An arena on the west side of Saint John that was closed by council in 2020 could soon have another purpose.
The Saint John Tool Library has put forward a proposal to the city for the former Hilton Belyea Arena, which was declared surplus in February.
It includes constructing 38 to 44 transitional housing units for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Executive Director Brent Harris said he wants this to become a community response to the city’s housing and affordability crisis.
“This is a better floor than a tent floor for folks. It’s a door you can lock, an address that can be stable while we catch up in the construction industry to create the permanent housing that we need,” said Harris, who is also a city councillor.
Supported transitional housing is just one component to “The Better Belyea” project, which is estimated to cost nearly $5 million.
Harris said the plan is to develop three social enterprises within the arena, including a community café.
In addition, there would be a programmed outdoor soccer field — the first for Saint John’s west side — through a partnership with Saint John Soccer.
Harris said the transitional housing is not intended to be a permanent component of the project. Based on projections, they expect it will be needed for about seven to 10 years.
“We’re going to intervene right now on the crisis point, which is housing, and we’re going to move toward that vibrancy piece that we want to build into community around the city,” he said.
After the wind-down of the transitional housing component, the building will be turned over to Saint John Soccer.
They plan to turn the entire building into a field sport recreational asset and enclose the field into a bubble dome for year-round use.
The Saint John Tool Library is seeking a letter of support from council to leverage provincial and federal funding for the project.
Harris said they are proposing a conditional six-month approval to secure funding, complete community engagement and finalize plans.
“We’ve done all we can without conditional approval from the city,” he said, adding there is no timeline for when that might happen.
