Public Invite: May 17/12: Dartmouth Cove Draft Plan Presentation

News Release: May 16/12: Public Invited to Dartmouth Cove Draft Comprehensive Plan Presentation 

April Update:

The Consulting team continues to refine the concept plan that was produced based on input received at the Public plan + design Workshop held in late February (see summaries below). The presentation of the Draft Final Plan and report to the public is proposed for mid-May, with the presentation of the Final Plan to Waterfront Development and the Harbour East Community Council scheduled for early June 2012.

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Day 1:

Here is a recap of Day 1 (Feb. 20) at the Dartmouth Cove plan + design Workshop. This includes the presentation, a series of information panels as well as the 2007 HRMbyDesign Workshop Outcome overview.

More than 80 people took part in the kick off to the workshop which featured a drop in, presentation and break out session. Events continue until Feb. 24. Everyone is welcome to attend any or all. Click for the Schedule. No registration required.

Presentation: Dartmouth – On the Cusp of Something Wonderful

Dartmouth Cove Panels

2007 HRMbyDesign Workshop Outcomes

Day 2:

With the input and workshop outcomes from the Public Meeting held the night before, the Project Team spent the entire day beginning to prepare options for the redevelopment of Dartmouth Cove.

These early ideas focused on exploring the key organizing elements in the plan such as the street and open space network, as well as strengthening connections to the surrounding areas.

Walk ‘n’ Talk Site Tour

On the second day of the workshop, approximately 25 residents, landowners and businesses joined Harold Madi (The Planning Partnership) and David Lane (HRM) of the Project Team on a lunchtime walking tour of the site.

The route followed the Harbourwalk Trail to Maitland St.; up Maitland St. to Portland St.; west along Portland to Canal St.; south on Canal St. ending with a tour inside the Dartmouth Curling Club facility. Several stops were made where participants and the Project Team discussed existing conditions, constraints and opportunities for the redevelopment of the lands and public space.

Several ideas also emerged from the discussion, including: making a direct link from the trail to the Dartmouth Heritage Museum at Evergreen House; a pier that might extend out from the foot of Maitland Street and that may provide an unfettered view of Downtown Halifax; a fish ladder on the canal to enable fish to more easily move up to spawning area further upstream; and, ensuring favourable micro-climate conditions in the placement of buildings to shelter from the prevailing winds while enabling sun penetration.

Public Drop-In and Viewing

Several people showed up between 4-6pm to catch up with the Project Team on the outcomes so far. A number had not been able to attend the presentation the night before but were able to view and provide feedback on the interactive display panels and outcomes of the public workshop.

Day 3:

To view the PDF of the proposed location, click here.

To view the PDF of the preliminary site development concepts, click here.

Evolution of planning for the Bedford Waterfront Lands
In 1984, with financial assistance from the Province, the Town of Bedford engaged consultants to prepare the original Waterfront Plan.

Three ideas formed the basis of this early plan. First and foremost was the desire to access the waterfront, since almost no public coastal open space remained and the railway severed any direct access to the shoreline. Secondly the Town wanted to create a town centre and a new site for the proposed Town Hall. Third, the mouth of the Sackville River needed to be dredged for marine navigational purposes, and the opportunity was there to create public land by using the dredged materials from the basin and avoid unnecessary and potentially hazardous ocean dumping.

The original Waterfront Plan was prepared by Sperry and Associates, and approved in 1985. Infrastructure work for the infill and installation of services began in 1987 and was completed in 1991. Along with residential, commercial and retail land uses, Phase One also includes DeWolf Park and the Bedford Harbourwalk – a continuous multi-use trail extending around the entire shoreline of Phase One. 

In 2001, after the amalgamation of the Halifax Regional Municipality and the dissolution of the Bedford Waterfront Development Commission, the Waterfront Development Corporation Limited (WDCL) assumed control of the project. WDCL completed the installation of caissons, made significant improvements to the boardwalk, south jetty and Convoy Quay wharf, and administered the completion of Phase One.

Bedford Phase 2 Infill Project
The infilling operation to create the Phase 2 waterfront lands was initiated in 2002 by the Nova Scotia Department of the Environment and Environment Canada, to provide a safe disposal site for acid generating slate. This slate is a naturally occurring rock common to the geology of Halifax. When not managed properly and exposed to water and oxygen it produces acid runoff that can severely impact adjacent watercourses and aquatic life.

Marine disposal of this slate material renders it inert and is the preferred method to ensure that the material will not pose a risk to aquatic life. WDCL was requested to operate the facility for this purpose. The corporation charges tipping fees for the slate material brought to the site. These revenues are used to purchase capping material required for placement above the submerged slate, and to continue to plan and construct public infrastructure for the Bedford Waterfront lands.

To date, over 60% of the Phase 2 area has been infilled. All known environmental impacts have been assessed and mitigated, and all relevant agencies continue to monitor and assess both the infill operation and the disposal of pyritic slate.

Background – Community Visioning
As part of the Regional Planning Process, Bedford was selected as one of three areas to initiate a community visioning process to create a vision for the Bedford Waterfront. The Bedford Waterfront Community Liaison Group (CLG) was established in February of 2007, to engage local citizens and provide a vision as to how the community should look and feel in 20 to 25 years. Based on extensive community input, a Community Vision and Action Plan was developed to guide the process and form the basis of a long range plan. Regional Council adopted the Vision and Action Plan in October 2007. A Vision Implementation Committee was formed in 2008 to implement the plan and has been meeting on a regular basis ever since.

The 2010 Bedford Waterfront Design Study
In 2008, the Halifax Regional Municipality and Waterfront Development Corporation engaged a consultant to prepare a design study for the Bedford Waterfront lands, based on the Community Vision and Action Plan, adopted in 2007.

Four Vision Implementation Committee members sit on a steering committee to guide the design study and public participation program. The steering committee also includes representatives of the three major property owners within the study area – Waterfront Development Corporation Limited, United Gulf Limited and Sobeys Leased Properties Limited. The area councilor serves as an ex-officio, non-voting member. 

A Request for Proposals for a design study was issued in fall of 2008, and was awarded to a consulting team lead by Ekistics Planning and Design.

The initial step in the design process was to conduct a number of meetings and interviews with both private and public stakeholders within the community. Next, the first in a series of public workshops was held to confirm the intent and direction of the Community Vision and Action Plan, and to gather input from participants to enable the consultants to prepare 3 concept options for further public review and scrutiny. Based on feedback including public meetings, a survey and responses to a newsletter sent out to all households in Bedford, a new consensus plan or “preferred option” was prepared. This plan was reviewed by the steering committee and became the basis of the more detailed plan for the Bedford Waterfront. This plan and the final report of the Bedford Waterfront Design Study were presented to the Community in June of 2010.

Click Here to download the 2010 Bedford Waterfront Design Study.

The project enhances the visitor experience at the various commercial and recreational opportunities at The Cable Wharf.

An interpretive sign project tells the stories of the historical significance of The Cable Wharf and role of the cable ships in early telecommunications.

Sections of Sands at Salter were phased in, including grassy and sandy areas, creating an urban beach feel, green space for people to take part in leisure activities, new seating and nearby parking. The boardwalk on both sides is connected to the extended portion built in 2009.

The site was the venue for two summer signature events, the 25th anniversary of the TD Halifax Jazz Fest and the 2011 SWATCH Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Junior World Championships.

Share your thoughts and experiences on Sands at Salter at salter@wdcl.ca.

Project Status Update (October 2011):

• Waterfront Development staff continue to review and incorporate the feedback received into a final development plan which embodies our Waterfront Development Principles and demonstrates the objectives of the HRM Municipal Planning Strategy and Design Manual.

• Waterfront Development has been actively working to identify a project schedule that will minimize the timeline to the commencement of construction.

• Waterfront Development will be finalizing a development plan and submitting a pre-application for the project this fall/winter.

• The final development plan will be presented for community consultation.

• Following confirmation of the final development plan’s compliance with the MPS objectives, Waterfront Development intends to issue a call for proposals in the spring of 2012 for parties interested in seeking the development rights for the project.

• Once a preferred development partner is selected, a joint final application will be submitted to HRM which will ensure that our private sector partner has the opportunity to work with us to finalize the details of the project.

• Commencement of Construction is targeted for spring 2013.

Waterfront Development is developing a conceptual design for the site that will lead to a redevelopment plan. Located between Bishop’s Landing and Nova Scotia Power’s new headquarters on the Halifax Waterfront, this site will be developed as a high density residential mixed-use development which will add vibrancy and activity to the southern waterfront district.

Coming Soon: conceptual design presentations and feedback form

Waterfront Development launched the wireless waterfront to enhance your experience whether you are a resident, tourist, or marine services user. Outdoor wireless networks are a great way to connect to the Internet while experiencing the waterfront. You can find out what waterfront events are taking place, look up restaurant menus, or check the hours of your favorite store.

News Release: Halifax Waterfront Goes Wireless

About the wireless system

The wireless infrastructure was built using Cisco Outdoor wireless technology, a robust system installed by Unis Lumin. Using a series of Cisco Systems lightweight access points, it provides a flexible, highly secure mesh wireless system connected to the Internet through a dedicated 10 Mbps fibre optic connection. The network is anchored in the North at The Cable Wharf plaza and runs south along the Harbourwalk to Tall Ships Quay.

The best places to use the wireless waterfront service are within 200 feet of one our 9 antennas along the waterfront. Sometimes there can be interference from private wireless networks, building electrical systems, and other electronics in the environment. Your connection may appear to fade. We suggest moving the position of your wireless device to help ensure that you obtain a strong connection to the Wireless-Waterfront network.

It is open to all public visitors.

Your wireless experience

Access is easy. Connect to Wireless-Waterfront through the wi-fi utility on your laptop, choose a browser application, review and agree to the user terms and conditions.

Tips

Some tips to help ensure a positive wireless experience on the waterfront.

• Using your devices wireless networking utility, select the Wireless-Waterfront option from your network utility. The network is open for connection but you will have to “authenticate” the connection using your web browser.

• After the connection between your device and the wireless network is made, simply open your browser and direct it to any live webpage (we suggest my-waterfront.ca). Upon attempting to connect to the web page your browser will be re-directed to the Wireless-Waterfront splash page where you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions of use before you access the Internet.

• If you use an email application like Microsoft Outlook, make sure you browse to our splash page to accept the terms of use before you try to access your email. If you haven’t accepted the terms of use you will not be able to access email through mail clients.

• Here you can review and accept the terms and conditions for use of the network. Once you accept, you will be redirected to and you can begin surfing the net and using other applications that require Internet access.

• Are you having difficulty maintaining your connection to the Internet?
The easiest solution is to change the position of your wireless device. Even a very slight change in position can allow your device to avoid interference sources and maintain its connectivity.

• Do you notice long loading times for graphic heavy pages, or streaming media applications? You may want to consider using a wired connection for these sites. Shared open wireless has bandwidth constraints.

• Do you find surfing the Internet and the loading of pages slow?
The Wireless-Waterfront is a shared and open system. There are often hundreds of devices attempting to access the Internet through the same servers. It is difficult to guarantee Internet access speeds for all users when we are distributing a shared resource.

About Our Partners

Unis Lumin
UNIS LUMIN has been helping customers succeed, providing business value through innovative and effective technology solutions, increasing customers’ ability to be more competitive and efficient.

“We have deployed the Cisco wireless technology in many locations across Atlantic Canada,” says David Power, Territory Manager for Unis Lumin. “This technology allows Waterfront Development to accommodate the day-to-day users on the Harbourwalk and during large events. It’s a robust system, and a great service to offer waterfront visitors.“

Splice Training
Splice is an Apple Training and Consulting company in Halifax and Toronto, and Apple’s official training centre for the Atlantic Region. Clients travel from all over the world to take courses at Splice in subjects ranging from iPad Development to Video Editing.

“Providing free wireless on the waterfront is a perfect fit for our smart city,” notes Woody Lidstone, trainer and consultant with Splice. “It combines two of our greatest assets: our people and our waterfront.”

Tie up to hundreds of years of history amongst modern day amenities. Tuck into a secluded harbour within an inland sea. Cruise the warmest waters north of the Carolinas. Nova Scotia is different. Experience a region that you will make you want to cruise and explore by land and sea.

With marinas in the capital city of Halifax, seaside community of Bedford and Lunenburg – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we offer services and safe berths for your cruising adventure. All conveniently located on the East Coast of Canada.

We’re proud to be a new member of the US Superyacht Association and ready to welcome boaters to our Nova Scotia waters.

Make Nova Scotia Your Next Port of Call.

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Lunenburg’s Historic Working Waterfront

When you’re surrounded on three sides by the ocean and boast some of North America’s oldest working harbours, you learn to strive for – and deliver – excellence in marine services.

Our picturesque waterfront is home to tall ships, schooners, dories, fishing vessels and floating docks. We provide free daily berthing as available. We also offer overnight and long-term berthing options. We hope you enjoy this port of call.

Dine on a patio, uncover seaside treasures, and watch local boat builders, all along the beautiful Lunenburg waterfront. Catch the sunset with the best view dockside. Visit the tall ships that call Lunenburg home: Bluenose ll, and the Barque Picton Castle. Walk the streets lined with beautiful 18th and 19th century architecture.

For berthing opportunities in Lunenburg, please contact Lunenburg Boat Locker at 902.640.3202; VHF 68.

For berthing information at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, please call 902.634.4794, ext. 225; after hours call 902.523.0094.

Canadian Hydrographic Service: Nautical Charts and Services

For more information on Lunenburg marina services and things to do, view the Lunenburg Marine Brochure.