Green Development Standards

The Municipality of Colchester is advancing Green Development Standards (GDS) as a tool to support its Carbon-Free Colchester Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) and the Province of Nova Scotia’s broader climate and sustainability objectives. The intent is to design a voluntary, incentive-based framework that encourages higher-performance development while remaining feasible, administrable, and appropriate for Colchester’s diverse urban and rural contexts.
The core objectives of this project are to develop a suite of incentive and value-added options to encourage the construction of energy-efficient, low-emissions and climate-resilient new buildings. The GDS will establish clear and practical pathways to define how applicants qualify for incentives.

The Colchester Green Development Standards are being developed over the next several months with the oversight of a core staff team from the municipality and representatives from the Clean Foundation. Opportunities to engage in the process will be posted on this page, so please check back for meeting dates.

Engagement Opportunities 

Public Workshop
𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟳 | 𝟲𝗣𝗠-𝟳:𝟯𝟬𝗣𝗠 | 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 (registration required) 
𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠: https://colchesterGDS1.eventbrite.ca
*𝘈 𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 

Join the workshop to learn more about Green Development Standards - what they are, what their benefits are, and how they are implemented by municipalities. 
𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴:
   - 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦
   - 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
   - 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘯
   - 𝘌𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴
   - 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺
   - 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦
   - 𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵
   - 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺
   - 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺
   - 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴

Regional Transit Study

Project Updates

About the Project

The Municipality of Colchester and the Town of Truro have commissioned a study to examine the feasibility of a public transit service for the region. Public transit offers the potential to reduce transportation emissions and reliance on passenger vehicles, address energy poverty, and ensure equitable access to jobs, housing, amenities, and services in the region.

The geographic scope for this study is all of Colchester County, which has a population of around 51,500 people. Thousands of people travel into and out of Truro and Central Colchester from all over the region for employment, education, and services. The study will evaluate the best way to serve residents moving within the urban core, along well-traveled corridors into and out of the urban core and employment centres, and between rural communities.

In July 2024, the Municipality of Colchester and the Town of Truro received funding for this project from the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, administered by the NS Federation of Municipalities. Staff awarded the contract for the study to Arcadis Professional Services Inc in December 2024 and held the project kick-off meeting in January 2025. The study is expected to conclude by early 2026.

Public Engagement

Contact

Questions about the Regional Public Transit Feasibility Study can be directed to Sustainability Planner Joanna Burris at (902) 897-3170 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Colchester County Wide Planning

Administrative Amendments to the Colchester Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law

The county-wide plan and bylaw came into effect in June of 2025. Since that time, staff have been noting any errors, inconsistencies such as mapping discrepancies, typos, cross-referencing, misnumbering, etc. Also, some amendments are proposed to reduce ambiguity for staff, applicants and the public as well as support efficient administration.

At the May 28, 2026 meeting, Council approved administrative amendments to the Colchester Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law.  These amendments are in effect as of June 22, 2026.

Contact Pam Macintosh by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 902.897.3170 for more information.

  pdf Plan and By law Admin Amendments APRIL 27(3.93 MB)

pdf Notice of Approval(121 KB)

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Documents

Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS): 

pdf Colchester Municipal Planning Strategy 2026(14.93 MB)

MPS Schedules

pdf Schedule A - Growth Centres(5.89 MB)

pdf Schedule B - Future Land Use(6.10 MB)

Land Use Bylaw (LUB)

pdf Colchester Land Use Bylaw 2026(21.08 MB)

LUB Schedules

pdf Schedule A - Zoning 2026(6.51 MB)

pdf Schedule B - Flood Overlay 2026(24.71 MB)

pdf Schedule C - Growth Centres 2026(5.89 MB)

pdf Schedule D - Coastal Elevation 2026(8.53 MB)

pdf Schedule E - Heritage Overlays 2026(5.62 MB)

Additional Resources

Colchester County Interactive Flood Mapping

3D flood visualizations in Nova Scotia are extensively used to map risks from sea-level rise, storm surges, and climate change. These tools use high-resolution Lidar elevation data to simulate flood scenarios for selected communities. These models can visualize the risk and threat levels to infrastructure and road networks. Incorporating this information into emergency and disaster planning is critical in the face of climate change.

The Municipality of Colchester and the Town of Truro partnered with the map creators, 3D Wave Design, to provide these maps with the assistance of the Department of Municipal Affairs, Province of Nova Scotia.

Explore the map below to learn more about the impacts of tides, storm surges, and sea-level rise.

Interactive 3D Flood Map - Click Here!

Disclaimer: This interactive map is intended for general informational purposes only. While every effort is made to make the information current, it is subject to change. Any interpretation of the data and any decision made as a result of using the data is the sole responsibility of the user. Users with site specific questions should consult with a qualified professional. By continuing to use this application, you confirm that you understand this disclaimer and that the Municipality of the County of Colchester and the Town of Truro do not have any liability for any loss or damage of any kind incurred because of the use of this information.

Wind Turbine Development By-Law Review

pdf Notice(79 KB) pdf of Approval Wind By-Law(79 KB)

Wind Turbine Development By-law - Chapter 56 (February 2023)