Region's townhome count to see 78-unit boost

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Between Saint John and Rothesay, 78 townhouses and 80 apartments earned votes of approval on Monday night.

Saint John council voted to endorse amendments to a previously approved project off Loch Lomond Road, with 24 townhomes and 80 apartment units planned, while Rothesay council passed the first and second reading of a rezoning for a 54-unit townhouse project near Fairvale Elementary School at its meeting.

“We’re looking for housing in the greater Saint John region. This is definitely one that can provide some unique type housing opportunities,” said Rothesay Deputy Mayor Matt Alexander, noting the Rothesay project is shovel-ready.

Proposed by developer Stephen Maltby, the development will add 54 townhomes geared toward seniors and young families to the town’s housing inventory.

At a public hearing last month, Maltby said the homes would sell for about $400,000 each, with an expected three-year construction period to complete.

A few residents of the Kaitlyn Street and School Avenue subdivision spoke up at the public hearing, voicing concerns about traffic, noting the Isaac Street and Gondola Point Road intersection in particular.

At Monday’s meeting, councillors Dave Brown and Helen Boyle said they too were worried about traffic impacts, with a school nearby and many children in the area.

“I think lights are imperative, and crosswalks,” Boyle said.

Mayor Nancy Grant, who doesn’t vote on council matters except in cases of a tie, said she was supportive of the project.

“It’s the kind of project we need: smaller footprint and more attainable costs, and it’s in a neighbourhood that has very similar characteristics,” she said.

Grant noted that town staff are already looking at traffic lights in the area, and that the development will result in the addition of a second exit to the subdivision, easing traffic.

Rothesay council voted 4-1 in favour of the first and second readings of the rezoning, with Brown opposed.

Loch Lomond Road development earns council’s approval for second time

Almost two years after receiving rezoning approval, developers Michael Goldenberg and Paul Mangion’s development off Loch Lomond Road was before Saint John council once again on Monday.

This time, the public hearing was to consider allowing a project redesign, which increased the size of two apartment buildings and replaced five smaller apartment buildings with 24, owner-occupied townhouses. In all, the total unit count grew from 82 units to 104 units.

At the meeting, Mangion said the changes were required to keep the project viable. Other amendments to the project included the reduction of affordable units from nine to eight and the removal of a six-year sunset clause, by which the development would have needed to be fully built.

Mangion said the intention is to build the apartment buildings first, then the townhouses as the market allows.

Two nearby residents of Old Lake Trail spoke at the public hearing in opposition to the application.

Seamus Hanley said other neighbours are also against the proposed changes, but felt it was a lost cause. He noted the addition of townhouses was a positive aspect, but questioned if they would actually be built.

Trudy Hanley opposed the added density, arguing the development would change the character of the neighbourhood.

Both said the city should be focusing on adding more owner-occupied homes, rather than apartments, to its housing stock.

Council ultimately voted unanimously to approve the project redesign.

Jeff Cyr, executive director of economic intelligence and real estate for Envision Saint John, spoke at the public hearings for both projects.

“We are in a housing crisis. A big part of that is that we have a massive supply problem,” Cyr said in Saint John on Monday.

He noted that the region grew by 3,000 people last year, but only added 600 units to its housing stock. This year is shaping up similarly, he said.

Cyr said that a trend across the country is mixed developments with townhouses and apartments to address skyrocketing building costs.

“Saint John and the Saint John region is not there. We need a greater mix,” he said. “We’re going to need to start pursuing and getting our developer communities to do more mixed subdivisions with the townhouses and apartments to help carry the infrastructure and to make ownership attainable as well.”