Iqaluit city council advances bylaw that would allow 116-unit Hospital Hill build
Passage requires conditional approval of development permit
A revised rezoning bylaw for this empty lot on Niaqunngusiariaq Road, where Nunavut Housing Corp. hopes to build two 58-unit apartment buildings, will get a third reading after Iqaluit city council voted it through second reading on Tuesday. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)
A bylaw revision that would allow Nunavut Housing Corp. to build two five-story, 58-unit public housing buildings at the base of Iqaluit’s Hospital Hill is closer to approval after city councillors unanimously moved it through second reading Tuesday night.
The change would increase the density of the area where the proposed build would be constructed.
The city hosted a public hearing before the city council meeting, where residents could have expressed their views on the proposed changes.
City planner Reiko Kobayashi read the sole written submission, from resident Karen Flaherty, who said she supports building more housing but raised some concerns.
Flaherty’s concerns included increased traffic on Niaqunngusiariaq Road; parking; whether Qulliq Energy Corp. could power the buildings without city-wide disruptions; and whether the NHC would be able to properly maintain the facility.
She also raised concerns about the safety of the area, near the Sailijaaqvik medical boarding home and Uquutaq Society’s low barrier shelter.
“My family used to enjoy walking our dog after supper, but we no longer feel comfortable doing so because of repeated encounters with individuals who are intoxicated, yelling or behaving unpredictably on our street,” Flaherty wrote.
She added, “I am concerned that adding two large apartment buildings without a broader plan to address neighbourhood impacts will place additional strain on an area that is already facing challenges.”
George MacKay, another area resident, was the only in-person speaker at Tuesday’s hearing. He said he’s “strongly in favour” of the project.
“We in Iqaluit are experiencing a very severe housing crisis, and I feel the city needs to add as much high quality public housing as possible as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I don’t believe that the parking issue is a real problem. I think that the future should include good public transportation rather than wasting valuable space on parking lots.”
When councillors discussed the bylaw, it was brief.
Coun. Romeyn Stevenson emphasized the need for the city to update its general plan.
Coun. Kyle Sheppard flagged a typo, but also emphasized that written into the bylaw is a requirement that council first conditionally approve a development permit for NHC’s proposal.
Deputy Mayor Kim Smith and Coun. Amber Aglukark joined Sheppard and Stevenson in voting in favour of the bylaw.
Smith participated in the vote by videoconference, meaning there were only three councillors present alongside Mayor Solomon Awa Tuesday night.
A previous version of this bylaw was rejected by the city’s planning and development committee.
However, a revised version that included more parking was re-introduced to council earlier this month.
The lots of the proposed development are currently vacant but were previously occupied by row homes.
The lack of housing requires that this development happens asap. The opposition to building this very needed high density complex comes from over privileged nimby.
The issue isn’t really the project itself. The problem is the way it was handled.
When the project went out to tender, the rules didn’t even allow this type of construction. The project got approved first, and then they went looking for a bylaw change afterward. The other companies bidding on the job didn’t have the same opportunity to design around those new rules because they didn’t exist at the time.
That’s not a fair or transparent tendering process. Honestly, it should never have happened that way in the first place. NHC dropped the ball on this one.
If a bylaw change was needed, there should have been a public hearing and the rules should have been sorted out before the project went to tender, not after. Doing it the other way around just creates questions about the fairness of the whole process.
Definitely this new housing is urgently needed. The housing shortage in Iqaluit (and in Nunavut as a whole) has already been thoroughly documented.
As a land-use planner myself, I have not seen the details of the mixture of apartment sizes, but I expect that this pair of buildings will include a mixture of apartment sizes, so that it can accommodate a range of needs (ranging from single individuals to couples to families). I am sure that NHC has already taken these aspects into account. (The nearly-finished building on Palaugaa provides an excellent example, and it contains 46 units of various sizes, with a range of design features including an elevator plus also good soundproofing, both horizontally and vertically.)
Although residents of public housing often do not have vehicles, I agree that it is still a good idea to have some provisions for parking. Given the topography of the site and the need to place the building on pilings into bedrock, it should be relatively straightforward to incorporate ample parking underneath the building as well as around it. I am not worried about parking.
The site also has locational advantages. Public parkland is just behind the site, providing ample outdoor recreational activities. The QGH Hospital (both clinics and emergency) is very close-by, and first-responder services (e.g. the firehall and paramedics) are just down the road. Other supports are also easily accessible, and schools are not far away. And, year-round walking paths would be straightforward to formalize. The site is also well-located for future public transit (including the currently-in-operation Iqaluit Transit buses that are encouraging to see). Astro Hill Complex is a short walk away.
As for electricity: I think Qulliq Energy Corporation has probably already planned for this internally. For example, generator upgrades are underway (as signage at the power plant already announces). Plus, the future hydropower project will bring in more power as well.
Furthermore, the City also has a water-supply expansion project in the works, as Nunatsiaq News has already documented.