Here is your first chance to provide feedback for the City of Moncton’s new municipal plan and zoning bylaw.

Two in-person events are taking place at Legends at the Moncton Coliseum on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

“In order for us to do a very good job, we really need to the public to be engaged,” Josh Davies, manager of long range planning for the city, told reporters during the launch of the review last week.

“If there’s things that you’re happy with, if there’s things you think we can change, we want to hear about it. And if there’s things you really have an axe to grind to, that would also be something that we want to hear about.”

What is a municipal plan?

The municipal plan guides growth and development over the next decade, while the zoning bylaw implements the policies that make up the plan.

The comprehensive review of the existing documents, which were adopted in 2014, comes as the city tries to keep up with record population growth.

Davies said the city’s population has already reached around 100,000 — a number they were not expecting until around 2031.

“It’s not just about building permits and housing. It’s a lot about heritage, it’s about active transportation, it’s about the environment, it’s about all types of things that the City of Moncton is involved with.”

Months-long process

The entire process to update the municipal plan and zoning bylaw, from start to finish, is expected to take between 18 and 24 months.

Tuesday’s in-person vision workshops will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.

Davies said residents will have the chance to offer their input — in-person and virtually — at several points throughout the process.

Opportunities for engagement will be posted on the Let’s Chat Moncton project page.