ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — During a committee meeting on Wednesday, St. John’s city council unanimously voted to hold a virtual public meeting on a proposed affordable housing development at 28 Eric St.
Like any matters voted on during committee of the whole meetings, the decision still requires a final vote during an upcoming regular council meeting.
The proposed development is the first to go through a process in the city’s 10-year affordable housing strategy, which identifies city-owned land that could be used for housing.
This particular area was identified to be gifted to Habitat for Humanity pending various levels of approvals, including rezoning the land and getting development approval. That involves going through the city’s public engagement process.
Coun. Shawn Skinner, ward councillor for the area, said he’s had extensive discussions with residents of the neighbourhood, and many people feel they haven’t been adequately consulted on the proposal.
“I’m told that the residents became aware of this through a public announcement by Habitat for Humanity saying that they were going to be given some land to do something up there, and the residents were surprised by that, and felt … left out of the process,” Skinner said. [Editor's note: Since this story was published, The Telegram learned the public announcement was, in fact, made by the city — not Habitat for Humanity.]
Residents have concerns that any development of the property might make existing groundwater issues — water pooling on the green space — worse.
Jason Sinyard, deputy city manager of planning and engineering, said the groundwater issue will need to be addressed in the development plans put forward by Habitat for Humanity, and they will need to be deemed acceptable by the city’s engineering department.
Sinyard said if the groundwater issue is found to be on the part of the property that will remain open space — according to Coun. Maggie Burton, roughly half of the site is proposed for housing, with the other half remaining green space — then the city would have to address the issue.
Skinner said area residents also don’t want to lose the public space. Residents previously told The Telegram it’s well-used by the neighbourhood for recreation.
Skinner said it’s not a case of NIMBYism — a "not in my backyard" attitude — toward affordable housing.
He said the virtual public meeting will be an opportunity to reset the discussion, “and get started at this process again, and to try and do it better.”
However, Burton said there’s been plenty of consultation so far, considering the application is only now going through the official public consultation process.
Council agenda documents say there have been two meetings with area residents, as well as meetings with Habitat for Humanity and the Eric Street Community Garden group, which has garden plots on the site.
Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary said there’s a documented need for the growth of affordable housing in St. John’s, and she’s interested in hearing from people about the proposed rezoning.
“We want to make assurances that when a decision gets made on this proposal, that we ensure that we’re enabling good quality of life for people who live already … in that neighbourhood, that we’re fulfilling our mandate for providing affordable housing, and that we’re not making a bad situation worse,” she said.
Juanita Mercer reports on municipal politics in St. John’s.