Town councillors in Antigonish have approved an agreement for a new development.
Councillors passed second and final reading of the development agreement for rental units at 52 Victoria St. at June’s heated town council meeting Monday night.
Several residents from the neighbourhood voiced their opposition following a 5-2 vote to approve the project, which was previously rejected by councillors; members of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board had sided previously with the developer.
After Monday night’s meeting, Laurie Boucher, Antigonish’s mayor, said the developer was in the process of appealing that decision, and had a good chance of being successful.
“We’ve had a lot of legal advice from the UARB, along with our planners,” she said. “The advice given to us is that the developer would probably win.”
Boucher said the development agreement allows town officials to work with the developer to address concerns of councillors and residents.
She said there are housing issues that need to be addressed in the town.
“We have limited land- more housing is needed, more accessible housing,” she said. “I don’t mean just accessible through infrastructure- I mean accessible availability of housing.”
Boucher said they have to show logical reasons why any project doesn’t fit within their municipal planning strategy.
She said they need to follow the proper processes, or they would lose an appeal or court challenge.
