Mystery college proposed near Moncton's Centennial Park
Moncton council is giving early approval to rezone a small wedge of land along Millennium Boulevard that would allow a two-storey college building, a change that also leaves the door open to constructing a new west end school in the area.
The name of the group planning the college wasn't disclosed at a council meeting Monday or in a staff report that described it as a "community college."
Entreprises Mapoma Ltee owns the land south of Millennium previously used as a CN rail yard. The development north of Centennial Park is called Franklin Yard.
Roméo Goguen, who owns Mapoma, did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
"What's being proposed is the property owner is trying subdivide a large portion, a large lot out of this, for a local community college for their new expanded campus," Bill Budd, the city's director of urban planning, told council while outlining the rezoning.
A spokesperson said it's not a project of New Brunswick community colleges.
Isabelle LeBlanc, the city's director of communications, sent an email to reporters Tuesday clarifying the facility is "a private college that is planning an expansion."
Oulton College, a privately run college with buildings along Vaughan Harvey Boulevard in Moncton, did not comment Tuesday.
Dale Ritchie, the president of McKenzie College, another private college in Moncton, says it has no plans to move from its downtown location.
Budd told council the rezoning from integrated development zone to mixed use would also allow public schools.
"If the province wants to locate a school in this area, they could," Budd said.
Franklin Yard was one of the sites floated for a new kindergarten to Grade 8 school to replace Hillcrest and Bessborough schools.
Cathy Rogers, the MLA for the area and a former Liberal cabinet minister, suggested during the provincial election that the current Bessborough site would be used.
Nancy Champion, a spokesperson for the Education Department, said in an email Tuesday that a decision has not yet been made on the school's location.
"Options are still being explored," Champion wrote.
The proposed Franklin Yard college site and parking lot would cover six acres (about two hectares), leaving about 14 acres (about 5½ hectares) open for other development.
The province usually requires about 20 acres, or about eight hectares, for new schools, Budd said.
Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold told Information Morning Moncton the site could still be used for a school since Centennial Park and sports fields are already nearby.
"Yeah, there is a possibility that could still happen in there," Arnold said.
There's no direct road access from the west end neighbourhoods where Hillcrest and Bessborough schools are located to Franklin Yard.
Marc Landry, the city manager, said staff would present options to council, such as a cost-sharing arrangement, if the developer wants a road connection through the city park.
Council voted 9-1 in favour of first reading of the rezoning and change to the Municipal Plan. The proposal goes to the city's planning committee and then back to council for a public hearing Jan. 21 next year.
