Questions remain over future of Acadia Park

MONCTON – In the west-end neighbourhood of Acadia Park, residents have grown tired of seeing dozens of homes sitting empty.

The 74 semi-detached and single-family homes are owned by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and once housed members of the military and their families, but were declared surplus earlier this year.

“The houses are in such good shape, that I’d like to see people buy them,” Winnie Smith told Global News Thursday. She and her husband, Harold, live across from three of the empty houses. They say they want the houses to be sold as single-family homes. “They’re too nice to sit empty and it’s nice to have people around. Maybe some children running up and down the street.”

“I’m concerned that some guy might come along and buy them. Maybe take them down and put up an apartment building,” Harold said. “Sell them as a family home. I don’t care whether they’re young people, old people, families, as long as they’re good citizens of Canada.”

Their neighbour, Louise Boulter, said she was also concerned the houses might be torn down. “I think it should be single dwellings, so that it maintains the integrity of the neighbourhood,” she said. “It would be great for low-income people… even just charging rent-to-own, 30 per cent of their income is usually a standard.”

Boulter has lived in the neighbourhood for 28 years and said she misses having dozens of kids ring her doorbell at Hallowe’en. “When we first moved, I was a cub leader, so I knew pretty much everyone on the street that had kids,” she said. “It’s a neighbourhood that’s for children.”

PWGSC announced earlier this year that they would begin a consultation process with departments from the federal, provincial and municipal governments to receive proposals for the future of the homes. That process ended Tuesday, but no provincial or municipal government departments expressed interest in the homes.

In an e-mail to Global News, Aaron Bower, senior communications adviser for the department wrote “… Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) expressed an interest in four of the 74 residential units and intends to consult with the community before submitting a formal proposal to purchase the properties. Questions concerning this proposal should be addressed to ESDC. After ESDC’s consultations, PWGSC will proceed to launch the sale of the remaining properties during the course of the fall. PWGSC will communicate with key stakeholders as this disposal proceeds.”

There has been no other details released, and it’s not clear if key stakeholders include the other residents of the neighbourhood.

“Uncertainty breeds concern and fear,” said Moncton City Councillor Charles Leger. Leger represents the area and lives in the neighbourhood and has heard concerns from residents about property values. “….that’s a large volume of homes that if they were to go on the market all at once, it would create a lot of pressure on the real estate market in Moncton,” he said, adding that residents want the government to make more information available so that they are aware of what the process will be.”Then I think we can become comfortable or not.”

Kris Ryan who lives next door to several of the empty houses said he doesn’t really care what happens to the houses as long as the decisions are made soon. “We would just like to see something done. It’s been a long time and we’re paying to heat them. We’re paying to landscape them. We’re paying to clear the driveways in the wintertime.”