The Town of Hay River wants residents to give feedback on the town’s community plan, at a public meeting Tuesday.
Broadly speaking, a community plan is meant to plan for how land is planned for and used within a municipality. This includes planning for development and demographic changes, managing environmentally sensitive or potentially unstable lands, as well as public transportation and other municipal needs.
The town’s community plan identifies potential developments that could come to Hay River from the development of oil and gas, mining, renewable resources and tourism. It identifies Hay River a ‘hub’ for road, rail and water transportation, as well as being a regional centre with a ‘wide range of community services’ and a relatively low cost of living compared to other regional centres in the NWT.
READ MORE: Hay River community plan
Some projects that could come to the community include the re-opening of the Pine Point Mine, a fish processing plant, a long-term care facility and other potential projects – which could place a ‘great strain on the town’s infrastructure, land and financial capability.’
The plan also states the community is in need of different housing options to house a ‘declining household size’ as a result of an aging population and more single-parent households.
The community plan identifies areas where residential development can occur, planning for a population of 5-6,000. The Town of Hay River’s current population is just over 3,500. These areas include Evergreen, Aspen Heights, Fraser Place and Sundog Commercial Park.
The town says they support the development of mixed-use and higher density buildings in the downtown core, however, industrial lands will also need to be opened up.
The public meeting takes place at the Hay River Recreation Centre Community Hall, from 6:30 p.m.
