Saint John council moves forward with proposed expansion of industrial park
City councillors show unanimous support, despite strong objections of Lorneville residents
Saint John councillors voted 10-0 on Monday night to push forward with amendments paving the way for the expansion of the Spruce Lake Industrial Park in the Lorneville area of the city.
The votes happened in rapid succession after weeks of contentious debate and a public hearing spread over four evenings because so many people wanted to speak against the expansion.
The plan is to make hundreds of hectares in the rural area in southwest Saint John "pad ready" for industrial development, with a revised aim of attracting medium and light industry that's clean and non-emitting.
To allow for this, council gave first and second reading to changes in the zoning bylaw and municipal plan.
Lorneville residents and supporters present for the vote were clearly upset by the result, loudly voicing their displeasure as they rose to leave council chambers.
Earlier, Coun. Joanna Killen, one of two councillors who represent the area, said she understood their concerns about the environmental impact of a larger industrial park and the encroachment of new industry on residential neighbourhoods.
"The city has listened to concerns and made real changes to the plan — and with the focus on future-focused industries, like advanced manufacturing, green energy, and stronger protections for wetlands and strict environmental safeguards," Killen said.
"This won't erase pain and disagreement. But I promise to keep pushing for transparency, ongoing consultation in the highest standards of environmental protection as this project moves forward, and of course a solid legacy fund for the community that I think it absolutely deserves."
Coun. Greg Norton talked about the developments in west Saint John that have helped fuel the city's growth. Norton voted for the expansion of the park, but he and other councillors urged the city to develop a plan to reward the community for being open to development.
"We have to diversify and we can't stay static, and this is part of that solution. It's part of that recipe to continue to diversify, to continue to grow and evolve," he said.
"Hopefully, the city manager comes back with an idea [for] a substantial legacy fund that can help support some of the priorities of our Lornville community that's playing host to this."
'You make it hard for them to say no'
The public hearing on the amendments wrapped up Monday evening. Council had already heard from 75 indiviiduals opposed to the expansion, and this session was for those who supported it.
The expansion doesn't yet have new businesses intending to locate in an expanded park, but Andrew Beckett, the chief executive officer of Envision Saint John, said it's easier to attract investors if you make it easier for them to say yes.
"You need to have as much in place up front, so that you make it hard for them to say no," he said.
"It's not a matter of saying we may be able to get land here, or we may be able to get land there. They will walk away from it. They want to know that the land is there, that it's ready to go and as much of the approvals are in place as possible to secure their investment."
He said the proposed site has many advantages over other possible locations in Saint John.
"[It's an] excellent location in terms of the servicing that's in place," Beckett said. "There's electricity available, raw water supply is available. It's close to highway access. It's got deep water coastal access. It already has sewer and water service available in the area."
Mayor Donna Reardon said it's hard to strike a balance between the needs of residents and the growth needed to sustain city services and grow the economy.
"We always try to figure out, how do we create some balance?" Reardon said. "How can we look after the 800 people in Lorneville, but how can we look after the 78,000 people in the city of Saint John? You've got the fastest growing port in North America.
"Growth isn't easy. It's always difficult. It's because we're not used to it in Saint John, so we've got to move forward."
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