Dozens of people could soon be living in a former school on the west side of Saint John.
Eric de Jong wants to turn the old St. Patrick’s School on City Line into a 37-unit residential building.
The developer has applied to have the city rezone the property to mid-rise residential and rescind existing conditions.
City staff and planning advisory committee members have already given their support for the project.
Councillors also approved the first and second reading of the rezoning application on Monday night.
“Thanks for stepping up to this plate to take a swing at this thing,” Coun. Brent Harris said during the public hearing.
“There’s not a lot of people who have the courage to take on an abandoned asset and to try and imagine something more vibrant and supportive for the community.
“The way our current system works, it really does require a lot of sweat equity by folks like yourself, so love to see it and we need to see more of it.”
Built in 1924, the school had been owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John, but was closed in 2014 due to structural problems.
It was later sold to private developers in 2016, who had planned to repurpose the space, but they later put it back on the market.
De Jong said he hopes to have people living in the building by either December 2024 or mid-spring 2025.
“This one’s kind of a pretty straightforward project,” he said in response to a question from Coun. Gerry Lowe.
“Assuming we move forward with approvals, we’ll have our plans done by June. We have to do a lot of demolition inside.”
De Jong also plans to add a number of townhouses on the site as part of a future phase of development.
Staff have recommended several conditions, such as retaining the existing mature tree along City Line if possible, adding one tree or shrub for every 45 square metres of required yard, and landscaping and/or alternative screening along the site boundaries.
No one spoke against the application during Monday’s public hearing and council did not receive any letters of opposition.
Council is expected to vote on the third and final reading of the rezoning application on Feb. 20.
