City Approves Parking Lot Design For Former Moncton High School Sports Field
MONCTON – City councillors unanimously approved Monday the final design of the off-site parking lot of the former Moncton High School building, which is being redeveloped into office spaces and a community arts centre.
Director of Urban Planning Bill Budd presented the design of the parking space, which will be on the former high school’s sports field on 290 Church St. The approval means the owner can finalize the conditional zoning agreement for the property.
In line with requirements in the conditional zoning agreement, property owner Heritage Development Ltd., held a public consultation last December to seek input from residents of the adjacent neighbourhood. Residents had been vocal in voicing their concerns about the sports field being paved over and made into a parking lot. Twenty-five people attended the meeting in December.
The city gave the green light to the property owner to pave over the sports field in November 2017.
At the December meeting, residents proposed that Heritage Development give the city a portion of land on the southwest corner of the lot to enlarge Halls Creek Park, which is located next to the sportsfield, and ensure no second access from Fernand Landry street.
“We did approach the landowner to see if they would be open to provide this land to the city and at this point in time, they’re not in a position to give this land back to the city,” Budd told the council.
However, he said because the conditional zoning agreement only allows vehicle access from Church St., residents concerns about a second access point can be addressed.
Residents also suggested temporarily using the area for community use until parking “is needed and developed,” Budd said. The sportsfield redevelopment will only happen once the parking capacity on-site on 207 Church St. is maximized and the building is occupied.
As required in the conditional zoning agreement, the parking development will be phased.
The first phase will include on-site parking next to the building. The use of the sports field as a parking space for more than 500 vehicles will be the next two phases. Plans filed with the city indicate a total of between 800 and 1,015 parking spots planned for the property.
However, the property owner didn’t agree to residents’ request on the temporary use of the lot.
“While this would be nice, it does create liability issues for the owner and therefore cannot be explored further at this time,” Budd said.
Councillor Charles Leger questioned why the building is getting a dedicated private parking lot when there are parking issues in the surrounding area, including around the George L. Dumont hospital.
Councillor Shawn Crossman suggested that the property owner donate the land to the community and have “some sort of community garden involved.”
“I think, here’s a great opportunity. We have a nice little piece of land, and it could come into great use for the community,” he said.
Heritage Development agreed to residents’ request for added vegetation to increase buffering, though. The property owner said it will plant 12 new coniferous trees to fill gaps and enhance green space.
Last June, Heritage Development said it will work with the provincial government to turn the high school into office spaces and a community arts centre. The New Brunswick government sold the building to Heritage Development in 2017 for $1 million.
Heritage Development will own a portion of the property and renovate around 100,000 square feet into office space. The province will retain ownership of the 47,000-square-foot theatre and invest $4-million to renovate it.
RELATED: Former Moncton High School Will Be Home To Office Space and Arts Centre
RELATED: Former Moncton High School to be Redeveloped for Use By Arts and Culture Groups