Leisure Services Inventory
The Pictou County District Planning Commission is currently compiling an inventory of community leisure services (i.e. recreation facilities, cultural venues, parks and open spaces.). This is a collaborative effort involving local Recreation Departments, the Nova Scotia Sport and Recreation Commission and the Pictou County District Planning Commission. When completed, it will be possible to graphically illustrate this inventory in a series of maps indicating the location and composition of leisure services available in the Pictou County area. The role of the Planning Commission involves providing Geographical Information System (GIS) capabilities to produce the mapping. In utilizing GIS technology, it is possible to overlay additional information such as population/demographics and residential development patterns to gain a better perspective on the need and the level of leisure services available.
An initial compilation of leisure services has been prepared and mapped for the Town of Pictou as part of the recently completed Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law review. This will require further refinement to produce a which map details the Town of Pictou’s leisure services in terms public /private facilities and services as well as neighbourhood, local and community facilities and services.
The Pictou County District Planning Commission (PCDPC) is initiating
a "smart growth" approach to planning in Pictou County. The Goal of
the Pictou County SMART Growth Initiative is to reverse population decline.
The Strategy for achieving this involves developing a holistic approach that
incorporates public & private sector collaboration in concert with current
planning technology to achieve sustainable community vitality. The Action Plan
involves identifying business, housing and community development opportunities
for each community and then combining this community level data to form a District
context for all of Pictou County.
The acronym SMART refers to a Strategic Method of Applying the Right Technology. In this case Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the Right Technology. GIS is a geographic database that allows for layering information in a variety of combinations to analyze and graphically illustrate the relationship of land use patterns, development initiatives, and infrastructure investment.
The SMART Growth Initiative involves building a comprehensive GIS database to analyze the opportunities for synergy between the three main components of a community; business, housing, and amenities. Synergy refers to advantageous location and attribute characteristics of business, housing and amenities, that when combined with strategic investment in infrastructure, maximize opportunities for growth & development.
The critical elements of the Action Plan include identification and analysis of the following community components:
| Business | Business is the economic driver. It creates employment, generates income, and expands the economic and social base of the community. Solid industrial and commercial sectors create the demand for housing. |
| Housing | A broad spectrum of residential development options and opportunities spread throughout a variety of communities establishes a lifestyle to be enhanced by community amenities. |
| Amenities | Quality of life is reflected in the natural and community amenities of the area. In Pictou County, this includes miles of beaches, marinas, golfing, walking trails, indoor and outdoor sports facilities for all seasons, social clubs and organizations, and parks and recreational facilities. |
The action plan will result in a coordinated, integrated process to refine land use policies, proactively promote development sites, creatively adjust to evolving situations, establish the supportive infrastructure, and invest in expanding community amenities.
See the Project Sequence here
See the Project Framework here
The Planning Commission has prepared a series of maps for Pictou County. Maps illustrating residential development patterns, road networks, community water sources and ERPAS waste water treatment facility service area are now available for viewing on this site. Hardcopy maps can be obtained by contacting the Planning Commission office at 755-1390.
Click here to view the conference panels
The Pictou County District Planning Commission, in concert with the Town of Pictou's Planning Advisory Committee and Town Council, have finally completed the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law Review. Initiated by Pictou Town Council in February 2001, the review was comprised of a four phase process, developed and undertaken by Pictou's Planning Advisory Committee and planning staff. Working together closely, the PAC and planning staff solicited elected officials, town staff, stakeholders and the public for input.
The following table illustrate process milestones reached during the plan review:
After much debate, rewriting and editing, the plan review process wrapped up
in March of 2002 leaving only the formal adoption process to be completed. The
new planning documents came into effect on April 17th, 2002. These documents
now represent Pictou's future direction on development and land use. The following
Power Point Presentation provides a synopsis of Pictou's plan review. This synopsis
focuses on new policy and changes to existing policy in the planning documents.
Click here to view the Power Point Presentation
As a "living document", the Municipal Planning Strategy is already being called upon to further improve Pictou's quality of life and identify potential opportunities. The summer of 2002 will see the implementation of Policy M-21 which states:
Policy M-21: Transportation Master Plan
It shall be the intention of Council to undertake a series of transportation studies as part of the creation of a transportation master plan. These studies shall address the identification of potential future transportation corridors, commercial truck traffic routing, pedestrian networks as well as recreational corridors and trails.
Background work
(methodology and scope of project) are nearly complete. The results of the study
should be available in September or October of 2002. Plan to visit our web site
in the fall for a view of the study results and possible plans and recommendations.
Powerpoint Presentation: A District Approach to Planning in Pictou County
Planning Commission staff have recently prepared and presented a power point presentation outlining a proposed new approach to planning in the urbanized areas of Pictou County. This presentation incorporates the use of computer software and high quality graphics to outline the trends in growth and development in Pictou County. The presentation utilizes statistical analysis combined with geographic information system (GIS) technology to display current and historical development patterns in Pictou County, and compare these trends with similar urban areas around the Province. The reasons for these development patterns and the subsequent planning issues arising from them are highlited in text and graphical formats. Finally, the presentation provides some insight into potential solutions for identified growth and development related issues and solicits input from the audience.
District Approach to Planning - PowerPoint Presentation
PCDPC Brochure Available
In
an effort to enhance the positive profile of the Planning Commission, a brochure
has been printed outlining the services offered by the various divisions of
PCDPC. The brochure provides an overview of the role, composition and
organizational structure of the PCDPC, in addition to contact information for
each division. The brochures will be distributed in a manner that will
increase general public and agency awareness of the services offered by the
PCDPC. To receive copies of the brochure please contact the Planning Commission
Administration Office at 755-1390 or you can view the brochure in PDF format
by folling the link below.
Pictou County
District Planning Commission Brochure
You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in order
to view and print the application . If you do not have it installed you can
click on the button or link below to download the free software.
©Pictou
County District Planning Commission 2001.
All Rights Reserved.
