Proposed towers will put Moncton riverfront at risk, group says

A citizens' group is asking the City of Moncton to pause andrethinka project that would see two apartment buildings built on the city's riverfront.

In June, city council approved the sale ofland at Assomption Boulevard and Foundry Street to J.N. Lafford Realty.

TheSackville-based companyhas proposed buildingtwo 17-storey towers on the site, with a pedway connecting the two and a publiclyy accessible walkway below, leading to Riverfront Park and the south-bound trail system along the Petitcodiac River.

WATCH | Researcher says riverfront greenspace should expand, not shrink for development:

Why some Moncton residents are unhappy with proposed riverfront towers

28 days ago

Duration 1:51

A citizens' group is asking the City of Moncton to pause work on two planned 17-storey towers on the riverfront and conduct an environmental and social study on the development. Coun. Charles Leger says the public will get a chance to voice their concerns to council in person this fall.

But a group of local residentsis calling for a moratorium sothat an environmental and social study can be completed.

• Moncton selling land for pair of 17-storey apartment buildings on riverfront

Thirty-four people signed a petition on the issue that was sentto the city on Wednesday. One of them wasOmer Chouinard.

Chouinard, a retired environmental studies professor at l'Universit de Moncton, said the site should be used to expand the area's green space not reduce it.

"It was sold with no consultation of the public," he said in an interview. "It's a natural environment and cultural environment that you have to protect."

For Coun. Charles Leger, the projectis an opportunity to define the future of the riverfront.

The project "allows, really, the creation of somewhat of a gateway to the riverfront," he said. "I think it's a great way to, sort of, connect."

Along with the petition, the citizen group sent a 10-page document outlining theissues they have with the project, including flooding riskand public safety, urban densification by a small number of companiesandenvironmental protection.

Ensuring access to the riverfront

To Chouinard,the Gateway Towers project goes against intentions the city laid outfor the area in reports published in 2006 and 2017.

In the documents it sent the city, the group highlights the Downtown Moncton Development Vision report, commissioned by the city in2006.

In it, the city said there was a need to protect the south side of Assomption Boulevard to ensure publicaccess to the zone.

They also pointout that a 2017 reportsaidthe space south of Assomption would remain public.The group believesaccess to the Petitcodiac River is "a vested right that must not be infringed."

Leger said the city is staying true to its intent for the land that was most recently outlined in the municipal plan.

"What's more important, I think at least for me, is taking a look at what the project looked like," he said about renderings that were provided to the city.

"I'm the first to say that we should certainly limit buildings that block the sight linesto the river," Legersaid.

"This particular project is interesting because it lines up with Foundry [Street] so it'll be, in some ways, an extension of the street leading right to the riverfront."

The plot of land soldnear the Assomption-Foundryintersectionalso includesindustrial land that Lafford already owns.

The company is also building the Three Sisters Apartments, which are three,15-storey towers located across the street from the riverfront site.

Leger saidthe Gateway Towersdesign, which allowsthe general publicto accessthe riverfront, was"one of the biggest requirements from staff to the developer, and also from council."

For a developer to gain access to zoning permits, Leger said there are certain environmental criteria it needs to meet first.

He said it's during this process that most of theconcerns being raised by the group willbe assessed.

Next steps

While Chouinard said the group has yet to hear back from the city, he hopes they will remain open in the next phases of the project.

The group would like to see the space used for leisure or to inform the publicabout the cultural and environmental significance of thePetitcodiac River region.

City council is set to vote on rezoning the land on Aug.19 after the builder presents plans and renderings for the site, according to Leger.

If the project moves forward, it will be reviewed bythe city's planning advisory committee, which is made up of volunteers appointed by city council who approve certain development applications.

Leger said the public will get a chance to address council in person with any comments or concernsin late September or early October.