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Charting a Course for Growth

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The Municipality of Chester is developing a comprehensive plan to position our communities for residential, commercial, and industrial growth.

The Charting a Course for Growth Plan identifies key elements Municipal Council and Staff will develop and implement in a phased approach. The plan will include the following areas:

  • Population and workforce projections to determine anticipated growth, housing requirements, and consideration of occupations expected to be in demand.
  • Review of housing policies to encourage increased production of attainable housing units.
  • Housing infrastructure planning to ensure wastewater systems and water supply can meet needs, to identify targeted growth areas, and to create

The Municipality of Chester is developing a comprehensive plan to position our communities for residential, commercial, and industrial growth.

The Charting a Course for Growth Plan identifies key elements Municipal Council and Staff will develop and implement in a phased approach. The plan will include the following areas:

  • Population and workforce projections to determine anticipated growth, housing requirements, and consideration of occupations expected to be in demand.
  • Review of housing policies to encourage increased production of attainable housing units.
  • Housing infrastructure planning to ensure wastewater systems and water supply can meet needs, to identify targeted growth areas, and to create capacity that can expedite construction.
  • Engagement and consultation with residents, organizations, and industry stakeholders to inform our work and prepare our communities for expected growth.
  • Workforce attraction and retention to decrease or eliminate barriers and attract people to the Municipality.
  • Recreation Needs Assessment to identify gaps and enhancements in recreational facilities and spaces within the context of population and visitor growth.
  • Review of transportation and active transportation infrastructure to ensure those assets are growing with our communities.

Please visit this page often for community engagement opportunities, status reports, documentation, timelines, and more. More details on our progress as well as initiatives and projects undertaken in support of the plan will be shared on this page as well as the municipal newsletter.

  • INITIATIVE #6 – Housing Infrastructure Plan

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    Updated: July 18, 2024

    In April 2024, Council reviewed and approved comprehensive maps of existing serviceable boundaries, potential new wastewater treatments sites, and currently undeveloped land that could readily be included in existing or expanded wastewater service areas.

    Maps can be found in our Document Library.

  • INITIATIVE #7 – Building Inspector Capacity

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    Updated: July 18, 2024

    Council recently appointed two new Residential Building Officials who are working on achieving their Level 1 certification in the coming months and Level 2 by 2026. This action will expedite inspections and permits for occupancy.

  • INITIATIVE #8 – Develop Pre-Approved Building Plans

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    Updated: July 18, 2024

    The Municipality of Chester has committed to working with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the Province of Nova Scotia and other potential partners to review pre-approved building plans and adopt plans that are appropriate within our local permitting process.

    Once this is completed, property owners would have access to building plans that the Municipality has confirmed are pre-approved and ready to build, which would significantly speed up the permitting process.

  • INITIATIVE #9 – Incentives to Encourage the Creation of Affordable Housing

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    Updated: July 18, 2024

    The Municipality of Chester’s Housing Needs Report found that as of the end of 2022, there was a gap between housing demand and available supply of about 335 units. Historical construction trends indicate this gap will continue to grow unless our pace of construction increases. Additionally, affordability of housing is a significant risk for current and future residents of the Municipality. Currently, 85% of households have estimated income levels that are below the threshold required to afford the median-priced home within the Municipality.

    Work underway with FBM will help identify barriers that prevent the construction of affordable housing units within the Municipality and propose solutions. This project is supported by funding from the Federal Government’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) and we anticipate proposing a series of incentives to encourage developers and not-for-profits to create affordable and attainable units throughout the Municipality.

    More details will be shared as they are developed.

  • Housing Accelerator Funding (HAF) Announced

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    The Municipality of Chester has received $1,986,000 in funding through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to support nine initiatives supporting the Charting a Course for Growth plan.

    These initiatives will position us as an excellent location for housing developments within the next three years. Initiatives to support an expected increase in affordable, attainable, and attractive housing units include:

    • Review of Municipal By-Laws and Specifications, including the Subdivision By-Law, Sewer By-Law, and Municipal Specifications;
    • Higher-Density Development Strategy that supports "missing middle" type residential housing;
    • Plan for municipally-owned land for the development of affordable housing as-of-right;
    • Online permitting system to facilitate faster processing of building/demolition permits, development permits, and sewer permits;
    • Marketing campaign for residential development to drive more investment from developers;
    • Infrastructure Plan to locate potential new and/or expanded wastewater treatment sites, explore service feasibility for possible water supply options, identify resources and processes for data concerning watersheds and coastal flood risk areas when planning climate resilient infrastructure and service delivery;
    • Hiring and training junior building inspectors;
    • Working with CMHC and the federal and provincial governments to develop pre-approved building plans; and
    • Exploring incentives for developers and non-profits that will encourage the creation of affordable and attainable housing.


    Please visit this page often for community engagement opportunities, status reports, documentation, timelines, and more. More details on each initiative and project will be shared on this page as well as the municipal newsletter.

  • Welcome to Charting a Course for Growth

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    Welcome to the project page for the Municipality of Chester's Charting a Course for Growth Plan. This page will continue to be updated with information as the plan progresses and initiatives are implemented.

    Click the "Stay Informed" button to subscribe to the project and receive updates.

    If you have suggestions or comments, please "Leave a Comment". Questions can also be submitted and contact information is available if you wish to speak directly with staff.

Page last updated: 15 Oct 2024, 04:30 PM