Plans by Saint John Energy to build a new substation on Paradise Row to power the uptown area are closer to reality.
City council approved the first and second reading of a rezoning application during a public hearing Tuesday night.
The substation would replace the Union substation on Smythe Street, which the utility says is at the end of its life.
Dana Young, manager of asset management for Saint John Energy, said there are several reasons why they want to build the new substation elsewhere.
“The Union substation is currently in a zone that’s at risk of flooding as sea levels continue to rise. 90 Paradise Row is at a higher elevation from sea level,” said Young.
Forty per cent of the costs — up to $4.6 million — would be subsidized through the federal Disaster Adaptation Mitigation Fund, he said.
Young also noted the new substation could be fully constructed ahead of the decommissioning of the Union substation.
The utility considered 16 sites for the new substation, including its current Smythe Street location, but felt Paradise Row is the best option, he said.
But not everyone is on board with the idea, including some residents living near the proposed site.
In letters to the city’s planning advisory committee, they raised concerns about increased noise and aesthetics.
Ken Melanson, the city’s community planning manager, said they believe the latest proposal from Saint John Energy addresses those concerns.
“Revised renderings have been submitted now proposing a smaller substation that is further from residential land uses and does not include tall transmission circuits and lines,” said Melanson.
According to council documents, the substation will also have a sound barrier absorption wall that is at least 2.44 metres tall.
Melanson said moving the substation from the uptown core could have many benefits for the community as a whole.
“The application presents a significant growth opportunity for the city to deliver transformational change in the Long Wharf area,” he said.
A presentation submitted to council by Develop Saint John said the city has five kilometres of urban waterfront, but only 18 per cent is accessible to the public.
It pointed to the city’s PlanSJ document which talks about “providing increased public access to the Uptown Waterfront within development sites and to and along the water’s edge.”
The rezoning application must still return to council one final time for third reading.
Public hearings are underway. First up is a rezoning to allow Saint John Energy to build a new substation at 90 Paradise Row. It would replace what's known as Union substation on Smythe Street. https://t.co/LYUk4AzsCM pic.twitter.com/BH7OervNyO
— Brad Perry (@BradMPerry) August 4, 2020
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