The first round of meetings on a five-year Lunenburg working waterfront plan have just wrapped up, following its release by Waterfront Development at the Lunenburg Waterfront Association’s annual symposium on June 23.
Improvements that would enhance tourism, better accommodate visiting pleasure craft, develop current infrastructure used by existing waterfront businesses and industries and support a community mooring field plan with a tender service to Zwicker Wharf, are included in the draft plan.
Being facilitated by Waterfront Development, “This latest masterplan is an effort to lay out the plan for the next five years,” said Jennifer Angel, CEO of Waterfront Development. Waterfront Development has been involved in Lunenburg since about 2005 said Angel, and have been working with local stakeholders, the Lunenburg Waterfront Development Association and the town basically since that time.
“What we’re trying to do is increase public engagement and consultations to get to a shared vision for the waterfront,” said Angel. “We are taking time to really talk to the community because the right plan is the one that reflects the community’s values, so our ambition is find a plan that people can all champion. Not that everybody agrees with every piece, but generally speaking, the community can feel proud about the plan and supportive of the plan and that’s the process we’re working our way through now.”
Following the Lunenburg Waterfront Association symposium, public consultations were also held at the Lunenburg School of the Arts on June 26, the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market on June 28 and Lunenburg Town Hall on July 3.
In addition to public consultations, Angel said they have held “very targeted stakeholder meetings” with the numerous people who use the waterfront and town council. “We’ve had broad consultations and very targeted conversations to make sure we harvest all the ideas,” said Angel, adding the next step is “pulling together all the feedback we heard, and the next step will be to bring that feedback and an updated plan back to the public.”
Lunenburg’s historic waterfront is host to numerous industries and is a busy place, said Angel. “We’re definitely seeing increased visitation, increasing recreational boating at Zwicker Wharf; there’s some really good activity in the shipyard lately. Clearwater is still operating. The dory shop is open and Picton Castle Warehouse. There [are] good businesses there now. We need to target investment in infrastructure that will enable growth in the key sectors and allow the private businesses to really flourish, so that’s [what] we’re trying to do.”
For further information on the working waterfront plan, you can visit my-waterfront.ca/waterfront/lunenburg/.
Lunenburg waterfront strategic goals
1. Improve harbour infrastructure to enhance marine economic activity.
2. Ensure wharves are used to full potential.
3. Create a common user shipyard.
4. Explore opportunity to support ocean technology sectors/cove.
5. Better segregation of marine industrial and tourism uses.
6. Maintain ownership of assets along the Lunenburg waterfront.
7. Continue to invest in WDCL-owned buildings and wharves to foster economic activity.
8. Establish a best-in-class recreational marina for transient boaters.
9. Maximize the yield per tourist, while reducing their impact on the community.
10. Explore opportunity for an enhanced federal role in Lunenburg Harbour.
