A proposed planning amendment to increase the allowable building height in downtown Sackville has moved forward, and will be back at Tantramar council for a public hearing on November 25.
Developer John Lafford and property owner Mike Wilson have requested the change in order to make way for a seven storey building they have planned for York Street at Ford Lane, the current location of Blooms Flowershop, Sweet Yummyland, and a small apartment building.
The matter was before Tantramar council at their meeting on Tuesday, and council decided to let the request proceed through the Plan 360 process.
In response to a question from councillor Mike Tower on Tuesday, Plan 360 planner Lori Bickford told councillors that the proposed change would apply to the entire mixed use zone in downtown Sackville, which includes some residential streets. Tower asked specifically about the downtown district’s more residential streets, like Wellington and Allison.
Bickford said that there were other requirements in the plan that might make large another large development in the area unlikely, such as minimum parking requirements.
“But theoretically,” says Bickford, “if they could meet all other requirements of the bylaw, then they could also build to that height once that change is to occur.”
After Bickford’s answer, Councillor Josh Goguen asked about the possibility of approving an increased height limit for just the proposed Lafford-Wilson development, and not redefining the entire mixed-use zone.
Bickford didn’t offer up any possibilities, noting that the situation did not involve a property-specific development agreement. Goguen asked again if there would be an opportunity to change the area of town that the new height limit applied to, and this time Mayor Andrew Black answered.
“It would be changing the height for that zone,” said Black, “all of that zoning property within the downtown core, to that same height requirement.”
Discussion ended there, and council voted unanimously to send the proposed change forward to be written into a bylaw, and then go before the Southeast Planning Review and Advisory Committee. The amendment will then come to back council for a public hearing on November 25.
