Moncton developer turns around condemned Saint John apartments

Three years after it was condemned and shut down, an apartment complex in Saint John's north end is reopening.

The Mitchell Apartments on Mitchell Street used to have 72 units in six different buildings. 

Thirty units are now ready to be rented again, according to Mathieu Vautour of Viva Developments.

"It's a complete change," Vautour said. "The first time we walked into these buildings, I mean, there was broken glass everywhere. Everything was torn apart.

"Drywall was all falling apart. And now, everything is brand new. We've gutted out all the buildings right to the studs and we rebuilt everything — the electrical, the plumbing, all the flooring, cabinets."

Renovations to another 30 units should be complete by December, he said.

Sixty is the total number of units that will open. Some of the former units have been reconfigured into larger living spaces. 

In the summer of 2016, the City of Saint John said the Mitchell Apartments needed about $3 million in upgrades to pass inspection.

The company that owned them said it couldn't afford the work and went bankrupt.

The buildings were vacant and badly vandalized over the next couple of years until Viva bought them about a year ago.

Prior to this project, most of Viva's experience was in new construction in the Moncton area, said Vautour.

But Viva saw the Mitchell Apartments as a good investment opportunity. 

"We kind of went through the buildings, we looked at the structure itself, and the structure was still really really good. So we decided basically to gut it out. And once we did, we saw that everything was still very much intact."

Vautour said Viva has spent about $4 million on renovations.

The redevelopment has been going well, he said, giving credit to the whole team of people who have been involved in the work.

Leading Edge Property Solutions is managing the new Mitchell Apartments. They are offering one-, two- and three-bedroom units of about 1,000 square feet for $900 to $1,500 a month.

Those rents are above average for Saint John. 

According to Economic Development Greater Saint John, a standard, unfurnished, two-bedroom apartment costs about $747 a month.

"You've got to compare apples to apples," said John MacKenzie, a councillor for Ward 2.

"I think right now in Saint John we have a lot more apartments that are not brand new."

Compared to other new units in the city, the Mitchell prices are relatively inexpensive, he suggested.

MacKenzie is "excited" to see the older building transformed into something new.

Vautour said the new apartments do have some features that lower the cost of living.

Mini-split heating and cooling systems in every unit will mean lower power bills, he said.

And the apartments are on a bus route and within walking distance of the uptown.

The city is facing what some have called an affordable housing crisis.

Last year, 1,796 people were on the waiting list for affordable housing.

As of early September, 135 people were known to be experiencing homelessness in Saint John, according to the Human Development Council.

The basic social assistance rate is $537.

Vautour said his company is working on a couple of other projects in Saint John, one on the west side and one on Boars Head Road in Millidgeville. He expects both will be done next spring.