Saint John council has quashed plans to relocate a 48-space daycare on the city’s west side, leaving its future in jeopardy.
Butterflies and Bumblebees Daycare needs to move from its Dever Road location to make way for a pending development.
Teneo Ventures Ltd. plans to convert the existing daycare centre into a pharmacy and construct 54 residential units in four buildings to the west of it.
The residential development would include 27 one-bedroom units, 19 two-bedroom units, and eight three-bedroom units. Twelve of those units are proposed to be affordable housing, according to a staff report.
The daycare hoped to relocate to a house on Starburst Lane and submitted a rezoning application to the city.
But council denied the application on Monday night — the same night they approved the Dever Road redevelopment — after residents expressed concerns about traffic and parking on the narrow dead-end street.
Opposition from neighbours
City staff received 52 letters regarding the application, including 19 in opposition. A petition against the application signed by neighbourhood residents was also submitted.
Seven residents spoke in opposition to the application during Monday’s public hearing, including Matt Ferguson.
“It’s hard enough with residential traffic that’s in place, but with that influx on those kids coming and going, their heads are going to have to be on a swivel,” said Ferguson.
Gordon White raised concerns about the fact Starburst Lane is a low-priority street for snow clearing and the only sidewalk is not plowed.
Because Starburst Lane has no turnaround areas, large trucks such as snow plows are forced to back up the street.
One man who spoke during Monday’s hearing said he was struck by a snow plow on the street several years ago.
“Thank God it wasn’t a child that was behind it but I still suffer from the results of the city’s snow plow running over me,” he said.
Ashley King, who owns the daycare, made several changes to her original application to try and address concerns from local residents.
King increased the number of on-site parking spots to eight from four and secured off-site parking at the Dennis Morris Community Centre for her 10 employees.
However, residents said the agreement would essentially work on the “honour system” as there is no way to enforce the use of off-site parking for staff.
Proponents worry about potential loss of daycare spaces
More than a dozen people spoke in favour of the rezoning application, including a number of parents and staff members.
Greg Theriault, who has a child at the daycare, said he understands the concerns of residents but believes they would be safe.
“If you’re going to have a crew of people driving through your neighbourhood at one point in time, you want them to be parents. We have the same concerns that they do,” Theriault told council.
Proponents also said that with long wait lists for daycare spaces, the city cannot afford to lose a daycare.
While the applicant proposed to allow 48 children in the new daycare, city staff proposed a limit of 30 based on the “large impact on the neighbourhood” that the centre would have.
King said capping the number of children at 30 would make her business no longer financially viable and she would be forced to choose which families would stay.
“My main goal is to find somewhere that fits all my families,” King told council.
There are “at least” 140 children on the wait list at her daycare centre, she said, and they have been operating at capacity since she took it over six years ago.
Councillors Gerry Lowe, John MacKenzie, Greg Norton, Barry Ogden, Greg Stewart and Gary Sullivan voted to deny the rezoning application.
“My hope is there were some hints tonight that there might be an improved proposal that might be out there,” said Sullivan.
“If there was one, I’d encourage our staff to work with the proponent to get it before us forthwith.”
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