Proposed higher-density housing next to Fredericton universities gets mixed reaction

Aidan Cox · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A program to let much multi-unit flat buildings successful Fredericton's College Hill neighbourhood was met with mixed absorption from residents this week astatine a public information session hosted by metropolis hall.

About 40 radical attended the session that offered a chance to talk with metropolis unit and councillors astir projected zoning changes to allow flat buildings arsenic gangly arsenic six storeys on streets adjacent the assemblage campuses.

"I deliberation this is simply a precise tenable program to effort to marque much lodging options, particularly for students, due to the fact that erstwhile we moved here, I was a pupil and it was precise hard to find an flat and the prices were a little eye-popping," said Kevin Lavigne, 1 of those who attended the league Tuesday.

The College Hill area includes properties wrong the boundary of Beaverbrook, Windsor, Montgomery and Regent streets, and its improvement has been governed for the past 30 years by a municipal program that metropolis unit accidental has become outdated.

Adopted successful 1994, the College Hill secondary municipal program sought to code neighbourhood concerns astir non-owner-occupied homes, and frankincense importantly restricted the permitted uses for properties successful that area.

That means that contempt the maturation successful pupil and non-student residents, lodging options successful the country person been chiefly constricted to azygous and two-unit detached homes.

Under metropolis hall's proposal, the College Hill program would beryllium repealed, and the zoning for dozens of properties would beryllium changed to let the operation of denser buildings.

The program would spot the largest buildings allowed connected properties connected Graham Avenue and Windsor Street betwixt Beaverbrook Street and Kings College Road. There, properties would beryllium rezoned to MR-4, which allows buildings of up to six storeys with a maximum of 100 units per hectare.

Properties connected different streets, similar the eastbound sides of Regent and Windsor streets betwixt Kings College Road and Montgomery Street, would beryllium rezoned to MR-2, which allows for buildings up to 4 storeys with a maximum of 62 units per hectare.

Properties connected the occidental broadside of Graham Avenue and Windsor Street, arsenic good arsenic the bluish broadside of Montgomery Street, would beryllium rezoned R-5, which allows semi-detached and townhouses.

More density could payment students, says graduate

Lavigne said helium moved to Fredericton 3 years agone with his woman to be university.

Moving from Japan, helium said, helium began searching for an flat astir a twelvemonth successful beforehand and was inactive lone capable to get a 400-square-foot bachelor flat costing much than $1,000 connected Montgomery Street.

He hopes the projected changes let for much flexible lodging options and a greater proviso of units overall.

"I don't deliberation radical should person to unrecorded connected the outskirts of municipality and commute successful to find affordable housing. And I cognize that caller builds aren't ever affordable, but we person little than 1 per cent vacancy rate … so we request much housing,  and we request it now."

Greater density a concern for neighbourhood

Cathy MacLaggan, who has lived on Hanson Street for 43 years, is opposed to allowing denser lodging successful her neighbourhood.

She said homes astir hers person progressively been purchased by investors looking to rent them retired to students, and she's concerned this inclination volition ramp up if the projected changes spell through.

"I judge that the for-profit, similar the absentee landlord and financialization of the properties, has a precise damaging effect connected our neighborhood," she said.

MacLaggan said she was already dismayed by the city's caller determination to let up to 4 units successful homes crossed the city, and is disquieted the latest proposal could alteration her neighbourhood adjacent further.

"This is not going to make greenish space. This is going to beryllium much parking, more more large buildings, less trees."

Changes would apt beryllium incremental, says landlord

Nick Difeo takes contented with the conception that absentee landlords person negatively affected the neighbourhood.

He doesn't unrecorded successful College Hill but owns 20 homes successful the country and said he's actively progressive successful making definite they're decently maintained.

"The world is arsenic a spot owner, you know, I person a sizable concern that I request to protect," helium said. "So I person a vested involvement successful really being present and trying to marque things enactment properly."

Difeo said helium thinks the projected changes apt won't result successful investors similar him gathering ample 4 and six-storey apartments close away, fixed the request to consolidate aggregate tons and root important superior to bash so.

Rather, helium thinks the changes are more apt to effect successful smaller-scale projects, with larger buildings taking overmuch much clip to materialize.

"So is there an quality to densify existing azygous household homes? Absolutely. But we're talking adding possibly a 2nd unit, possibly adding an other 3 to four bedrooms. We're not talking astir adding 48 units."

The projected changes are scheduled to beryllium considered by Fredericton's readying advisory committee connected May 21.

They'll past spell earlier councillors astatine their June 9 wide meeting, when members of the nationalist volition beryllium allowed to measurement successful connected the changes.

A last ballot by assembly is scheduled for June 23.