The Lunenburg Waterfront Association Inc. (LWAI) has issued a request for proposals for a consultant to help create a new strategic plan that will shape the community’s working waterfront for years to come.
The plan will set a roadmap for the next five years while establishing direction for the next two decades.
It will cover areas such as maintaining wharves, attracting ocean research and education sectors, balancing commercial marine and tourism uses, retaining public ownership of lands, and preserving the harbour’s cultural and heritage value.
An RFP for a plan for the Lunenburg Waterfront (note the deadline has changed to September 30). Photo: LWAI
Association co-chair Donna Knickle said the project is about charting a future that reflects both growth and preservation.
“We are hiring a consultant who can facilitate the development of a strategic plan … that we can use for a long time and that we can build on over time and give us a good roadmap for the future,” she said.
Knickle added that the process is not about stopping change but guiding it in a way that respects the community’s identity.
“We certainly don’t dis any growth,” she said. “We want to see that we preserve our culture and the heritage areas within the town and along the waterfront. It is the draw for tourism and people that come to Lunenburg, so we want to keep it authentic but yet expand.”
The Association expects the work to take four months and has set a September 30 deadline for submissions.
Consultation will include municipal, provincial, and federal governments, as well as private landowners and community groups tied to the harbour.
Knickle said the goal is a plan that can serve not only the association but also the Town of Lunenburg, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, and other stakeholders as they make decisions on the future of the waterfront.
