Community Residents Attend Fall River Implementation Committee’s Open House

On Friday, May 22, and Saturday, May 23, the Fall River Vision Implementation Committee hosted an Open House to introduce the vision task groups to the community and to show the community some of what they had accomplished to date.

The Transit task group had information on the rural express and community transit plans and offered ideas on alternate forms of commuting until bus routes are established.

The Open Space and Trails task group presented a map of existing walking trails in the area and explained what plans are being made to explore and prioritize those trails.

The Housing task group introduced the concept of alternate housing forms and suggested possible venues for senior’s housing developments.

The Community and Economic Development task groups were looking to get answers to the questions of what to do with the old Fall River Recreation Center property and should Fall River have it’s own signature annual event.  They also sought ideas for what the community saw as a need in the way of retail services in the area.

The Community Planning Group task group, in association with Halifax Regional Municipality, unveiled their three conceptual models for the village center in a workshop that was held in the Recreation Center in conjunction with the Open House.  The models were based on suggestions gathered from the community over the past few years.  Those ideas and wishes are complied in the Fall River and Action Plan approved by HRM Council in September of 2007.

Participants were asked to pick the model that best suited their vision of “downtown Fall River”.  By the end of the workshop on Saturday afternoon, the most popular model had been chosen and the best features of the other two models were incorporated into that model.  The model showed a preference for a pedestrian oriented retail development with the Shubenacadie Canal as a focal point.  Alternate housing forms were also included as a desirable element.

Throughout the workshop it was emphasized that the models were not a development plan but an illustration of what the community wanted the area to look like in twenty five to thirty years from now.
The next task of the Fall River Vision Implementation Committee is to closely examine the model and determine which, if any, rules, regulations and bylaws need to be changed or introduced to encourage development along the lines of the model.  The committee hopes to come back to the community with the proposed changes in late autumn for final public approval before presenting any recommendations to HRM Council for changes to the municipal planning strategy.

A more detailed description of  the model and the various task group workings can be found at:
http:www.halifax.ca/visionhrm/FallRiver/CommunityPlannigGroup