Another large apartment building is being proposed along Hampton Road in Rothesay.
Propertystar wants to construct a 43-unit building between Sierra Avenue and Oakville Lane.
CEO Mark Hatfield said the four-storey building would be geared toward seniors in the community.
“The senior population is expected to grow about 25 per cent in the next two to three years. We feel there’s a need and we have the studies to say that there’s a need for more affordable senior living,” Hatfield told a public hearing Tuesday night.
There would be one to three ground-level accessible units and Hatfield said their goal would be to make every unit barrier-free.
In addition, 10 of the units would be “affordable seniors rental units” to accommodate low-income seniors.
Hatfield said it is hard to speculate what that price would be but suggested a range of $1,100 to $1,250.
The building would also have ground-floor commercial space, with early plans showing as many as five businesses.
Brian White, development director for the town, described the proposal as a “smart density” project.
“This is a type of project that contributes to the diversity of housing in our community,” White said during the hearing.
“It’s located in close proximity to commercial uses, arterial streets, promotes pedestrian connectivity and ease of access for residents, and reduces sprawl and creates a highly walkable neighbourhood.”
White noted that the project has support from town staff and planning advisory committee members.
However, not everyone living near the proposed development is on board. Eight people spoke against it during the hearing.
Randy Ashe and his wife, Brenda, have lived on Monaco Drive for more than 30 years. Their street is located directly behind where the proposed development would go.
“The impact on privacy and enjoyment of use for about a dozen residents on Monaco Drive closest to this development will be substantial. For those directly bordering it, it will be devastating,” said Ashe.
Charlene Buckley also lives on Monaco Drive. While she loves the idea of a building geared toward seniors, she does not think this is the right location for it.
“It’s extremely high density, it’s a huge footprint in a very small space, and the traffic would be unbelievable and only adding to the problems that we already have with traffic along Hampton Road and Monaco Drive,” said Buckley.
Christianne Vaillancourt said she does not have an issue with a multi-unit apartment building on commercially-zoned land.
She is concerned, however, with the height, density and design of the building, along with the increased traffic and overall impact on the town’s road network and stormwater system.
“Hampton Road cannot handle the amount of traffic it has now. How will the street support the additional traffic,” said Vaillancourt.
Council will consider the rezoning application for the project at a later date.
Follow
