ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — City council wants more affordable housing units in St. John’s, but doesn’t want a repeat of what happened with residents on Eric Street.
Instead, council members agreed they should implement a better communication plan so residents are better informed about such potential developments sooner. They also agreed that city-owned parcels of land that have been identified as potential sites for affordable housing developments be listed publicly in advance of planned developments on those sites.
“We did have a little bit of a hiccup with the Eric Street development in terms of communication,” said Coun. Shawn Skinner, who presented the recommendations at the meeting in place of council’s housing lead, Coun. Sheilagh O’Leary, who has taken a leave of absence as she pursues a candidacy for the NDP in the upcoming provincial election.
“In communicating with the people who had the community garden there, we thought we were communicating with the area residents and that wasn’t necessarily the case," Skinner said.
“So, we’re going to try and restart things here, restart this process and learn from the Eric Street development, and that will hopefully help us as we move forward with the other four sites that we’ve identified.”
The proposed Eric Street development — the first to go through a process in the city’s 10-year affordable housing strategy — came about after land was identified to be provided to Habitat for Humanity pending various levels of approvals, including rezoning the land and getting development approval. That involves going through the city’s public engagement process.
It’s been the subject of much debate, with many Eric Street residents speaking out in opposition, with one of their complaints being they weren’t adequately consulted on the proposal and were left out of the process.
The city hopes releasing information about such proposed projects well in advance will make a more open process in the future.
Besides 28 Eric St., the other parcels of land are located at 245 Forest Rd., 245 Freshwater Rd. (at Terra Nova Road), 80-90 Empire Ave. and 375 Waterford Bridge Rd.
It’s also recommended the city seek funding to complete work on these parcels in advance of planned projects, including environmental assessment and geotechnical analysis.
“This work fits in nicely with our plan to create more affordable housing in the city, increase densification in the city and provide opportunities for people to be able to live in their own homes,” Skinner said.
To date, there has only been public engagement for Eric Street, with a virtual meeting on that proposed project set for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
In agenda documents, the recommendation said in light of criticisms related to the lack of advanced engagement around the Eric Street project and with additional funding potentially on the horizon, with a national advocacy for a relaunch of the Rapid Housing Initiative, it’s believed that early stakeholder engagement may increase support for a development on these sites.
It’s also believed that it would allow city staff to identify stakeholder concerns, address these concerns in advance of a proposed development, outline the development process for stakeholders and offer opportunities for stakeholders to provide input on what they would like to see in the area.
“We’re all aware of the criticisms around Eric Street and, in general, making sure that we do proactive public engagement as much as we possibly can,” Councillor-at-large Maggie Burton said.
Burton questioned what more could be done regarding public engagement regarding the Eric Street site.
“I’m wondering what the city has learned from the process so far around Eric Street and … give us some ideas about how you could approach proactive engagement during this period of pandemic. … What sort of things do you have in mind?" she said.
“I actually think the engagement for the Eric Street project and others have been quite good and I’m curious to know, is it just about lengthening the timelines, doing more of it or are there other things you’re thinking about.”
Judy Tobin, the city’s manager of housing, said mail-out notices are important, as well as talking to people in the community directly.
“We learned a lot from Eric Street and we realize we would have to go into the community,” Tobin said.
“Just talk to the stakeholders around the area and ask what would they like to see in their community. ... Just engage them in a way we didn’t on Eric Street (so we can) incorporate some of their ideas ... (and) develop something everyone is happy with.”
Recommendations have to be introduced and debated at council’s regular weekly public meetings before being approved.
Rosie Mullaley covers municipal politics. [email protected] | Twitter: @TelyRosie
