Community and Economic Development Coordinator, Lindsay Young.“We have a very active and engaged population of residents and business owners who all work together on the betterment of the town in general. There’s a great small-town community feeling here, and it’s a wonderful place to spend time.” A DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION With its wide sidewalks, friendly faces and plenty of spaces to gather, downtown Kentville is thriving. From long term anchor tenants to up and coming entrepreneurs, the town core boasts a blend of boutique shops, family-owned businesses, and quality of life amenities that make it an inviting destination for residents and visitors. “Chances are when you go into a store in Kentville, you may be waited on at the counter by the person who owns not only the store, but probably the building that it’s in,” depicts Young. Although the town has nearly reached capacity in its downtown spaces, Kentville is not landlocked, and is actively seeking development to support growth in this area. “Right now, our downtown is bustling. It’s vibrant, it’s active. We host a myriad of amazing events all through the year that bring people in. And our downtown really does support our tourism efforts as well,” Young touts. PREPARING FOR GROWTH AND PRESERVING COMMUNITY Kentville also plans to expand opportunities in the town’s west end, which is earmarked for future commercial and residential developments. This coincides with the construction of the Donald E. Hiltz connector road, a 3.8-kilometer thoroughfare that will unlock 300 acres of land for development. “Similar to a lot of communities, particularly in rural Nova Scotia, we’ve seen substantial growth, with people looking for a different version of a lifestyle that maybe has more balance than what they’re used to in really highly urbanized areas,” says Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Alisha Christie. Upcoming residential developments in Kentville are expected to include a mix of single-family homes, multi-unit buildings, and affordable housing options, designed to meet the diverse needs of Kentville’s growing population. “There’s a focus, similar to all communities around, on how to protect our existing housing stock as well as increase the housing stock for our community,” Christie asserts. “There’s definitely development interest in our areas, with various developments in front of the council on what our community could look like moving forward.” 175 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 12 KENTVILLE, NS
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