Proposed towers will put Moncton riverfront at risk, group says
City councillor says development would define future of the area
A citizens' group is asking the City of Moncton to pause and rethink a project that would see two apartment buildings built on the city's riverfront.
In June, city council approved the sale of land at Assomption Boulevard and Foundry Street to J.N. Lafford Realty.
The Sackville-based company has proposed building two 17-storey towers on the site, with a pedway connecting the two and a publiclyy accessible walkway below, leading to Riverfront Park and the south-bound trail system along the Petitcodiac River.
But a group of local residents is calling for a moratorium so that an environmental and social study can be completed.
Thirty-four people signed a petition on the issue that was sent to the city on Wednesday. One of them was Omer Chouinard.
Chouinard, a retired environmental studies professor at l'Université de Moncton, said the site should be used to expand the area's green space — not reduce it.
"It was sold with no consultation of the public," he said in an interview. "It's a natural environment and cultural environment that you have to protect."
For Coun. Charles Leger, the project is an opportunity to define the future of the riverfront.
The project "allows, really, the creation of somewhat of a gateway to the riverfront," he said. "I think it's a great way to, sort of, connect."
Along with the petition, the citizen group sent a 10-page document outlining the issues they have with the project, including flooding risk and public safety, urban densification by a small number of companies and environmental protection.
Ensuring access to the riverfront
To Chouinard, the Gateway Towers project goes against intentions the city laid out for the area in reports published in 2006 and 2017.
In the documents it sent the city, the group highlights the Downtown Moncton Development Vision report, commissioned by the city in 2006.
In it, the city said there was a need to protect the south side of Assomption Boulevard to ensure public access to the zone.
They also point out that a 2017 report said the space south of Assomption would remain public. The group believes access to the Petitcodiac River is "a vested right that must not be infringed."
Leger said the city is staying true to its intent for the land that was most recently outlined in the municipal plan.
"What's more important, I think at least for me, is taking a look at what the project looked like," he said about renderings that were provided to the city.
"I'm the first to say that we should certainly limit buildings that block the sight lines to the river," Leger said.
"This particular project is interesting because it lines up with Foundry [Street] so it'll be, in some ways, an extension of the street leading right to the riverfront."
The plot of land sold near the Assomption-Foundry intersection also includes industrial land that Lafford already owns.
The company is also building the Three Sisters Apartments, which are three,15-storey towers located across the street from the riverfront site.
Leger said the Gateway Towers design, which allows the general public to access the riverfront, was "one of the biggest requirements from staff to the developer, and also from council."
For a developer to gain access to zoning permits, Leger said there are certain environmental criteria it needs to meet first.
He said it's during this process that most of the concerns being raised by the group will be assessed.
Next steps
While Chouinard said the group has yet to hear back from the city, he hopes they will remain open in the next phases of the project.
The group would like to see the space used for leisure or to inform the public about the cultural and environmental significance of the Petitcodiac River region.
City council is set to vote on rezoning the land on Aug. 19 after the builder presents plans and renderings for the site, according to Leger.
If the project moves forward, it will be reviewed by the city's planning advisory committee, which is made up of volunteers appointed by city council who approve certain development applications.
Leger said the public will get a chance to address council in person with any comments or concerns in late September or early October.