Moncton City Council Approves 30-Storey Apartment Building
MONCTON — A proposed apartment building in Moncton that will stand up to 30 stories tall, will go ahead. It will be located at Harper and Main Streets.
The project is a multi-storey, mixed-use development with commercial and retail space on the ground floor. It would include 258 underground and interior parking spots. The piece of land sits on the north side of Main Street, on the eastern end of the downtown, in Ward One, and is a part of the gateway into the downtown. The developer is Icon Developments Inc., represented by Jamie Shea and Phil Ripley.
City Planning and Development Director Bill Budd says this includes 288 residential units in an apartment building and townhouses.
“There’s a total of 10 townhouses and that will help create a more pedestrian-friendly design. At the back of the building, there will be a residential tower facing Main Street, proposed to be 30 stories in height,” Budd says.
At an earlier meeting, City Council did put some conditions on the project.
One is that developer must employ flood mitigation measures to reduce the risk and impact of flooding in the lower level of the parking structure. They must also properly manage and protect groundwater and soil during construction.
The developer also required an exception to the city’s normal rules around the heights of buildings to make the project reality. Council says it will let the developer ignore those rules, but the developer must commit to the final building being at least six storey tall, regardless of other changes the project goes through.
This week, council received four letters of opposition, and three residents attended a public hearing on Monday to speak out against the construction. Brian MacIver was one of them.
“They seek to put a parking garage in front of my house and the other house that is beside me. This is my main problem,” he wrote.
Another resident also expressed her concerns.
“We are very worried about the construction of this giant T-Rex in front of my house. I am pretty sure I will never be able to sell my house ever again. During construction, we won’t be able to open our windows. I don’t know how long it will take to build such a giant, but it will certainly affect our quality of life. So many floors, so many units, it is huge, for such a small neighbourhood that has been slowly erased. We’ve been there for 20 years. When we got there, there were 20 homes, and now there are 5 left. There are very few voices here because there are so few houses left,” she wrote.
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Catherine Clements also felt the building doesn’t suit the city and that it is the wrong style altogether.
Moncton City Council voted unanimously in favour of the project. A building of this height will be a first for New Brunswick.
Tara Clow is the news director with 91.9 The Bend in Moncton, a Huddle content partner.