The next few weeks will give the public a chance to have its say on the future of The Saint John City Market.
Work on the market’s strategic plan has been ongoing since the city created its Market Strategic Plan Steering Committee last September after details of the project were first unveiled to Common Council.
Tasked with coming up with a 10-year City Market Strategic Plan, the committee, along with the city’s Growth and Community Services group, is looking to re-establish the market’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives.
The City is also working with consultants FBM Planning in Halifax and North Vancouver’s Quay North Urban Development on its 10-year plan.
After the steering committee was created last fall, staff first began gathering information from vendors, ahead of this spring’s community engagement phase.
The public feedback portal is being provided through the City’s public engagement platform, Shape Your City Saint John.
The public can provide feedback until May 10 on everything from the right vendor mix to use of space for the City Market. Image: City of Saint John.
“We are going to use multiple tools to solicit input from the community and visitors,” Greg Cutler, growth officer for the City of Saint John, said earlier this month.
“We all know that the Shape Your City page is an online engagement platform so we’re looking to allow residents to interact, provide some ideas, and provide feedback,” he added.
There will also be a pop-up event at the City Market on May 5, during lunch hour.
“We see this as a casual way of hearing from people who are currently using the market. We also hope it’s a way we can engage some folks that may not have time or interest in engaging in other ways,” Cutler said.
Cutler added city staff will also engage with other stakeholders, as well as various committees within Saint John.
Engagement is the second phase of the 10-year strategic plan process. The next phase is development, followed by a webinar and a draft plan this summer, before the final plan is issued in the fall.
How to participate
A visit to the online project site gives residents a chance to fill out a survey and submit their big ideas.
In addition to the survey itself, a virtual ideas board also welcomes input on what the City Market’s vendor mix should look like, the market’s physical layout, and how to best improve the space to become more welcoming, inclusive, and accessible.
In comments to Huddle last month, David Dobbelsteyn, growth manager with the City of Saint John, said having the right mix of vendors is critical to the success and vibrancy of the City Market.
“It is the cultural centre of Saint John,” he wrote, “And we strive to ensure a wide range of diverse vendors and offerings that appeal to both locals and visitors.”
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With the public input phase beginning this week, the city says it will provide updates and more opportunities for the public to get involved and provide feedback as the plan develops.
The deadline to participate in the survey is May 10.
Tyler Mclean is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
(With files from Tim Herd)
