Saint John is coming off a very active year for construction, according to the city’s development director.
Amy Poffenroth said they saw a significant increase in the number of new units created throughout the city.
“We created 479 residential units versus a five-year average, just to show some comparison, of 284 units,” Poffenroth told council’s growth committee on Tuesday.
“It’s significantly higher than what we typically have seen over the last number of years.”
This is also one of the largest years when it comes to the construction value of projects, according to the development director.
The value of construction projects in Saint John came in at just over $148 million, compared to the five-year average of $100 million.
“What we’re seeing is a slightly lower number of permits but a larger construction value,” said Poffenroth.
A total of 632 building permits were received by the city in 2023, compared to the five-year average of 705.
Looking ahead to 2024, Poffenroth said there are nearly 580 units currently under construction just in major projects alone.
According to an infographic from the city, there are 20 projects with over 1,700 new units currently in the pipeline.
“It is certainly a good sign. We need more in the city, of course, but we’re certainly trending in the right direction,” said Poffenroth.
“Our team is hopping with applications, inquiries and inspections to see all of these projects through to having them occupied.”
The numbers were released just one day before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Saint John to announce nearly $9.2 million for the city through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund.
Officials said the agreement will help create 285 new homes over the next three years and help spur the construction of more than 1,700 homes over the next decade.
The funding will allow Saint John to reform its zoning bylaw to allow for more density in key areas of the city, with up to four units per residential lot.
The city will also work on incentives to help boost construction, particularly affordable units, use public and underutilized lands for housing developments, and accelerate approval timelines for missing-middle units.
Coun. Gerry Lowe, who is part of the growth committee, said it is time that people stop comparing Saint John to other cities.
“I think we should compare ourselves to ourselves,” said Lowe. “Saint John is not Moncton … we’re a different city altogether.”
“We’re an industrial city where we’ve gotta get changes in taxes. When we get changes in taxes, we would compete with anybody. Simple as that.”
Deputy Mayor John Mackenzie, who chairs the committee, agreed with Lowe.
MacKenzie said he is “very impressed” with where Saint John’s numbers are trending.
“There’s nothing wrong with those numbers whatsoever. We’re talking about growth and we’re talking about health growth.”
