Moncton council approves 99-unit rental development for north end
Moncton city council approved a new 99-unit rental project in the north end after residents expressed concern about the development at a Monday night council meeting.
The PVC Homes development includes one 51-unit apartment building and seven townhouses that will connect Ryan Street and Silver Shale Way. It will then extend Silver Shale Way to Lady Russell Street, connecting the two neighbourhoods in the area.
City officials said construction could start as early as this summer.
Development will start with the smaller townhouses, where four of the buildings are expected to be built one summer and three the following summer. The apartment building is expected to be built in the summer of 2020.
Residents are upset
Andre Rioux, who lives near where the projects are planned, said there have been many requests for rezoning and development since he's moved into the neighbourhood.
While he's not entirely against the idea of new development, the Lady Russell Street resident told councillors, he believes traffic is a concern for kids walking to the nearby École Le Sommet on Ryan Street.
"For the past four months we are getting the feeling we're being surrounded," Rioux said. "It is worrisome for the kids, seeing that there is no crosswalk near Lady Russell … there's no people helping the kids to cross the street."
Yolanda Sheppard, who also lives in the area, said she worries about construction noise.
"It's quite miserable when you wake up to … hammering and nailing and guns and saws," she said. "How long are we expected to be in an active construction zone?"
But Sheppard was satisfied after learning she will only have to deal with loud construction for one summer, when crews are working on the area closest to her home.
Bill Budd, the city's director of urban planning, said the apartment building will also have two small commercial spaces that will serve as convenience stores.
Budd said city staff recommended developers add a 10-metre buffer zone that could help put distance between people's backyards and the grounds around the building. Developers will also plant trees around the building to fence-in the development.
After the meeting both Sheppard and Rioux felt council listened to their concerns and were satisfied with the response.
As long as the city knows how important traffic safety is to the area, Rioux said he's happy.
"It's just going to be causing quite an impact and we just want to make sure that everything is safe and taken into consideration," he said. "New development is always good, just think these things through."
