A former Catholic church rectory in the south end of Saint John could soon be home to a five-unit residential building.
The city’s planning advisory committee has approved a rezoning application for the former St. John the Baptist Church rectory on Broad Street.
Inside will be a single one-bedroom apartment, two one-bedroom apartments with a den in each, and two two-bedroom apartments.
Matthew Carr said he is excited to breathe new life into the three-storey building, which has sat vacant for nearly 15 years.
“When I first came across 54 Broad Street, I was just super excited about the architecture and the opportunity to retain a lot of its over century-old history,” Carr told the committee Tuesday night.
David and Mary-Gwen Alston, owners of Timber Top Adventures in Dominion Park, bought the church and rectory in June with plans to turn the church into an indoor rock climbing gym.
But the couple said they had no use for the rectory and immediately put it back on the market.
Carr said the layout of the building is really conducive to having five almost purpose-built apartments inside.
The five suites will have similar features, materials and finishes, he said. There will be two units on the first floor, two on the second floor, and one unit on the third floor.
All work will be done within the existing envelope of the structure and there will be no additions or extensions, he said, with the exception of any necessary staircases or balconies for fire safety.
Carr said some of the exterior upgrades will include repairing and replacing the flat roof as needed, “tastefully” upgrading the windows with better insulation, restoring period doors where possible, and repairing the traditional red brick where needed.
“I’m passionate about architecture and design and development and excited to proceed,” he said.
Coun. Gerry Lowe, who lived just up the street for nearly three decades, said he thinks the project is an excellent fit for the community.
He questioned Carr about what the rent prices might look like for the five units in the building.
“We haven’t landed on exact rents just yet,” said Carr. “I think with the overall scale of the actual units, it will fall towards the base with regards to, you know, if they were four-bedroom apartments, they would be at a higher cost. Trying to dial these into one-bedroom to two-bedroom apartments should put it at the lower end of the spectrum.”
“I think it’ll turn into what market value is at that point in time with regards to the one- and two-bedroom apartments, but I do understand that there is a sensitivity to affordability.”
The matter will now go before Common Council for a public hearing, which is scheduled for Nov. 1.
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