Downtown Waterfront Vision - Town of Sidney

2016

Town of Sidney

The Town of Sidney is developing a vision for the downtown waterfront area. The vision will identify new waterfront opportunities and activities with a clear framework for implementation to guide future enhancement and investment in the area. The long term outcome of this work will be to increase the vibrancy and experience of the waterfront as a place, locally, as well as draw in more visitors and place Sidney’s downtown waterfront as a key destination and attraction within the region.

The waterfront is a special area within the Town of Sidney. It has a number of great attributes and has undergone upgrades and development in its recent past. It is a beautiful setting with great views, there is water access, seasonal ferry connections to nearby Sidney Island, a large public park space, public walkway, marine structures and beach areas. However, the area is not as busy as similar areas in the region and has been identified as lacking a level of excitement, activity and vitality.

A number of key locations and marine structures, including Beacon Wharf, have been identified as primary destinations points and valuable attributes along the waterfront area for further exploration within the visioning process. These locations provide points of interest and have potential for enhancement and future programming opportunities.

Additionally, the waterfront is directly adjacent to and interfaces with the downtown. This is a great advantage and valuable asset for both the waterfront and downtown. The area, included within the Downtown Local Area Plan, has a mix of commercial, residential and tourist commercial uses. This work will address opportunities to more strongly connect to the downtown, consider access points, land use and improve the relationship and interface of these two areas.

The design led engagement and visioning process investigated and explored how the
waterfront is used and why people go there (or not go there). It considered its connection to the downtown, identify new catalyst projects, interesting activities and uses, identify its
character and experience, assess potential infrastructure upgrades to key marine structures
and generate new ideas for creative programming that add excitement and interest to the
place. The work included a strong engagement of Council, stakeholders and the community, with a view to solicit feedback from visitors to the area where possible. The outcomes were highly graphical, clearly identify ideas, easily accessible for public and stakeholders and above all, inspire a vision and action.