Saint John council has put off a decision on whether to allow a massive parking lot in part of Wolastoq Park.
Council voted Monday night to refer Irving Pulp & Paper’s application to the city’s CAO for further discussion.
The company is seeking a rezoning and a municipal plan amendment to convert 30 per cent of the park into a 500-space parking lot.
Officials have said it would support a planned $1.1-billion expansion of Irving’s pulp mill across the street.
A public hearing that began during the Feb. 10 regular council meeting continued on Monday night.
Mixed reviews on Irving’s proposal
Several spoke in favour of the proposal, which the company’s vice-president has said is critical for the mill’s expansion.
Mark Mosher previously told council that hundreds of on-site parking spaces will be displaced during the expansion due to the construction of a new recovery boiler.
Even with new spaces being created elsewhere on the mill property, it is expected that more than 500 new parking spaces will be required,
Several residents have raised concerns ranging from a loss of park space to increased traffic through an already busy Simms Corner.
RELATED: Wolastoq Park parking proposal should be denied: city staff
Municipal staff have also recommended that council deny the application, saying it goes against the city’s municipal plan.
Pankaj Nalavde, the city’s community planning director, said the park currently acts as a buffer and transition use between heavy industrial and the residential community to the south.
If the application were to go ahead, the site would “no longer function as a park, nor as a buffer,” according to city staff.
Councillors respond to proposal
Deputy Mayor John MacKenzie said he wants to see further discussion take place between the CAO and the proponent.
“I think you need to come to some sort of a combined agreement and then bring it back to council and say ‘Hey, this is something we can all live with,'” MacKenzie said during Monday night’s meeting.
Coun. Brent Harris said he would support the company’s proposal — on one condition.
“I need to see a major investment in the expansion of that Harbour Passage to bring down some of that loss of the park to the future area that we’re already committed to as a council,” he said.
Coun. Paula Radwan said this is a “challenging” proposal for her to consider. Radwan said while she is against getting rid of public parks, Wolastoq Park is on private land that belongs to the Irvings.
“Is there any amount of community benefit that would want me to take that buffer away? I don’t know,” said Radwan.
Andy Carson, a former Irving Oil executive who spoke during Monday’s public hearing, said there would be interest in funding recreation elsewhere in the city.
Carson said there may also be an appetite to consider reducing the size of the parking lot once the mill expansion project is complete.
Park not meant to be there forever: company
Wolastoq Park is on the former site of the Centracare mental health facility, which was closed in 1998 after 145 years of operation.
It was later purchased by J.D. Irving, Limited, which owns Irving Pulp & Paper, and rehabilitated into park space in 2004.
Mosher said the site was never meant for permanent park use when they bought it from the province.
He said the company agreed to convert it into green space until a “suitable economic condition” came forward.
No timeframe was given for when the application will return to council, but legal counsel warned the process would restart if councillors do not vote on the rezoning within six months.
