42 pm
Kincardine City Council took a first look at the final draft of the waterfront master plan at a meeting on Monday.
The plan is designed to guide waterfront improvements over the long term. Developed jointly by rural design and planning practice pl.ural, the plan was developed last year after consultation with 526 people, including 438 permanent residents.
While the city council voted to approve the draft plan, Mayor Ken Craig reminded residents that it doesn’t mean anything will change anytime soon.
“The council received this, which means, yes, we agree with the concept. Yes, we’re going to start using it as a framework. No, we haven’t got a budget. No, we haven’t set a timetable,” Grae said. Reg said. “But we’ve given us the opportunity to continue the conversation with the landscape architect to upgrade as the recreational practice evolves. In 20 years, we’re going to look at the beach differently than we do now.”
The plan lacks details about future architectural or landscape projects. Rather, it is “a set of planning strategies that define intent rather than final form”. These strategies include identifying which assets of the waterfront should be preserved and which need to be upgraded, such as boardwalks.
“There really isn’t a particular path set. We’ll end up landing somewhere in the middle of those options that (planner) Sean Kelly provides,” Craig said. “Our waterfront is not suitable for a U-turn. We’re not going to do anything very different from what we have now.”
Council approved $60,000 in last year’s budget to develop the plan. It said the program arrived on time and within budget.
To view the complete Waterfront Master Plan, visit here.