Zoning changes move forward in 8-to-1 votes, Lafford building could go ahead after one more meeting
Lafford Properties is one step closer to being able to build a new six-storey, 71-unit building at 131 Main Street in Sackville, after Tantramar Council approved the first and second readings of bylaw changes at their meeting Tuesday night. The changes involve rezoning part of the property to a higher density R3 zone, and also changing the R3 definition to allow for up to 65 feet in height from the current 50 foot limit.
The zoning amendments now must pass a third reading at a Tantramar Council meeting, with the next regular meeting slated for August. If approved, John Lafford says construction could start in mid-August, and the process is expected to take 14-16 months.
The votes were nearly unanimous, with just one councillor, Bruce Phinney, voting against. Phinney told reporters after the meeting that he didn’t feel the Lafford project would help solve the town’s housing problem, that it would cause traffic issues, and that the building was generally “in the wrong place.” He also harkened back to his nay votes as a Sackville town councillor in 2014, when late developer Gordon Beal had applied for a zoning change on the same property. “If I voted in favour of this,” said Phinney, “I’d consider myself a hypocrite. And that’s one thing I’m not.”
All eight of Phinney’s colleagues voted in favour of both zoning amendments, with many commenting on the variety of opinions they heard from constituents on the topic.… Continue
Public opinion divided on Lafford building proposal
Developer John Lafford plans to start construction on a new apartment building behind the historic Fisher House by mid-July.
Lafford made the statement at a public hearing before Tantramar Council concerning two proposed zoning bylaw changes that would make way for his development, a six-storey, 71-unit apartment building at 131 Main Street.
Council didn’t discuss or debate the amendments after the hearing on Tuesday afternoon, but will have a chance to do so at their next regular meeting on July 11.
Before Lafford can proceed, his requested amendments need to pass three readings in council, taking place over at least two meetings. The next regular meeting after July 11 is scheduled for August 8, but council also has the ability to call a special meeting at any time.
‘A divisive issue in our community’
The gallery of Tantramar council chambers was packed with over 40 people for the public hearing on Tuesday.
Plan 360 planner Lori Bickford started by laying out the case for the amendments, which would rezone part of the property and then amend that zone to allow for taller buildings up to 65 feet in height. Bickford included a site plan in her presentation, but did not present renderings of what the building would look like in context, a point of concern raised early on by some residents.… Continue
Public hearing Tuesday over zoning changes to make way for six-storey apartment building
On Tuesday, Tantramar residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on two proposed zoning by-law changes that if approved, would make way for a six-storey building next to Mount Allison’s Normandy Field, and overlooking the Sackville Waterfowl Park. The public hearings on the changes take place during council’s committee of the whole meeting at 3pm Tuesday at Sackville town hall.
Local developer John Lafford is proposing to build a 71-unit apartment building behind the historic Fisher House at 131 Main Street. Currently, the property is not zoned for apartment buildings, and so Lafford has applied to rezone a portion of the property to the R3 zone which allows for larger apartment buildings. But the R3 zone alone is not enough for the project to go forward. Lafford has also requested an amendment to the R3 zone, changing the allowable building height from 50 feet to 65 feet. If that amendment is approved, it will affect all R3 properties in Sackville, including over 100 acres of other properties located outside the downtown core, mostly surrounded by single residential zones.
On Tuesday, Plan 360 planner Lori Bickford will make presentations on the two proposed amendments, and then members of the public will have a chance to weigh in, with five minutes allowed for each speaker. Members of council will have the opportunity to ask questions, in order to make sure they understand both the application and any arguments in favour or against.… Continue
Council sends back climate change advisory appointments as Estabrooks calls committee rules into question
Tantramar council has delayed a series of appointments to the town’s Climate Change Advisory Committee (CCAC) after one councillor pointed out discrepancies between the length of the appointments and the committee’s terms of reference.
Councillor Matt Estabrooks asked to send back a motion to appoint Sabine Dietz, Dan Matthews, and Mikko McGregor-Corson. Though councillor Josh Goguen, who sits on the CCAC, and councillor Mike Tower voted against, the rest of council agreed with Estabrooks and so the appointments were sent back to staff for corrections.
Dietz is head of CLIMAtlantic, and a former Sackville councillor. She also ran against Estabrooks for his Ward 4 seat on Tantramar council last year. Matthews is a retired meteorologist and head of Dorchester’s Emergency Measures Organization. McGregor-Corson is an Environmental Studies student and organizer with Divest MTA. The three would have been appointed to serve on the advisory committee for 1.5 and 2.5 year terms, until December 2024 and December 2025. But Estabrooks pointed out that according to the CCAC’s terms of reference, at least two of those appointments should have been made shorter, to coincide with the terms of the people they are replacing.
The CCAC will now be asked to recommend two people—one student and one community member—to serve on the committee for just six months, and then deal with vacancies again at the end of this year.… Continue
‘He’s absolutely exceptional’: Michael Beal appointed treasurer of Tantramar
Tantramar has a new treasurer, and it’s the old treasurer.
Former Sackville treasurer Michael Beal has been serving as acting treasurer for Tantramar since the amalgamation, even though his official job title in the town’s new organizational structure has been director of corporate compliance.
In a brief, two-minute long public session following a closed meeting on Tuesday, Tantramar council approved Beal’s appointment as treasurer. (The appointment is one of three that requires council approval, along with clerk and CAO.)
CHMA called up CAO Jennifer Borne on Thursday to hear more about the decision to appoint Beal.
“I think anyone that’s ever been in council chambers or watched one of Sackville meetings knows that that Mr. Beal is certainly the right guy for the position,” says Borne. “The years of experience and expertise that he comes with is just, you know, outstanding.”
Beal has been in municipal government for three decades, and served as Sackville treasurer from 1999 through to 2022, sometimes stepping in as acting CAO during that time. He will now take the helm as director of financial services, and Borne says there will be re-organization regarding his compliance duties.
“We always knew that there was going to be tweaks and adjustments to the org chart that would happen at any time,” says Borne. “We don’t want to be over-resourced, we don’t want to be under-resourced.… Continue
Lafford asks for amended zoning to make way for 71-unit building behind 131 Main
On today’s show, we listen in as Plan 360’s Lori Bickford presents requests from developer John Lafford to Tantramar council for a large new apartment building overlooking the Sackville Waterfowl Park. Plus in briefs: Tantramar to buy tantramar.com, and NB Power to install new fast EV chargers.
Listen to Tantramar Report for Tuesday, April 25, 2023:
’48 years later, we’re still waiting’: residents say they’ve been overtaxed and underserviced
About 50 people gathered in the gallery of Tantramar council chambers on Tuesday night, the majority there to hear a presentation by former councillor Ken Hicks, asking council to consider changes to the town’s taxation system.
Hicks lives in Frosty Hollow, within the former town of Sackville boundaries, but in a decidedly rural setting, with no access to water and sewer, and other amenities like street lights and sidewalks. But his tax rate is the same as the one charged on properties in other parts of the former town, where services like water and sewer and sidewalks are de rigeur. His predicament is similar to that of the Greene family, his in-laws, which CHMA reported on in March.
While the current amalgamation kicked off the recent protest from Hicks and the Greenes, their issue is a longstanding one. In his presentation Hicks harkened back to the source of his concern: a 1975 annexation of parts of Frosty Hollow, as well as Middle and Upper Sackville, into the then town of Sackville.
“At that time a commitment was made to provide services to these areas,” Hicks told councillors, “and 48 years later, we’re still waiting.”
Hicks told council that when Tantramar amalgamated, he and some of his neighbours expected that their tax rates would be changed, based on comments by local government minister Daniel Allain, who repeatedly stated that residents would only be taxed on the services they receive.… Continue
Considering the future of Tantramar’s abandoned properties
Two Tantramar councillors are raising questions about abandoned properties in their wards, and what the future holds for them.
Both Deputy Mayor Greg Martin and councillor Debbie Wiggins-Colwell have called attention to buildings they say could pose a danger to residents due to their dilapidated condition.
Wiggins-Colwell told council in March that a property across from the Dorchester post office has been vacant for nearly 30 years. Recently, said Wiggins-Colwell, “I got a call from the postmistress saying there were three young kids in the building playing.” By the time the councillor checked it out, the kids had moved on, but she remained concerned. “They do board it up, but they do break it down and they get back in,” said Wiggins-Colwell. “The floors are caving in… so it is a bit of a concern.”
Deputy Mayor Greg Martin has a similar concern over in Jolicure at the intersection of Parson Road, Luciphy Road, and Jolicure Road, where a former community hall lies vacant. “I just want that building to be secured,” says Martin, “whether it’s tearing [it] down or boarding [it] up… Do something so that somebody doesn’t get hurt.”
At its April 11 meeting, Tantramar council is slated to consider first reading of a renewed Dangerous and Unsightly Premises bylaw based on those currently on the books for Sackville and Dorchester. The bylaw gives the municipality the power to clean, repair or demolish buildings that have gone through a rigorous complaint and evaluation process, and then charge the costs to the property owners.… Continue
Unpacking the Tantramar budget: tax rates up in LSDs, down slightly in town and village
If anyone thought that the amalgamation of a town, a village and three different local service districts (or parts thereof) would simplify things, a peek into the budgeting process might change their mind.
On January 6, the province finally provided Tantramar staff with a budget document outlining overall revenues and expenses for the amalgamated municipality. At the time, Mayor Andrew Black called the document ‘incomplete’ because it lacked any detail about how the numbers would break down among the former entities, including naming which former municipality would have which tax rate.
The document was created by transition facilitator Chad Peters and approved by local government minister Daniel Allain, and includes five different tax rates, though it took a further request to the department of local government to determine which area will pay which rate.
It turns out that rates in Tantramar will either go up or slightly down for 2023, depending on where you live:
The former town of Sackville and village of Dorchester will both see their rates go down slightly, with a less than 1% difference. That doesn’t mean those folks will pay the same in taxes, because on average, assessments in both Sackville and Dorchester have gone up significantly, by just over 10% in Sackville and just under 15% in Dorchester village.
Tantramar finally gets a look at its budget, but it lacks details
It was six days into the existence of the new town of Tantramar before staff received the first budget for the town, and the document remains “incomplete” according to mayor Andrew Black. “It’s just a bunch of numbers,” said Black after a first Tantramar council meeting on Tuesday. “There’s no separation of services. There are some services that we know are shared services within our community, there’s some services that are local. But with just a number, we have no idea where we’re at,” said Black.
Black says that five different tax rates are listed in the budget document, but there’s no specifications about which rate applies to where. He says the budget is devoid of comments or explanation.
“We have requested more information as rapidly as possible,” said Black, so that he and town staff can, ”figure out where we stand, where everybody stands.”
As with the initial bylaws governing Tantramar, the first year’s budget was created by amalgamation facilitator Chad Peters. Though provincial deadlines for budget date back to mid-December, Tantramar staff did not get their first peek at the budget until Friday, January 6.
“We’re working with the province to receive what we’re calling the working documents,” said CAO Jennifer Borne on Tuesday. “Right now it kind of just gives a high level overview, so we’ll be working to kind of dig into each cost centre and get more information on line items.”… Continue