Trio of 6-storey apartment buildings pitched on former Riverview public works site

A developer is proposing to buy Riverview's former public works site and build a trio of six-storey apartment buildings with hundreds of units.

Town councillors were shown the proposal at a committee meeting Monday eveningfromIcon Developments Ltd.on a 10-acre site at the corner of Whitepine Road and Pine Glen Road. Icon received approval last year for atower up to 30-floors highin downtown Moncton.

It's the latest in a series of larger clusters of apartment buildings proposed in the Moncton region as the area's population booms, several of which have been opposed by existing homeowners.

If completed, the three buildings would have a total of 375 residential units, 225 surface and 303 underground parking spaces.

The proposal requires rezoning the land from a parks, recreationand institutional zone to a commercial-mix zoneandlikely a variance to go above that zone's 18-metre height limit.

Councillors voted to move the proposal ahead to a public hearing, which has been set for April 8. Third reading of the bylaw could take place May 13.

Kirk Brewer, the planner who presented the proposal, said the buildings are larger "than what we're used to seeing in town."

Brewer said the proposal is laid out to keep as many apartment balconies as possible oriented away from surrounding homes.

"This is a site that we have been aware of as staff for years that it's on the market and we've ... talked to several different developers about potential developments here," Brewer said.

"So we've anticipated a larger-scale development which is really a good use of the land given its central location along bus routes and near commercial [areas]."

Brewer said the project will require some infrastructure upgrades, noting that WhitepineRoad currently lacks sidewalks and that a sewer line would need to be upgraded to handle the second and third buildings.

Colin Smith, the town's chief administrative officer, told council that work had been scheduled on Whitepine in 2026, but that could be moved ahead a year if the development is approved.

Smith said the town had decided years ago to hold off on upgrading Whitepine while waiting for the land to be developed.

A staff report to council says that the town has already carried out remediation work on the site to remove contaminants.

Coun. Wayne Bennett asked when the developer hopes to start, if the project is approved.

Brewer said the developer has indicated as soon as possible.

"So ideally this year, that's the indication that we've received so far," Brewer said.

There was no mention of how much the town would sell the land to the developer for, if the project goes ahead.