Ground will be broken later this month on a 49-unit apartment building in the Millidgeville area.
Burlington Flats, located at 50 Technology Drive just off Millidge Avenue, will have a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with 10 percent of the units reserved as affordable.
“We will have five affordable units. And of those five, three of them will be universally accessible, so anyone in a wheelchair can live independently,” says Cheevers (CJ) Brittain, president of NextPort Properties Inc which is developing the project.
“They will be one-bedroom units, but they will be affordable in that the rent levels will not exceed 30 percent of the median household income and Saint John.”
Brittain is the son of Stephen Brittain of IronGate Developments, creators of Telegraph Square the 34-suite at the corner of Canterbury Street and Grannan Street, and home to high end clothing boutique Lordon.
The development gets its name from a proposed street on the parcel of land the development sits on.
“As the property exists now it’s four different pieces of land that a previous developer had intended to turn into four different buildings,” Brittain explains. “As part of that, they created a little street that would have ultimately been the access for the four buildings and it was called Burlington Court.”
With the small street no longer in the picture for this new development, Brittain thought it provided great inspiration for the name.
“I wanted to preserve that piece of history.”
The building will be four stories high with a level of underground parking. The three-bedroom units are just under 1400 square feet, two-bedrooms are just under 1100 square feet, the one-bedrooms are 770 square feet.
There are plans for 41 parking spots for the 49 units in a heated underground garage, with extra storage for winter tires or other items.
On the main floor the building will have a common area with a television and a kitchenette.
“I’m also planning to include a pool table in there as well,” Brittain says.
The land the development sits on is currently three different pieces of land that comprise about an acre and a half.
“Those are going to be consolidated and some property lines slightly adjusted. So we’ll be closer to an acre and a quarter when it’s all said and done, and that’ll just be the single property,” Brittain says.
NextPort Properties Inc was created specifically for this development, and is his first venture solo into the development world, but he is getting advice from his dad on how to proceed in the tricky waters of changing interest rates and continued supply chain and labour challenges.
Even in these uncertain times, Brittain is secure that Saint John’s recent growth, and subsequent demand for housing, is something that will persist.
“I’m only 28 years old. The growth that we’re seeing in Saint John right now is unprecedented in my lifetime, and I think in a lot of cases, the generation prior to be as well,” he says.
“I think with a lot of the interprovincial migration that we’re seeing, like people who are coming from these bigger cities like Ottawa and Toronto, they might not be used to having to use their car to get places,” he says. Which is part of the reason why he added walking distances to nearby amenities to Burlington Flats, showing that there is a concentration of services available in the area, which is growing every day.
“I did that kind of with the intention of focusing on …the close proximity to places that you can drive and the walkability as well,” he says. “Milledgeville is rapidly growing … there’s a grocery store right there. There’s a few small restaurants and bars that are within a reasonable walking distance.”
“You’re only a seven or eight-minute drive away from the city centre. And on top of that, the building is right on two major bus lines with access to all parts of the city.”
Looking toward the future, Brittain thinks this is a great moment to help position the city for success.
“I think the opportunity is ripe to continue to grow in Saint John. As that happens, it’s inevitable that there’s going to be increased demand for housing. And, if we can’t supply that housing, it’s just going to hinder the growth.”
“I think it’s exciting to be able to be a part of that.”
Alex Graham is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
