City launches new urban design survey for Official Plan process

The latest step in the city’s Official Plan development launched Friday with the introduction of a new survey on urban design.

The survey, available at www.peterborough.ca/planit, draws from the Community Design Charette sessions held earlier this year, in which members of the public offered their thoughts on the preservation of the downtown area’s character.

Those sessions, held over several days in June, collected ideas about the downtown and urban green spaces, with city staff sharing them with the public at the end of the week.

Those ideas will go in to the development of the city’s new Official Plan, which is currently being written. The document will assist in shaping the future of the city, which is expected to grow to a population of 115,000 - with 58,000 new jobs - by 2041.

The Official Plan, once set, will inform policy decision on infrastructure (sewers, water, roads and transit), housing types, transportation, location of residential and commercial areas, community services and other amenities and the design of buildings, streets and public spaces.

It will also play a role in the development of environmental protections and sustainability programs.

Other topics the survey will look at include the identification of local landmarks and views and opinions on urban density and the height of buildings in new developments.

Previous surveys related to the Official Plan have focused on a vision statement and guiding principles (August 2017), growth management (December 2017) and land use and transportation (March 2018).

The city has received more than 3,000 online survey responses so far.

In addition to the online survey, paper versions are available at the city’s planning department at City Hall, 500 George St. N.