ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — St. John’s city council is considering approval of an 80-unit apartment building to replace the old Scotsburn/Brookfield ice cream plant at 314-316 LeMarchant Rd. in St. John's.
To make room for the five-storey building, Nidus Development is proposing to demolish the plant and an adjacent house.
The developer is also proposing commercial space in the building. City documents say this could include a convenience store or service shop or for any other use that is complementary to an apartment building.
The developer has to complete a land use assessment report, and then the proposal will go to a virtual public meeting to gather input from the community.
Coun. Maggie Burton said people in this area often say there’s not enough animation at the street level for pedestrians, such as coffee shops, insinuating the commercial space could fill some of that void.
Mayor Danny Breen called it an interesting development.
“(It) has a lot of potential, particularly for that area that’s had several properties that have gone vacant,” he said.
To accommodate the development, the city will need to rezone the property from commercial industrial to apartment high density.
“(It) has a lot of potential, particularly for that area that’s had several properties that have gone vacant." — Danny Breen
Only part of the large parcel of land will be required for the apartment building, so the developer will be required to subdivide the property if the application is approved.
City documents say the developer’s overall plans for the site indicate there may be further development of the parking lot area in the future.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, council voted unanimously to consider the rezoning and approve the draft terms of reference for the land use assessment report.
