Work on Saint John’s Municipal Plan is now underway – and you can help!

Some very exciting news in the TJ this morning.

Saint John’s Municipal Plan is official kicked-off and underway, read on for the details.

This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on January 28th, 2010:

SAINT JOHN – Mayor Ivan Court calls it the city’s newest hub.

A storefront location for Saint John’s municipal plan opened Wednesday in Brunswick Square.

“Actually it’s an extension of my office,” the mayor joked before a crowd of about 50 people, as he revealed a logo with the plan’s new official slogan: PlanSJ.

Onlookers sipped coffee in the mall walkway, where Court said he likes to hang out.

“It’s their city. They pay the bills,” Court said, gesturing to the people sitting nearby. “We have to listen. What do they want for their city, their children and their grandchildren?”

The city is undertaking a two-year process to rewrite the municipal plan – something that hasn’t been done since the early 1970s.

Public consultation is a huge part of the process, with a citizen advisory committee and the storefront as key pillars.

The plan will act as a legal document to direct the city’s growth, development and land use for the next 25 years.

The Brunswick Square location will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a couple Saturdays per month.

The smell of fresh paint lingered in the bright, white space. Maps and panels explain the process and plan, and a room at the back of the store has a white projector screen, several chairs and a table that could be used for children’s activities.

Cyndi Rottenberg-Walker of Urban Strategies Inc. said she hasn’t seen a city take such strides to involve the public in its municipal plan.

“This storefront will be the energy centre – the brain centre – of this plan,” she said. The Toronto-based consultants, along with Saint John-based ADI, will help city staff and the citizen advisory committee with the nuts and bolts of the plan.

Councillors Carl Killen and Peter McGuire, who sit on the advisory committee, were also on hand for the announcement.

“This will be council’s legacy as we move into the future,” McGuire told the crowd.

Council has earmarked $750,000 in the 2010 budget to create the new plan. Next year, that amount is expected to go down to about $250,000.

Dave Drinnan, who owns a communications company and will sit on the citizen advisory committee for the next two years, also attended the storefront opening.

“I’ve had a long-term interest in the city, both as a resident and in its economics, where it’s going,” Drinnan said.

“When they invited participation, I jumped at it.”

The city received 90 applications for nine citizen spots on the committee, Court said.

The way planners are reaching out to the community is encouraging, said Steve Carson, the chief executive of Enterprise Saint John.

“I think that’s really critical,” he said in an interview at the storefront.

“If it’s a Saturday morning, they’ll be able to come in and feel a real comfort. Some people aren’t comfortable with big office buildings and going to a floor at City Hall. This will really make it friendly, especially for the young people.”

Carson said creating a new municipal plan will be important for attracting new investment to the city.

On Wednesday night, the city held a public launch at the Market Square atrium. Planners and staff answered questions as residents wandered through the displays. There was also a public presentation.

Join in the conversation on Saint John’s Municipal Plan online using: Twitter (via the hashtag #plansj) or the Facebook Group!