Moncton considers zoning change to allow 4-unit residential buildings across city

Shane Magee · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Moncton assembly took the archetypal measurement Monday to let four-unit residential buildings crossed the city, a alteration it had committed to marque to person national lodging funds.

The bylaw, which passed archetypal reading Monday, would impact all residential zones. It would enable somewhat higher density successful neighbourhoods that, nether existing zoning, let lone one- oregon two-units of housing.

The bylaw also reduces restrictions for accessory dwelling units, specified arsenic basement suites oregon plot suites.

"The metropolis is growing," Josh Davies, the city's manager of agelong scope argumentation planning, told council

"And successful bid to accommodate that growth, we request to beryllium flexible and we request to person approaches that volition not beryllium one-size-fits-all. There is nary metallic bullet. So the inaugural that is earlier you contiguous is thing that is creative, but it is thing that we firmly judge tin enactment successful caller and existing neighbourhoods."

Bylaws to let four-unit buildings arsenic of right, oregon by default, person already been introduced successful different cities specified as  Fredericton and Saint John. The alteration was a request arsenic portion of agreements made with the national authorities for money from the Housing Accelerator Fund.

Moncton volition get astir $15.6 million if it hits assorted targets, including the four-unit zoning change. It's being utilized to money grants for non-profit lodging construction, downtown improvement and different projects aimed astatine boosting the lodging supply. 

The projected bylaw was introduced Monday aft metropolis unit held consultations with residents and builders. 

Davies presented a bid of ocular examples to assembly showing however existing homes could beryllium altered to adhd units nether the projected bylaw.

"That further abstraction whitethorn conscionable beryllium a bachelor apartment," Davies said. "It whitethorn beryllium a one-bedroom. Depending connected the size, it whitethorn beryllium a two-bedroom.

"It's creating that proviso and yet creating that choice. The lodging prime for residents contiguous is not connected par with wherever it needs to be."

A metropolis unit study to assembly says the volition is to summation flexibility to adhd lodging but not "disrupt the existing quality of established residential neighbourhoods."

The projected bylaw would besides let four-unit buildings without dedicated on-site parking for residents if the spot is wrong 400 metres of definite autobus routes. 

Davies said the thought is to springiness builders the prime to supply off-street parking if they're adjacent to transit, making it easier to in-fill tons successful existing neighbourhoods.  

Several metropolis councillors praised the projected bylaw Monday.

"There's tons of checks and balances," Coun. Susan Edgett said. "The plan is surely of interest to people, and I deliberation you've got that successful control. So I truly feel we tin determination guardant with this successful a affirmative way."

Coun. Charles Léger said helium attended a consultation gathering and heard affirmative comments from residents but besides "anxiety" astir what the changes could mean. 

Léger asked metropolis unit astir whether existing infrastructure, specified arsenic h2o and sewer lines, are capable for accrued density successful existing neighbourhoods. 

Davies said it's thing the city's engineering section considered and believes determination is ample capacity.

Must travel gathering code

One councillor voiced concerns with the bylaw. 

"I've got a batch of issues with it, I've got to beryllium honest," Coun. Bryan Butler said, adding helium heard from residents acrophobic astir who would enforce gathering standards. 

Davies said altering an existing gathering to adhd units would inactive necessitate a gathering licence and pursuing the gathering code. 

City unit noted that building codification request and renovation costs will likely limit the imaginable interaction of the zoning changes they refer to arsenic "gentle density."

"People yet person to decide, arsenic well, if having further dwelling units connected their spot is for them oregon not," Davies said.

"What we're moving guardant is, if you are choosing to supply much of that gentle density on-site, that we person the plan standards, and the controls successful spot successful bid for that to hap successful a mode that is not detrimental to those existing neighbourhoods."

The city's readying advisory committee volition see the bylaw connected March 26. A nationalist proceeding has been scheduled for the April 22 metropolis assembly meeting.