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Volunteers band together on planning, design, development for downtown Nanaimo

The Planning Design Development Nanaimo Society launched in July
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Darren Moss, a director with the Planning Design Development Nanaimo Society, is completing designs to help rejuvenate Albert Street Plaza in downtown Nanaimo. (CHRIS BUSH/The News Bulletin)

A public space on Albert Street is on the to-do list for a new group of Nanaimo volunteers.

The Planning Design Development Nanaimo Society launched in August with an aim to facilitate planning, design and development that will enhance the Harbour City.

“Our statement is the planning, design and development of projects and support of projects that improve the community of Nanaimo and that’s really what we want to do,” said society director Monica Briggs.

“The planning, design, development, the committee, originally came through the DNBIA and was associated with the city. Then when the DNBIA was dissolved, we decided we wanted to continue to try and be involved in different projects throughout Nanaimo.”

The society has already picked up some of the initiatives of the former Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association, such as working through ideas for the city’s downtown space that architects, urban planners and other design professionals came up with during a charrette hosted by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada last year. It’s also going to see if businesses would be interested in advancing work on Terminal Avenue property value improvement, which requires work with the province, and will complete design work for the plaza at the corner of Victoria Crescent and Albert Street.

“[The plaza] is such a wasted space right now and we’re really trying to work with the owners and managers to try to enhance and make it more of a public space, make it a little more friendly to people in the downtown area,” said Briggs, adding its one of her favourite projects.

Darren Moss, also a director of the society, and said the volunteers are passionate about moving Nanaimo forward and he hopes the society can effect positive change for Nanaimo.

“It’s not a mandate that is bracketed, its intended to be a broad scope that allows us to brainstorm, develop and work with other organizations to take initiatives forward,” he said.

Members of the new society include: Moss, Briggs, Mile Delves, Rebecca Kirk, Greg Scott, David Witty, Andre Sullivan, Doug Backhouse, Caleb McIntyre and Janice Perrino.



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