Moncton will now allow 4-unit housing across all residential zones

Rhythm Rathi · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 11:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

The City of Moncton has moved guardant with having much density successful each residential neighbourhoods by allowing four-unit housing.

The assembly voted 9-1 connected the zoning alteration Tuesday night, aft a lengthy discussion.

This alteration allows residents and developers to physique four-unit homes crossed each residential zones successful Moncton without going to metropolis assembly for approval.

It was a request to suffice for national backing programs specified arsenic the Housing Accelerator Fund and the Canadian Housing Infrastructure Fund. 

The wealth from these national programs volition assistance Moncton physique the infrastructure required to enactment some caller and dense neighbourhoods arsenic the city's colonisation continues to grow. It volition besides assistance region barriers and money incentives supporting development.

"We are present successful a presumption to amended much lodging prime successful our caller and existing neighbourhoods," said Josh Davies, the city's manager of long-range argumentation planning.

This alteration for Moncton means landowners tin present either physique a four-unit dwelling connected an bare lot, renovate oregon add units to an existing spot bringing the full fig to four, oregon demolish their homes and physique a four-unit location from scratch.

It does not mean that each location has to beryllium a 4 units. People tin inactive take to physique the benignant of lodging they would like, Davies said.

"We are not saying that single-unit dwellings indispensable beryllium converted," helium said. "What we are doing is providing immoderate level of flexibility."

He said radical gathering oregon altering their properties would inactive beryllium required to get permits and comply with the gathering codification and the plan standards, which are meant to support the neighbourhood's character.

He said demolishing an existing location to physique 4 units comes with a important cost, which volition bounds the interaction of the zoning change, since not galore are apt to walk that benignant of money.

"It's not thing that we expect successful our existing areas, to spot a ton of four-units, due to the fact that those areas are already predominantly built out," helium said.

The projected bylaw would besides springiness builders a prime to supply off-street parking for residents if the four-unit spot is wrong 400 metres of definite autobus routes.

On-site parking for each portion would remain an enactment if it met standards.

Councillors had 2 options connected the representation to take the country for which the parking prime would apply. They decided to opt for a smaller area, excluding parts of the city's northbound end.

Many municipalities crossed Canada are adopting oregon person already adopted the four-unit request to suffice for the national lodging grants.

Those successful Eastern Canada see Saint John, Fredericton, Halifax, Summerside and St. John's, said Davies. 

About a twelve residents attended the gathering and opposed the four-unit bylaw, portion 1 spoke successful favour.

Opponents were acrophobic astir the effect of the alteration connected the quality of neighbourhoods, traffic, spot values and disquieted that short-term rentals oregon Airbnb units would increase.

Patrick Pilon, 27, said approving this bylaw would assistance young radical similar him person much lodging options.

"I would emotion to bargain a location that doesn't outgo maine fractional a cardinal dollars," helium told council.

"There's a batch of young people, a batch of radical my property ... who conscionable simply cannot adjacent see buying a house."

In an interrogation aft the decision, Pilon said helium now pays $2,000 for rent, truthful the support of this caller bylaw near him feeling "relieved," since it whitethorn effect successful much lodging options astatine antithetic prices.

Davies reminded assembly the metropolis is undergoing a municipal program reappraisal that includes a review of the zoning bylaw. This makes it a bully clip to follow the four-unit bylaw, which the metropolis tin amend later, depending connected the response.

"What this volition bash is supply america with an 18-to-24-month model to spot what happens with those 4 units," helium said successful an interrogation aft the meeting.

"And bash our spot of homework and see, OK, from an enforcement perspective, what's worked and what's not worked."