Fredericton city council passed a bylaw on Monday to allow residential developments in two commercial zones.
The move is intended to increase access to affordable housing by promoting smaller units with amenities like schools, parks and grocery stores nearby.
Coun. Ruth Breen’s district includes part of the zone on Fredericton’s south side. In an interview after city council’s meeting, she said this bylaw will help people live closer to their work.
“It will give people the opportunity to commute to work without, perhaps, having to have a vehicle,” she said.
She also said the bylaw is part of the city’s affordable housing strategy.
The bylaw stipulates that at least 20 per cent of units have to be bachelor apartments. It also restricts the size of the units, which the city is hoping will reduce rent.
“We’re trying a little bit of everything to try and address our affordable housing challenges,” Ken Forrest, Fredericton’s director of planning and development, said.
Morgan Peters, the CEO of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, said housing is one of the key issues in Fredericton’s business community.
“Really happy to see city council and mayor taking an active approach to the housing crisis here,” he said.
Main Street on Fredericton’s north side already has similar mixed-use housing, including buildings with businesses on the bottom and residences on the top, and land with buildings in the front and residences in the back.
“It works really, really well because people can walk to work. And what’s the biggest expense, right, is driving your car and buying gas,” Coun. Jocelyn Pike said in an interview after the council meeting.
The north-side zone is in her ward, and she said she’s already heard from someone interested in renting the potential housing.
“People realize there are some real advantages to this kind of development in these areas and I think it opens up a new opportunity for the city to address some of its housing challenges,” Forrest said.
He said about a dozen developers have expressed initial interest in developing housing under the new bylaw.
The zones include strip malls and Regent Mall on the south side.
“I can’t really get into specifics but I can indicate that we have been in touch with some of the very large property owners that have expressed interest in this,” Forrest said.
He said construction on potential developments would likely begin next year.