Rezoning for Saint John daycare denied after packed public hearing

The future of a Saint John daycare is in jeopardy after council denied the owner's application for rezoning of a residential property so it could operate there.  

Butterflies and Bumblebees Daycare looks after 48 kids at its Dever Road location in west Saint John but has to close that operation because the property is being redeveloped. 

Ashley King, the daycare's owner, was hoping to move into a property on Starburst Lane, a dead-end residential street near the Dever Road location. 

Council chambers were full Monday night for the hearing on the motion. Some residents of Starburst Lane spoke against the rezoning because of a variety of concerns, including the increased traffic they said would make pedestrians unsafe. 

Parents whose children attend Butterflies and Bumblebees spoke about the prospect of losing that care and tried to allay some of the concerns raised by residents. 

"If this wasn't to go through, there'll be 35 families that are gonna have to make a choice," Dave MacGowan said. "Either parents are going to have to stay home, or we're going to have to leave the city. Because we cannot do this."

The motion to rezone was defeated by 6-4.

Within a year, the city could only consider another application for the site if considerable changes are made to the application, said Jacqueline Hamilton, commissioner of growth and community development. 

John MacKenzie, Gary Sullivan, Greg Norton, Gerry Lowe, Barry Ogden and Greg Stewart voted against the application. David Hickey, Paula Radwan, Joanna Killen and Brent Harris voted in favour. 

Mayor Donna Reardon noted during the hearing that the city was making the determination from a land-use perspective and not a perspective of whether there is a need for more daycare in Saint John. 

King, the daycare's owner, said there are at least 140 children on her waiting list. 

Residents worry about traffic

Vicky Cullinan said her street already copes with truck traffic.

"I myself have been laying awake every night thinking about that, worried about it," Cullinan said of the prospect of having a daycare on her street. 

The street is a dead end without a cul-de-sac, meaning large trucks must back out instead of turning around, she said.

And if the daycare were to operate, it would require some on-street parking. Cullinan said this would make it harder for emergency vehicles to get to people on the street. 

Fire Chief Kevin Clifford said the width of Starburst Lane is not unlike other challenges the department deals with throughout the city.

Penelope Miller told councillors she was concerned about cars having to use people's driveways to turn around if the daycare were located on her street, which worries her because her kids play outside.

The daycare planned to operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

 "So, until 6 p.m., which is really the end of daylight for a good part of the year, my kids can't play on the street and I'm going to be very hesitant just to let them even play in their own driveway," Miller said.

She added that sidewalks in the neighbourhood aren't plowed, so in the winter residents usually walk on the street. 

King, the owner of the daycare, had reworked her proposal because of residents' concerns. This included making an agreement with the Dennis Morris Community Centre to provide staff parking.

But city staff noted there would be no way to enforce that staff park at the community centre, about half a kilometre away, causing residents to be skeptical that the solution would work.

Greg Theriault, who has a child at the daycare, said parents taking their kids to daycare would be safe drivers. 

"We all wake up on a residential street and have to get in our cars and drive somewhere twice a day," he said. "Sometimes there's cars on those streets. Sometimes there's a school on the street that we live on.

"Maybe there's pedestrians walking. We navigate, we adjust, we abide by the rules of the road and we do it safely. "