Two prominent Sackville businessmen are seeking permission to build a seven storey commercial-residential building with about 95 apartments on the corner of York Street and Ford Avenue.
Developer John Lafford and Mike Wilson, CEO of the AIL Group of Companies, are asking Tantramar Town Council to change the maximum height in Sackville’s downtown business district from 50 to 75 feet for mixed-use buildings.
“I just wanted to show an example of what a seven storey building would look like,” planner Lori Bickford told council yesterday as she projected a slide showing a proposed building concept for the corner of York and Ford.
She said the development would fit in with the municipal plan’s goal of strengthening the downtown’s image as a vibrant centre of the community.
“Due to increased construction costs and land values, it is not surprising that development trends have been moving towards building higher to increase density on property footprints,” Bickford said in her report to council.
She also reminded council that in 2023, it approved increasing the height limit to 65 feet for urban residential buildings clearing the way for the six-storey, 71-unit Lafford apartment building that is now under construction behind the historic Allison/Fawcett/Fisher house at 131 Main Street.
Bickford pointed out that larger municipalities in southeastern New Brunswick tend to set maximum heights in their downtowns ranging from 59 to 82 feet suggesting “the current height in Sackville’s Downtown Business District is low.”
No heritage worries
Planner Lori Bickford speaking to council as developer John Lafford listens
Construction of the new building would mean the demolition of three old buildings including the historic Thomas Bowser House where Blooms flower shop is now located.
And, since Sackville repealed its heritage bylaw in 2018 to clear the way for a three-storey Lafford apartment building on the site of the United Church he demolished, there are no impediments to this new development aside from the height restrictions.
‘Much-needed’ housing
“We’re going to create housing, which is much needed in Southeast New Brunswick, not just Sackville,” John Lafford told CHMA reporter Erica Butler after Bickford’s presentation to council.
He noted that the first floor of the new building would be commercial space. The other six floors would have about 95 apartments of various sizes.
“We’re going to create a sense of a more vibrant downtown, which is needed in all communities,” he added. “The one critical thing to a community, to a downtown, is to have boots on the ground.”
He also mentioned environmental benefits.
“To be able to build this type of development, you decrease vehicle traffic, you increase walkability, you increase a lifestyle and I think we’ve illustrated that with some of the other buildings that we’re doing in the area.”
Lafford said the new, seven-storey building would include underground parking as well as additional surface parking on land he owns nearby if needed.
He added there is strong demand for this type of housing in downtown Sackville as older people sell their homes to move into smaller units, in turn freeing up housing for younger families.
His new building at 131 Main should be finished next June or July, he said.
Next steps
Council is expected to decide whether it will consider the Lafford/Wilson proposal at its next regular meeting on October 8th. If it decides to proceed, it would need to schedule a public meeting on lifting the 50-foot height restriction.
Meantime, Lafford seems confident that council will move ahead.
“I’ve had a great record with council. I think they believe in us and I believe in them,” he said.
“We like to put a nice product out for them.”
To listen to Erica Butler’s full CHMA interview with John Lafford, click here.
These three York St. buildings would be demolished if the 7-storey development goes ahead
You have to almost admire Lafford for his chutzpah, that he can propose erecting this monstrosity by razing a couple of historic buildings and sell it as a charitable thing he’s doing for the environment, old people, young people, and “a nice product” for the town council. It’s not like he’s doing it for profit, is it?
How big a tax break is council going to give this Lafford building, with the rest of us paying for his free tax ride, and him Laffording all the way to the bank?
Can’t wait to hear from all the nimby homeowners on this one.
Good idea, this will help bring more peoople to the town area, within walking distance to all the shops.
Lafford is completely changing the scale of downtown. This building would loom over the street, and all of the existing buildings.
The Opera House/Wood Block already looms over that street and is essentially dead space for most of its height. This fits with the municipal plan, as I understand it. Pickleball courts are going to get busier.
Wow, that “example of what a seven storey building would look like” is absolutely hideous. It looks like something out of the 80’s from Brampton Ontario. Most buildings that look like that today are being torn down and replaced. I cannot imagine adding anything more ugly to downtown Sackville. Has Lafford even bothered to look at the new builds in Dieppe with their modern design? Also, I love the fact that our Planner is all smiles, doing the bidding of developers and investors instead of looking out for the people of Sackville. No wonder Lafford is smiling in the background. Says a lot about our public servants and elected officials. Here’s an idea, cast a judicious eye to development requests instead of being a rubber stamp.
So, another Lafford project in the works.
Why not just rename Tantramar to Laffordville?
And why bother going to the town with plans? They’ll roll over as always and it won’t matter what anyone in town says to oppose it. It’s pretty much a done deal now.
He proved it the last building when he told everyone it was going up regardless of community concerns.
Bugger the heritage of the town, bugger anyone who opposes and if you think this will bring people to the area? Sure, all the people who have great income to afford things, bugger the people in town who can’t afford housing, or will be even more put back by this.
And, just in case the allusion in Elaine’s comment isn’t already sufficiently clear, I assume the reference here is to the greedy developer Mr. Potter, in the Frank Capra classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Perfect!
When, oh when, will our spineless, all-too-cozy-with-developers Councilors realize that the appeal of Sackville is that it is a *genuine* small town, and not some sort of Potemkin village playground / piggybank for hubristic developers? Too late, I fear.
I laughed out loud when Lori Bickford said “vibrant” when referring to that big new 7 story apartment building towering over the landscape like a monolithic but necessary and apparently welcome build [they tell us all that we need more housing and we’re going to get it but its not built to be beautiful or elegant is it?]. By removing those three older heritage style architecture a little bit of specialness dies again here and change is the only thing you can count on these days.. and regret for what was a lovely quaint charming landscape being ambitiously transformed by the strong although baffling desire for “densification”. The word densification is about packing people in on top of each other like sardines… is it really necessary in a place with so much land and room to move? Lafford Legacy = densification in the town. I only wish he would put his considerable talents into building neighbourhoods of beautiful single family homes – and they don’t have to be large – but more new attractive homes for sale would be preferrable to this current “chicken coop” contribution. “You’ll own nothing and you’ll be happy” – World Economic Forum. Lafford is completely inline with ‘sustainanable development’ smartgrowth pack and stack housing that the United Nations crowd promote and we are all about the United Nations’ ideologies here – we even fly a UN flag here. Lafford is a very wealthy man who could stop and retire comfortably tomorrow if he wanted to but he seems compelled to continue building more unattractive housing. Pity. The name “Laffordville” might just be appropriate Elaine.. you’re not wrong.
There you have it. Boutros Boutros Lafford.
Good God that was funny a f Tim.. thanks.
Sadly, this is what happens when a small community divests itself of a vision to respectfully protect its heritage, built heritage and cultural heritage. Rather than realizing the strength in having a cohesive plan for development, important streetscapes of the community become something that resembles confusion. One just needs to visit St. Andrews, Lunenberg or Wolfville to witness places that understand how having a strong vision for planning interesting, beautiful streetscapes is important to community success.
Meredith Fisher
Sackville NB
You can have all the vision you want as a “community” but Lafford delivers units… housing units.. and if you understood what everyone here had signed on to years ago by consensus with their “Sustainable Sackville” plans you’d not be locked into a state of cognitive dissonance in 2025. The “Climate Action Plan” will also be about more smartgrowth and in their minds the single family housing model is the problem because housing people in pods/apartments means they’re less likely to use up so many resources as a homeowner who will burn firewood, etc. Look into Terra Carta Chuck’s “Sustainable Markets Initiative” of “Nature, People and Planet” to put the planet in top priority over the individual selfish needs of people and their desires.. https://www.sustainable-markets.org/ .. I am happy to discuss this with people who want to join with Andrew Black’s housing roundtable this week … reach out to me there. I’m the “Advocate” ballcap.
I’m guessing that this is probably going to be approximately a $30,000,000 building. If that is the case then the recently instituted Town of Sackville property tax rebate will be in the vicinity of $2,300,000 spread over the next 10 years.
I’m wondering if our Town Treasurer will communicate this to Tantramar Town Council at the next Council meeting.
Sadly it looks like there will be no property tax break for the homeowners for quite a few years yet.
Well I am biased!
Contrary to all the negativity surrounding Mr Lafford’s vision— one thing in his defence !
He provides the best,comfortable,convenient living to a number of lucky people!
I for one see no harm in that—people are not compelled to choose his buildings.
I would feel fortunate to live in his Sackville property—-if given an opportunity !
I’d say “That was a word from our sponsor, Lafford Properties,” except Lafford managed to avoid having to pay over a million dollars in property taxes on their new building in coming years, so they aren’t really sponsoring the town, just using it to become richer without contributing by paying through fair taxes for the facilities, services, and infrastructure that all of their tenants will be using. The rest of us will pay those bills while Lafford Properties profits from Council’s ineptitude in negotiation and its panic about housing.