St. Stephen council heard from the public about the new post-amalgamation municipal plan at last week’s council meeting.
St. Stephen council has heard some concerns from the public on the new municipal plan.
The 61-page plan outlines the next 10 years of development in the municipality including the issues of housing, economy, infrastructure and the environment.
Although the plan takes into account all issues within the municipality’s capacity, the loudest concerns brought up at the hearing were housing and changes to the Business Improvement Area (BIA).
There are two more opportunities for the public to address the council with their objections to the plan. Those will be heard at the next council meetings.
Citizens also raised concerns about varying priorities, including choosing between a new council chamber and a backup generator for the water treatment plant.
“I feel like the capital plan allocating money for a new council chamber is not appropriate,” said Chandra Best, a St. Stephen resident. “I feel like it would be better placed in the plan towards a generator. The backup generator that would prevent untreated sewage from going into the St. Croix River.”
The plan outlines the towns plans for a backup generator as well as new council chambers to create a bigger space to hold council meetings where councilors and municipal employees would not have to have their backs to the public.
“We’re also working on getting the council members down… but if we get the numbers down, we may alleviate the stress on our problem and maybe we can make that room work,” said St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern referencing the town’s plan to reduce the number of council members.
He said if the town reduces members then it is unlikely St. Stephen would need new council chambers.
Read also: St. Stephen divided on whether to reduce council members
“[The council meeting] experience is important and there is a lot of value in that,” said MacEachern stressing the importance of creating an inviting atmosphere.
“We’re only going to be able to do these things when money is allotted to do so,” said MacEachern.
At this point, the plan has not been adopted and there has been no money allotted for specific projects. Money will only be provided to tackle projects when the new municipal plan is approved.
“Both of those things are very important and we have to prioritize how to do it. But to do so we have to get to the plan,” said MacEachern.
Housing needs in St. Stephen
Residents brought up multiple concerns with regards to housing at the hearing.
Some of which were:the strain on the town’s current infrastructure if more units were to be developed on existing properties, the development of affordable housing, maintaining town character, and the towns ability to combat predatory landlords.
“We have to adapt our community… the bylaws and zoning have to accept different styles of homes now,” said MacEachern, in an interview with The Courier.
The new plan addresses and attempts to mitigate the lack of housing by encouraging the building of affordable housing in nine separate areas as well as incentivising various housing types. Housing types such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or ‘garden suites’ which are commonly used to accommodate multi-generational housing.
To handle the increased strain on the towns infrastructure the municipality will participate in upgrading municipal streets, and water or sewer infrastructure.
“We’re all working together,” said MacEachern.
Addressing the rising cost of housing is something that MacEachern is hearing from other mayors in the province and that influence has helped guide the policies in his community..
“I’m seeing it in my own family now. I’m scared my kids aren’t going to be able to buy homes,” said MacEachern.
Southwest New Brunswick Service Commission planning director Alex Henderson said the municipal plan addresses the need for affordable housing in a unique way compared to others.
He said the plan tackles housing in three ways;
- addressing the additional costs to building multi-unit residences.
- committing to help with pre-development costs through grant partnerships for housing infrastructure.
- and sets a policy to permit and support ADUs.
He said the plan also sets a five-year capital budget that will be needed to pay for the actions outlined in the new municipal plan.
Henderson said the plan also addresses the balance between development in urban and rural areas, which is a unique feature for most municipal plans but a way that St. Stephen is handling amalgamation.
Business Improvement Area
The BIA is also facing its closure – with the municipality reducing the levy from 0.20 per $100 of assessment to just 0.01. It significantly reduces the budget for the organization.
“I don’t know if you understand what we do,” said former BIA Executive Director Heather Donahue in her address to the council.
Donahue, who resigned following the release of the plan to the public and now advocates for the organization as a citizen both in the chamber and online, continued with her time to highlight the ways that she has seen the BIA contribute to the town throughout the history of the organization. She referenced past BIA projects like murals, self-watering plants, a town sign, and security cameras among many more.
She questioned how the town would be able to maintain the duties and benefits the BIA brings to the town under the new plan.
Read also: St. Stephen municipal plan proposes shake-up of BIA
The plan also proposes to transfer administrative staff and responsibility for downtown promotion and beautification programs to the town or to the town’s wider economic development agency, Future St. Stephen – the municipality’s economic development arm.
“The BIA is challenged just the way it’s situated… because of the area they serve from the border crossing downtown up to Guardian drug and that’s where it stops,” said MacEachern. “It’s a very challenging area because it’s not enough people, it’s not dense enough and there’s not enough tax money to be successful.”
The municipality would have liked to see the BIA incorporate the businesses north of Queen St. like Carmen’s and the Kent but “the appetite wasn’t there,”MacEachern explained.
Hesaid the BIA, in the way that it functions currently, does not bring in enough money to pay for things on top of the salary of the organization’s administrator.
“I’m challenged with the ongoing negativity,” said MacEachern. “If you think of negativity you are going to continue to see negativity.”
“They don’t do events for us anymore,” said MacEachern. “We have our own staff that look after events [now].”
For the last number of years the town has taken on the responsibility of hosting events like the International Homecoming Festival, Chocolate Fest, and the town’s Christmas display along the water.
“Not that we want it to go away, it needs a lot of changes to be successful for our community,” said MacEachern.
He said in the new plan the municipality is using the only lever it has over the BIA to keep the towns business owners from paying for services not provided anymore by the BIA.
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