Expansion and progress are in the works at city hall with the hiring of two new Prince Rupert city planners under the initiative of city manager, Rob Buchan.
The newest addition to the city hall staff is Myfannwy Pope who has already moved into the role on Jan. 17 and was closely followed by Daniel Rajasooriar on Jan. 24.
“We’re excited to have them,” Buchan told The Northern View, on Jan. 19
The new hires are recent graduates from Simon Fraser University’s planning program and will be put to work right away.
First on their agenda will be conducting a housing portfolio and a master transportation plan, the city manager said.
Part of the portfolio will include a housing needs assessment. Through the assessment, both new recruits will be looking to develop housing in the city. Staff will manage a contract with consultants who will complete the project, Buchan said.
The duo will also focus on implementing the previously prepared housing action plan, which consists of a number of different projects to develop housing in the city. Part of that plan will include the city putting some of its own lands, between 10 and 20 parcels, on the market for housing, Buchan said.
The master transportation plan will look at the growth rate of Prince Rupert. It will also evaluate the road and active transportation network as well as infrastructure to create a strategy for future initiatives. A parking assessment will also be included in the project.
“If you don’t have parking in the right places, you don’t have viable businesses. So, we’re developing a strategy for that too for the downtown,” Buchan said.
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Norman Galimski | Journalist
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