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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016-07-29_MR_reVISION workshops_P3NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 29, 2016 PLAN REVIEW: CHESTER MUNICIPALITY SEEKING FURTHER INPUT FROM VILLAGE RESIDENTS MUNICIPALITY - Chester Municipality continues to work on its “reVISION” Plan Review process. This month, the Municipality will host two workshop sessions for residents of the Village of Chester. Both workshops will deal with architecture and design in the older part of the Village. On Monday, August 15th, focus will be on the Village commercial core area and the waterfront. Three days later, on August 18th, a second workshop will examine the Central Village Residential zone. Both sessions will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall, 14 Union Street, from 7-9 p.m. “We held two sessions in Chester Village last year – one during the winter months and one in July,” said Sean Gillis, planner with Community Development, the Department co-ordinating the Review process. “We received a lot of feedback from those meetings, which dealt with overall vision and goals , and later what we call the ’character-defining elements’ of the village.” He added that, by having meetings in summer, seasonal residents can participate. The Department has heard quite frequently that residents want to see the historic charm of the Village maintained. Although specific rules for site landscaping and building design have been in place on North Street for a number of years, the regulations for design in the central Village residential and commercial areas are fairly general. The staff is wondering if these regulations could use some improvement in order to be more effective in maintaining Chester’s character. Staff at the Department are taking this opportunity in summer to consult with residents about improved rules that would say more about setbacks from lot lines, building form and massing, building materials, windows and other detailing. “By splitting the meeting into two, we can focus on the village commercial core and waterfront in one meeting, and the Central Village Residential area in another,” said Mr. Gillis. The Community Development Department will take the comments received and report back to the Citizens Planning Advisory Committee, the body appointed by Municipal Council to steer the process. Public review of final planning documents is expected by spring 2017. - 30 - CONTACT INFORMATION: Sean Gillis, Planner Municipality of the District of Chester (902) 275-2599 phone (902) 275-2598 fax sgillis@chester.ca www.chester.ca Facebook: /ChesterMunicipality Twitter: @chestermun