Iqaluit planning committee OKs rezoning for 24 housing units
Development calls for stacked row-house dwellings in Lower Base area
The City of Iqaluit’s planning committee voted Tuesday to recommend a rezoning of four lots west of Northmart where Nunavut Housing Corp. wants to build four three-storey stacked row houses. (Photo by Livete Ataguyuk)
A request to rezone six lots in Iqaluit’s Lower Base for development of 24 housing units received unanimous approval from the city’s planning committee Tuesday night.
Nunavut Housing Corp.’s proposal includes construction of four stacked row-house dwellings, each with four two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units, according to Samantha Toffolo, the city’s consultant planner.
The proposed site is a block west of Northmart along the Inuit-Owned Land beach, on lots 394 to 399.
For the development to go ahead, rezoning is required because existing bylaws do not allow for stacked row housing in the area, she said.
Stacked row houses or dwellings are townhouses layered on top of each other with separate outdoor entrances.
Toffolo noted the application was sent back for review in November due to concerns over environmental contamination. Since then, an environmental assessment has determined the site is suitable for residential development.
A second concern was over beach access. The NHC is working with the Qikiqtani Inuit Association to revise the concept plan to provide better access to the nearby beach, Toffolo said.
This isn’t the first time the housing corporation has requested a rezoning approval in the area.
In 2020, the site was rezoned to allow development of four fourplex buildings with a total of 16 units, The project was ultimately cancelled due to high construction costs, according to Tuesday’s proposal.
The planning committee’s rezoning decision will now go before Iqaluit city council for approval.
Iqaluit doesn’t need more one bedroom apartments! Develop housing that can actually accommodate families of more than three people.
And beachfront is prime access to the bay. Is there going to be room in this development for people to park snow machines and boats?
its exactly what Iqaluit needs when you think about the people with no home.
Iqaluit like all of Nunavut is in DESPERATE need of one bedrooms.
How many single people/couples do you know who are taking up multi-bedroom homes because there is no other option? Stats Can data shows around a quarter of Nunavut’s multi-bedroom homes (more than FIFTEEN hundred) are used that way.
Every new one-bedroom built in Nunavut means another family home will be available for families. We are in a housing CRISIS, please stop opposing houseing, and please pay attention to your politicians who impeded housing.
Stevenson and Awa contemplated a ban on one-bedrooms before working with Flaherty to stall this development for months in committee. Again, we are in CRISIS, we need to build, stop throwing up red tape and let people work.
It’s all about maximizing rental income.
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I can’t wait for the approval of studio apartments, where there is no bedroom and the sofa in the living room converts to a bed every night.
Are Nunavumiut too good for one bedroom apartments?
Get over yourselves …
You do realize that some families need more than 1 bedroom. By your logic, it’s ok to cram 5 or 6 people to a 1 bedroom. Maybe you should move into a 1 bedroom apartment with 5 other people and see how you like it
I’ll move past the words you put in my mouth because I doubt you’re worth arguing with.
I agree with you, big families need big homes. When those homes are built Nunavummiut will whine and complain like we do about everything.
Maybe folks should think about not bringing children into this world if they themselves have no place of their own. Why would you want babies to suffer in the situation as well? Doesn’t that contribute to generational poverty/trauma? Best to really think about it before making babies!
Pretty sure these apartments will get filled!
What about the families of 5 or more that requires a home? Its ok to cram them to a 1 or 2 bedroom? It’s not healthy to go from one overcrowded place to another.
Don’t build housing stock and people bitch.
Build housing stock and the same people STILL bitch!
Take a happy pill people. The housing shortage requires units of all sorts and capacities.
We just can’t win with these people. Nothing will ever be good enough for Nunavut.
Yes, build 1 bedroom apartments. Then housing can move all the over house people taking up family units into 1 bedroom.
Or, move parents to one bedroom units that do not even have their children. Either the kid’s are in the system, or at their Grandparents.