Town of Wolfville Comprehensive Plan Review

Actively engaging community members in defining the future of their town

Armed with an innovative interactive Public Engagement and Communications Strategy, Fotenn assisted the Town of Wolfville, N.S., in its review and update of municipal planning policy documents which included its Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS), Land Use Bylaw (LUB) and Design Guidelines. The review focus was tri-fold: building a shared vision of the town’s future direction; resolving housing tensions; and strengthening documents’ design aspects.

Throughout the review, Fotenn engaged local stakeholders and residents using clear project branding, plain language promotional material, social media portals as well as hosting casual and formal public events and workshops. The Strategy targeted Wolfville’s diverse communities taking extra measures to engage the town’s hard-to-reach residents such as: Wolfville youth, developers, seniors and low-income citizens.

As a result of the review, critical issues were identified and Fotenn introduced new directives for Wolfville in response to them. These included a new “Core Area” designation to facilitate mixed-use and increased density along Main Street, a form-based approach to zoning in the Core reinforced in the LUB and the revised Design Guidelines as well as a new strategy to address student housing concerns.