UPDATED December 18, 2024
Planning changes that will make way for major residential developments in Sackville were finalized on Monday afternoon by Tantramar council.
At a special meeting on Monday, Tantramar council gave third and final reading to:
- A rezoning on Fairfield Road to allow for a 62-unit village style development by the Freshwinds Eco-Village Housing Cooperative; and
- An increase to the maximum allowable building height in the downtown Sackville business district which will make way for a seven-storey residential building on York Street proposed by John Lafford and Mike Wilson.
Meanwhile some other planning amendments and requests are working their way through the system:
MAKING WAY FOR SMALLER HOMES
An amendment to allow for varied dimensions in Sackville’s minimum residential building size will go before the Southeast Planning Review and Adjustment Committee on December 18.
The current rules require buildings to be a minimum of 20 feet by 20 feet, which has stymied plans for a Sackville woman to install a small rectangular prebuilt home on her property in a timely manner.
After the Southeast PRAC, the amendment will come back to Tantramar council for a public hearing and then three readings by council.
KIRK STREET UP-ZONING
A new owner of two properties on Kirk Street in Sackville has applied to up-zone the properties to R2, in order to make way for a 5-unit rowhouse development. Tantramar council first heard the application from Massod Hosseini on Tuesday night.
Hosseini purchased the two vacant properties across from 21 Kirk Street at the beginning of November. His plan includes consolidating the lots and building five attached three-bedroom row houses.
Council approved moving forward with the rezoning Tuesday, and the application will now go to the Southeast PRAC, and then come back to Tantramar council for a public hearing at the end of January.
40 KING STREET UP-ZONING – ON PAUSE
An application to rezone 40 King Street Back is currently on pause with Plan 360.
On October 28, Tantramar council heard about an application from a Sackville landlord Sean Doucet to up-zone his property at 40 King Street to allow for an additional row of townhouses.
Doucet had applied in 2017 to rezone the same property for expansion, but was rejected by Sackville town council after hearing from a number of neighbouring residents with noise complaints, and concerns for a waterway near the edge of the property.
According to the Mount Allison Students’ Union housing directory, Doucet rents a number of Halifax buildings on a room by room basis, including at 40 King Street, the Meldrum Law building, and buildings on Maple, York, Pleasant and Moffatt Lane.
Doucet’s property at 40 York is currently zoned R2, which allows for up to six units. His proposal includes a plan to add a five unit townhouse style building, which would bring the total units on the property to 11.
Councillors approved sending the proposal to their meeting on November 12, but before coming back to council the application was paused, according to Plan 360 planner Jenna Stewart. If the proponent decides to move forward with the application, it will return to council.
