10-storey apartment building clears major hurdle as St. John's city council looks to encourage density

A new 10-storey apartment building has cleared a major hurdle after St. John's city council voted to exempt the project from the city's step-back requirement.

Coun. Maggie Burton said the city needs more housing stock — and developing that stock means building upwards.

"The future is density, and St. John's has to get ready for that," she said in an interview with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

KMK Capital is proposing a 107-unit apartment building at 34 New Cove Road, the site of the former MAX recreation facility. 

The firm asked for an exemption from the city's requirement that all buildings 12 metres or higher in residential zones include a "step-back" — which means higher floors are recessed, or set back, from lower floors. 

Step-backs are meant to mitigate the impact of wind, shadow and height.

According to a report from city commissioner Clifford Johnston, KMK Capital argued that the step-back would increase the cost of the project and eliminate 15 units from the building.

Burton said the step-back requirement was added to city regulations as a way to make taller buildings less intrusive — but that was before housing scarcity reached a crisis point.

"It gets in the way of actually getting the development built because it's a very cost prohibitive requirement," she said.

A balancing act

According to Johnston's report, the building's scale was a major concern at a public hearing over the project in February, and in written submissions from nearby residents.

Johnston's report said a step-back would do little to mitigate shadowing, though could alleviate resident concerns regarding the building's height.

While most members of council voted in favour of the exemption, Ward 4 Coun. Tom Davis and Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O'Leary voted against the exemption citing concern from residents.

Davis said he weighed residents' concerns against the request from the developer, and recommendations from staff.

"The developer said [adding the set-back] would make the project not feasible. I would question that," he said.

Davis said residents are worried about the "looming effect" of the building, especially since the proposed site is on a hill.

Burton acknowledged the concerns, but said she has to weigh them against the potential benefits for future residents.

"The overall need for more housing units in the city is, I think, the most important factor in all conversations right now," she said.

Next, the project proponents will need to submit engineering plans for development approval, followed by building plans for building permits.

KMK Capital has indicated that the existing MAX building will be demolished.

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