As part of an on-going commitment to improve the look of the Lower Sackville Business District, the community's primary thoroughfare, Sackville Drive, is getting a bit of a facelift. More trees, more green, more reasons to visit.
According to an advisory notice from the Halifax Regional Municipality dated Aug. 30, the construction of medians on Sackville Drive has begun with an anticipated completion date of Sept. 28.
The notice goes on to say the construction will include the removal of existing asphalt and installation of the medians at designated locations on Sackville Drive between Riverside Drive and Beaverbank Road and will include sodding grass and planting trees.
The medians are expected to be a positive addition to the landscape, making Sackville Drive not only more appealing to potential customers, but to the people who live there as well - most everyone who lives in Sackville drive up and down Sackville Drive at least once a day.
This type of project has been discussed for years, but the actual working drawing started last year.
Sackville Business Association executive director Michelle Champniss said the association advocated for the medians and are excited about the project. Although she understands that local residents may be concerned about the initial construction and potential traffic issues in the future, she wants to reassure them that there is no need to worry. Besides the possibility of a very small parking issue for a very short period of time, the medians will not cause any problems for drivers. People need to know the entire street will not be torn up to build medians down the centre of the road.
"They will not be disrupting at all," said Champniss. "As a matter of fact, besides being visually appealing, when drivers see these medians they tend to go the speed limit. Research shows business districts that look good impact business."
The Sackville Business Association has already been working on improvements and has had positive feedback on hanging flower baskets and new trees already planted on Sackville Drive.
Jocelyn Tingley has lived in Sackville since 1999. She loves the baskets and the trees and now she's looking forward to the medians.
"All you ever hear is how much Sackville Drive looks like a used car lot," she said. "Soon people won't be able to say that anymore."
Sackville Drive is not the only business district in HRM cleaning up its act. Many existing business areas in HRM have been going green and dressing up a little while newer developments such as Dartmouth Crossing are going that much further by making a shopping experience a beautiful thing.
By the looks of things Sackville Drive is heading in that same direction.
District 19 Coun. Bob Harvey supports the project.
"This is the fulfilment of a part of the transportation study that went along with the Sackville Drive Secondary Planning Strategy for Sackville Drive adopted by council after an extensive public process a number of years ago," he said. "It relates to the "greening" of Sackville Drive under the Streetscape Plan. A secondary result may be that it helps slow down traffic in that part of the street."
blhall@eastlink.ca
