ANC aims to build affordable housing for newcomers on former Janeway hostel site

The Association for New Canadians (ANC) is hoping to build an affordable housing apartment building on the site of the former Janeway children’s hospital hostel.

An application came before St. John’s city council’s committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 27. to consider rezoning the land, which is currently vacant, from residential to apartment to consider allowing for the construction of the three-storey building.

According to the decision note provided to council, the land is currently owned by the provincial Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, which is “prepared to convey approximately 0.87 hectare (2.15 acres) of land to the ANC to build affordable housing for newcomers.”

The proposed building would have 27 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units.

Coun. Ophelia Ravencroft expressed her support for the project, saying she had been in contact with the ANC in recent weeks about the project and she had been in favour of it since hearing of it.

“Projects of this type are critical,” she said. “Developments of affordable housing of exactly this type are things we’ve been trying to bolster around this table now for the last couple of years and I’m always very grateful to see projects like this come forward.”

Ravencroft pointed out there have been other affordable housing projects proposed in the area in recent memory, including one on the same street, so it’s “becoming quite the hub for affordable housing.”

Ravencroft said infill and increased density is what council looks for in projects and this can help newcomers to the province find somewhere to live.

The project Ravencroft referred to is four two-storey apartment buildings being built by the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, which were approved in June 2023.

About a dozen residents showed up to a public meeting to oppose that project, with one saying there was enough social housing in the area and she didn’t want it to “turn into another Buckmaster Circle.”

EARLY STAGE

The application is in an early stage, and now that council has voted to consider the rezoning it will go to a regular council meeting to be voted on, and would also require a site plan, the completion of a floodplain study that is currently underway on the Virginia River, and a public meeting before proceeding.

Coun. Ron Ellsworth pointed out specifically that the proposal can’t move ahead until the floodplain study is completed, which is anticipated this spring, and he wouldn’t want people to think it’s proceeding now.

“While I fully support the application, what I don’t want is a false sense that this can just rush off and get done today,” he said. “We have some regulatory pieces that we need to get through, we have some development pieces we have to get through before we can give final sanction on this project.”

Saltwire contacted the Association for New Canadians about the application, but did not receive a reply by deadline.