Iqaluit high-rise proposal takes another step forward
One of the largest residential and commercial plans proposed for Iqaluit has cleared another hurdle in the development process.
At its meeting Tuesday, the city’s planning and development committee voted unanimously in favour of recommending the rezoning of a plot of land west of Sivumugiaq Street, which would allow construction of three eight-storey mixed residential and commercial buildings.
The proposed development, by TBG Construction Ltd., would include 435 housing units, city planner Michelle Armstrong told committee members.
The high-rise proposal was previously presented to the planning committee in November. At that meeting, councillors told city staff to organize a community meeting to discuss the project, rather than go ahead with the rezoning.
Approximately 30 people attended that Jan. 22 public meeting where residents shared concerns about firefighting capacity, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, water servicing, unit sizes and affordability.
Since then, TBG updated its plans to include vehicle access routes, pedestrian walkways, a new parking layout, outdoor storage and a play area.
A site servicing assessment also confirmed sewer capacity in the area is good and in line with an agreement the city has with Qikiqtani Business Development Corp. to serve developments on the nearby Inuit lands.
TBG’s rezoning application outlines the types of apartments the buildings may have, including 184 two-bedroom units and 96 three-bedroom units.
A full traffic study and an assessment of firefighting needs are underway and would need to be completed before the city grants a development permit.
Armstrong noted the development permit and rezoning would be granted together but at a later stage in the process and by city council.
“The approval of the development permit application will be tied to the zoning in this case,” she said.
“Third reading of the zoning [bylaw] will not happen until council has a development permit application that they are happy with and are willing to approve.”
After receiving planning committee approval, the rezoning application will be heard by city council at a future meeting.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Kim Smith said seeing the project move to this next step is “exciting.”
She also pointed to the need for additional one-bedroom apartments in Iqaluit. While this proposal mostly includes two- and three-bedroom units, there’s the potential for more smaller apartments to be added.
Smith said some organizations in the community house single employees in multi-bedroom spaces that could otherwise be used to accommodate families.
If more one-bedroom units are built, larger units could house families.
“In our community, there’s a significant amount of people who are under-housed but adding to that factor there’s also a significant amount of people that are over-housed,” Smith told reporters.
“I would hope that, as there are more one-bedroom units being built in town, that some of these organizations that are using [multi-bedroom units] would start to move staff into housing that’s more appropriate for them.
“For two- and three-bedroom units that are currently occupied by people who have no business having that much space, [that] would allow them to shift into a smaller unit, thus freeing up those units for families.”
Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News
