Sydney searching for someone to revitalize city's downtown

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality is hiring a co-ordinator who will be tasked with revitalizing and restructuring Sydney's downtown.

The area is preparing for some significant adjustments over the next few years, including changes to parking and roads.

The new downtown regeneration co-ordinator will consult with the community and local businesses to develop a new urban plan.

"The person will work with the community groups, organizations, business owners, store owners, landlords to put the blueprint in place and what they think the downtown should be," said Coun. Eldon MacDonald, the representative for Downtown Sydney-Membertou.

Limitless opportunities

The position will be funded in part by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the municipality.

MacDonald said the possibilities for the downtown are varied. 

"It could be anything from beach volleyball to a heritage building on Charlotte Street that needs to be restored … to a vacant building that needs to have a tenant put in it to create better commerce in our downtown," he said.

MacDonald said there is a lot to be considered and incorporated into the new urban plan. 

'More connectivity'

"It's not just about the historic value that we have in our community, it's about the community at large," he said.

"There needs to be more connectivity with the waterfront and the downtown shopping district. People feel that it's kind of separated and it needs to be pulled together as one." 

Michelle Wilson, executive director of the Sydney Waterfront District, said the successful applicant will be someone who can juggle a number of responsibilities.

"They would have to be someone who has big shoulders and a good personality to be able to work with many different people at all levels of community and government," said Wilson, who will sit on the hiring committee. 

The co-ordinator is expected to be in place as of March and remain on the job until June 2019.