GUYSBOROUGH — After months of planning meetings and public consultation, municipal officials say Guysborough’s long-anticipated downtown makeover – once expected to be unveiled this spring – still isn’t quite ready for its close-up.
Despite strong community input, high expectations and a January 2025 target for a final report, the challenge of aligning bold ideas with practical realities is keeping the plan to transform the downtown area in the wings, say municipal leaders and project managers.
“One of the reasons for the delay is that we’ve taken extra time to work closely with the consultants to ensure the plan reflects what’s actually doable – not just inspiring ideas, but realistic steps that are achievable and within our control,” Ashley Cunningham Avery, executive director of the Guysborough District Business Partnership (GDBP), told The Journal in an email last week. “We know people have been eager to see the recommendations ... and we truly appreciate all the feedback that’s been shared so far.”
The lead consultant, Dartmouth-based Fathom Studio, was awarded a six-month, $48,882 contract in July 2024 to develop the plan. The project scope includes the area stretching from Guysborough Memorial Hospital to the Chedabucto Shopping Centre. The goal: to combine economic development, cultural preservation, infrastructure upgrades and community gathering spaces into a cohesive vision for the future.
Although some elements of the emerging plan – such as boat tours, signage upgrades and expanded business opportunities – have drawn strong public support, others remain complicated by government red tape, ownership issues and other jurisdictional constraints.
“Some of the ideas in the plan are exciting, forward-looking concepts, but they involve assets that are privately owned or fall under provincial jurisdiction,” said Avery. “Those kinds of projects would require outside investment or government involvement and, while they’re worth exploring, we don’t want to create the impression that we can make them happen on our own or that funding is already in place.”
Municipal officials echoed the call for realism, noting the importance of delivering a framework that reflects community aspirations while remaining manageable.
“Council appreciates the time it takes to formulate such a redevelopment plan,” said Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) Warden Paul Long “While we are eager to see what the consultants have to offer, we also want to be able to have a product that is manageable and reflects the concerns presented by the many residents and businesses that took part in the process.”
Launched formally last July, the revitalization effort was promoted as the first to integrate both the downtown core and waterfront. While previous studies had examined the areas separately, officials said a comprehensive approach was long overdue.
“This is the first plan to include both the Main Street as well as the waterfront,” Avery noted at the time. “It aims to revitalize, present the conditions for future growth, preserve cultural heritage and improve infrastructure.”
The initiative drew significant public interest. At an open house hosted by Fathom in September 2024, more than 75 participants shared ideas on everything from trail signage to kayak rentals and small business spaces. Participants emphasized the need for more accommodations and restaurants, alongside improvements to civic infrastructure such as sidewalks and sewage systems.
“The session saw a strong turnout and both Fathom and I were thrilled with the quality of feedback,” Avery said following the event. “Each group discussed the future of the Shiretown area and waterfront, using maps, markers and sticky notes to share their ideas.”
For Warden Long, who as District 1 councillor represents the community in local government, those discussions reflect a broader urgency to position the entire municipality for sustainable growth. “Everyone is looking forward to how we can revitalize the village area,” he said last week. “[But] with core development will come a greater influx of traffic that will spread out around the entire municipality.”
That context includes multiple industrial developments expected across the region in the next two years. In May 2024, MODG approved a $170,000 contract with Halifax-based ATN Strategies to prepare for those opportunities. Officials believe the revitalization of downtown Guysborough must be coordinated with those broader efforts.
“All such things, including the Canso revitalization of their waterfront, go hand in hand so that the whole municipality has growth,” Long said in a July 2024 interview. “We have to get people thinking that we are a place to be, not just a drive by from Halifax to Cape Breton.”
Avery said the next step will be a public session to review the draft plan once it’s complete. “Our goal is to bring forward a plan that we can all rally around and work toward – through ongoing discussion, shared decision-making and, of course, budget planning over time,” she said. “Once the draft is reviewed, it is our intent to organize a session to discuss the recommendations in the near future.”
In the meantime, those awaiting visible change along Guysborough’s core will have to wait a little longer. As the project team continues to reconcile community ambitions with regulatory and financial constraints, the focus remains on ensuring that whatever comes next is both visionary and viable.
“Not a whole lot came out of previous efforts,” Long told The Journal in June 2024, referencing past revitalization studies going back more than two decades. This time, he said, MODG council wants the revitalization to be something worth staying for.
“It’s time to relook and refocus and do whatever we have to make the town a little more vibrant – to welcome people here, to make it a place that they not only want to come and visit but live here for the long term.”
