Plan Amherst

The Town of Amherst is the second-largest town by population and seventh-largest by area of Nova Scotia’s 25 incorporated towns, but the significance and influence of Amherst extend beyond its 12 square kilometres. Within the town, Amherst has a high diversity of land uses; significant heritage, cultural, and institutional assets; and a strong industrial and commercial base. From Amherst’s downtown core, land use patterns transition to residential lands—ranging from traditional gridstyle to post-war development—to larger-scale commercial and industrial development. Since its early days as an industrial centre, Amherst has grown into a local and regional employment and service centre for Cumberland County and Southeast New Brunswick.

The Town hired UPLAND to review and update its Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw which were adopted in 2005 and have been periodically amended since their adoption. Key planning challenges in the town include supporting the vitality of downtown while also accommodating regional-scale commercial activities, development compatibility within heritage contexts, a lack of suitable and affordable housing, flood risks from climate change, and administrative burdens from a recent burst in development activity.

Community input formed the foundation of the new planning documents. UPLAND deployed a mix of online and in-person engagement tools, including surveys, online interactive maps, and facilitated workshops, among many others, to gather input from a diverse range of stakeholders and community members.

Late in the project the Town was successful in its application to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund. UPLAND was able to quickly pivot and implement regulatory changes related to the Town’s proposed housing initiatives, leading to successful Council adoption of the new Plan and Bylaw.