Sylvan Lake Sustainable Waterfront Area Redevelopment Plan (SWARP)

The Town of Sylvan Lake will develop a Sustainable Waterfront Area Redevelopment Plan (SWARP) for their 169 hectare downtown waterfront to adapt to a growing population and tourism industry (over 1 million visitors a year). The SWARP will improve upon their outdated Town of Sylvan Lake Waterfront Area Redevelopment Plan (2006) and identify actions that can advance municipal sustainability objectives to create an area with diverse recreational amenities, sustainable commercial development, enhanced protection of sensitive natural areas, diversification of transportation options, heritage preservation of historically significant buildings, and affordable housing. Recent municipal land acquisitions, ongoing transportation issues, sub-par water quality objectives, and seasonal economic unsustainability are some of the key factors that drove the decision to undertake the updated SWARP. The plan will align with current municipal priorities and aim to establish a mixed-use and economically diverse downtown waterfront area capable of year-round viability. The SWARP will incorporate Smart Growth principles into its design framework and is supported by a multitude of existing municipal plans and policies including the Sylvan Lake Community Social Master Plan (2016), the Sylvan Lake Tourism Strategy (2013-2018), and the Sylvan Lake Environmental Management Plan (2017). Baseline data will be identified and collected during a site specific environmental context assessment and infrastructure and services analysis. Concurrently, stakeholder identification and preliminary public consultation will be conducted in the form of neighbourhood meetings, bus tours, and interviews. Information gathered and material generated will lead to a three-day charrette bringing together stakeholders, professional engagement consultants, and Sylvan Lake multi-departmental staff. The charrette will utilize the National Charrette Institute methodology adapted to the Sylvan Lake context with aims to create a new vision and guiding principles for the waterfront and to design a development concept that addresses contemporary issues and reflects social, cultural, economic, governance and environmental sustainability. Expected environmental benefits will be identified through baseline data collection and are expected to include wetland and riparian zone restoration, an increase in active transportation, and implementing sustainable building practices. An implementation and monitoring framework will be developed that identifies specific tasks, roles and responsibilities, estimated costs, measurable indicators and timelines to support the final SWARP and measure progress toward the sustainability goals and targets. The project has been planned and structured to include ongoing communication and collaboration between the lead consultant, technical experts, and municipal project managers who will in turn provide regular updates to the municipal council on project progress. The project terminates with a presentation of the final SWARP to the public and council, followed by council approval and adoption as statutory document. (Project description from original funding application)