Engagement

Encouraging thoughtful community feedback has been a cornerstone of the Cogswell District project from the outset.

Public Engagement: 2019-2021

Significant public engagement informed the approved design plan for the Cogswell District. Building on this, residents will be asked to provide input on planning policies, regulations, and design requirements for the area – including rules that will guide the design and use of buildings. The development of detailed land use policy is being reviewed and considered as part of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law amendment process. The target is to complete the process well in advance of the sale of the first development block.

Specific dates and locations for upcoming engagement opportunities will be announced in the fall. More information: Strategy for upcoming public engagement.

Overview of the tools and techniques that will be used as part of future engagement opportunities:

  • Stakeholder meetings
  • Design charrette with the participation of the design and development communities, stakeholders, and community members
  • Open houses
  • Pop-ups
  • Online portal – Shape Your City Halifax
  • Feedback received through correspondence

To access background details, reports, presentations and plans - as well as insights gathered from public engagement to date - visit the online engagement portal for the Cogswell District project.

Public Engagement: 2013-2019

Winter 2019 | Approved Cogswell District Design Plan

On March 14, 2019, hundreds of residents attended a showcase at Scotia Square hosted by the municipality’s Cogswell District project team.  Visitors to the showcase viewed the approved design plan and learned how extensive public input over the past five years has helped shape the Cogswell District design. 

As part of the municipality’s most recent engagement efforts, from August-October 2018, residents contributed roughly 100 ideas about parks, plazas, streetscapes, greenways, public art, and commemoration of history within the area. Nearly 80 per cent of these comments and ideas were incorporated, either fully or partially, into the approved design.

Further to direction by Regional Council, staff will continue with public engagement efforts to finalize placemaking and commemoration aspects of the Cogswell District.  In particular, focus will be placed on completing ongoing engagement with the Mi'kmaw and African Nova Scotian communities.

Detailed land use policy, including finalizing the rules that will guide the design and use of buildings in the Cogswell District, will be reviewed and considered in the coming months as part of the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-law (LUB) amendment process. The goal is to complete the process well in advance of the sale of the first development block.

Information regarding public engagement for the MPS and LUB amendment process will be shared publicly by March 31, 2019.

Summer & Fall 2018 | Drafting the 90% design plan

  • In the summer and fall of 2018, Cogswell District engagement focused on two topics: public spaces and urban design rules for new buildings.
  • Engagement included:
    • Nine pop-ups held throughout the Halifax region
    • Key stakeholder engagement meetings with members of the African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaw communities, as well as representatives from Shelter Nova Scotia
    • A three-day design charrette, including a site visit and expo event at Scotia Square
    • Online engagement including a survey, interactive engagement map, video, and social media
      • Approx. 40,000 engagement video views.
      • Nearly 300,000 accounts reached through organic and paid Facebook & Instagram posts.
      • More than 120,000 accounts reached through Twitter posts.
      • 435 contributions were made via the online feedback tools, including survey responses and ‘pins’ posted to the online map seeking feedback on public spaces.
  • Thoughtful feedback from residents resulted in roughly 100 ideas about parks, plazas, streetscapes, greenways, public art, and commemoration of history within the area. Residents also provided input on building designs, which will help inform next steps with future engagement regarding the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-laws (LUB) associated with Cogswell District.
  • All ideas and feedback are summarized in the Engagement Report (note: clicking link will open a large PDF file) prepared by FBM. These ideas will now enable the Cogswell District project team to complete the 90% design.

Spring 2018 | Drafting the 60% design plan

  • Cogswell project team conducted extensive outreach to a wide range of stakeholders including adjacent landowners, developers, special interest groups, utilities, and members of  the general public.
  • Seven public engagement sessions were held in April and May of 2018 to update and engage residents and stakeholders on the Cogswell District 60% design plan. Input was sought on the public realm elements of the project: active transportation components, park and open spaces, elements of a proposed urban square, transit hub details and streetscape design details.
  • 145 written comment cards were submitted by those who attended the series of seven engagement sessions and the Shape Your City online engagement portal received 2,100 visitors with 628 online survey submissions.

Oct 2016 | Kick-off event & information session

  • Cogswell project team hosted public information session at Casino Nova Scotia on Oct. 26, 2016 to mark the beginning of the detailed design phase of the Cogswell District.
  • The event included a welcome from the Mayor, a project update from the Project Director, John Spinelli, an opportunity to meet the newly-hired Prime Design Consultant and a chance to engage with project staff and other key stakeholders.
  • Attendees were provided with a status update, an overview of where we go from here, and a chance to engage with project staff and key stakeholders on this important city-building initiative.
  • Several hundred people attended the event.

May 2013 | Cogswell “Shake Up”

  • On May 16, 2013, an extensive public engagement program was hosted by Mayor Savage and the Strategic Urban Partnership coined the “Shake-Up”. From that program, a Shake-Up Report was compiled with 10 proposed key aspirational themes to guide the project going forward.
  • Using feedback gathered from the Cogswell Shake-Up, the Cogswell Lands Plan – an extensive redevelopment plan for the district – was created.