Proposed higher-density housing next to Fredericton universities gets mixed reaction

A plan to allow more multi-unit apartment buildings in Fredericton's College Hill neighbourhood was met with mixed reaction from residents this week at a public information session hosted by city hall.

About 40 people attended the session that offered a chance to speak with city staff and councillors about proposed zoning changes to allow apartment buildings as tall as six storeys on streets near the university campuses.

"I think this is a very reasonable plan to try to make more housing options, especially for students, because when we moved here, I was a student and it was very hard to find an apartment and the prices were a little eye-popping," said Kevin Lavigne, one of those who attended the session Tuesday.

The College Hill area includes properties within the boundary of Beaverbrook, Windsor, Montgomery and Regent streets, and its development has been governed for the past 30 years by a municipal plan that city staff say has become outdated.

Adopted in 1994, the College Hill secondary municipal plan sought to address neighbourhood concerns about non-owner-occupied homes, and thus significantly restricted the permitted uses for properties in that area.

That means that despite the growth in student and non-student residents, housing options in the area have been primarily limited to single and two-unit detached homes.

Under city hall's proposal, the College Hill plan would be repealed, and the zoning for dozens of properties would be changed to allow the construction of denser buildings.

The plan would see the largest buildings allowed on properties on Graham Avenue and Windsor Street between Beaverbrook Street and Kings College Road. There, properties would be rezoned to MR-4, which allows buildings of up to six storeys with a maximum of 100 units per hectare.

Properties on other streets, like the eastern sides of Regent and Windsor streets between Kings College Road and Montgomery Street, would be rezoned to MR-2, which allows for buildings up to four storeys with a maximum of 62 units per hectare.

Properties on the western side of Graham Avenue and Windsor Street, as well as the northern side of Montgomery Street, would be rezoned R-5, which allows semi-detached and townhouses.

More density could benefit students, says graduate

Lavigne said he moved to Fredericton three years ago with his wife to attend university.

Moving from Japan, he said, he began searching for an apartment about a year in advance and was still only able to get a 400-square-foot bachelor apartment costing more than $1,000 on Montgomery Street.

He hopes the proposed changes allow for more flexible housing options and a greater supply of units overall.

"I don't think people should have to live on the outskirts of town and commute in to find affordable housing. And I know that new builds aren't always affordable, but we have less than one per cent vacancy rate … so we need more housing,  and we need it now."

Greater density a concern for neighbourhood

Cathy MacLaggan, who has lived on Hanson Street for 43 years, is opposed to allowing denser housing in her neighbourhood.

She said homes around hers have increasingly been purchased by investors looking to rent them out to students, and she's concerned this trend will ramp up if the proposed changes go through.

"I believe that the for-profit, like the absentee landlord and financialization of the properties, has a very damaging effect on our neighborhood," she said.

MacLaggan said she was already dismayed by the city's recent decision to allow up to four units in homes across the city, and is worried the latest proposal could change her neighbourhood even further.

"This is not going to create green space. This is going to be more parking, more more big buildings, fewer trees."

Changes would likely be incremental, says landlord

Nick Difeo takes issue with the notion that absentee landlords have negatively affected the neighbourhood.

He doesn't live in College Hill but owns 20 homes in the area and said he's actively involved in making sure they're properly maintained.

"The reality is as a property owner, you know, I have a sizable investment that I need to protect," he said. "So I have a vested interest in actually being here and trying to make things work properly."

Difeo said he thinks the proposed changes likely won't result in investors like him building large four and six-storey apartments right away, given the need to consolidate multiple lots and source significant capital to do so.

Rather, he thinks the changes are more likely to result in smaller-scale projects, with larger buildings taking much more time to materialize.

"So is there an ability to densify existing single family homes? Absolutely. But we're talking adding maybe a second unit, maybe adding an extra three to four bedrooms. We're not talking about adding 48 units."

The proposed changes are scheduled to be considered by Fredericton's planning advisory committee on May 21.

They'll then go before councillors at their June 9 general meeting, when members of the public will be allowed to weigh in on the changes.

A final vote by council is scheduled for June 23.