PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL

MARCH 18, 2020 - 7:00 PM

AGENDA

A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Regular Meeting – February 19, 2020

B. ZONING APPLICATIONS

1. Brooxxie Ross – 7 Mill Street

Zone Amendment to Permit a Vocational/Technical School

2. Active Glass & Mirror – 403 Riverside Drive

Rezone Portion of Property from FD to COR-2

3. Dave Watt – 288 Union Street

Zone Amendment to Permit Self-Storage Business

4. Fellows & Company Ltd. – 374 King Street

Zone Amendment and Variance to Permit a 5 Storey Building 18 UnitMixed-Use Building

C. SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS

D. VARIANCE APPLICATIONS

1. Jon Furzer – 290 Waterloo Row & 16 Acacia Court

Conditional Use Variance

E. OLD BUSINESS

F. NEW BUSINESS

- Deferred

2 G. BUILDING PERMITS To receive building permits for the month of February 2020 H. ADJOURNMENT

March 12, 2020

To the attention of Fredericton Planning Advisory Committee and City Council

Re: “Development” proposal File V-9-2020 at 290 Waterloo Row and 16 Acacia Court

Dear PAC and City Council members:

It has been brought to our attention that the property at 290 Waterloo Row, which has caused untold

flooding damage to its neighbours since being approved to be built 2-3 years ago, and then

subsequently, to the astonishment of everyone who lived in the vicinity, infilled land abutting its

neighbour at the corner of Waterloo Row and Acadia Court without permission, is now seeking

permission retroactively through this so-called Development Proposal. This is a proposal for infill that

has already been done. Illegally. To be clear, it is not a development proposal at all. The unapproved

infill has been done even though the property at the corner of Acacia Ct and Waterloo Row had had to

have the military come in spring of 2019 to help erect a wall of sand bags in excess of 1 metre in order to

keep its ground floor from flooding. And this was flooding due to the initial build of the house in

question. The flood waters from the river and swollen wetlands behind the houses in the area lapped at

the very top of this wall of sandbags, while the owner pumped away to keep the waters from overtaking

their home. The other neighbours of the new home at 290 Waterloo Row were pumping just as

furiously, with amounts of water orders of magnitude higher than would have been the case if the home

at 290 had not been built on a raised lot. The longstanding home just upriver from 290 has been

completely surrounded by floodwater for the past two years, ever since 290 was built. And the

understanding of the neighbourhood was that permission to build this raised house was given without

any input from a hydrologist.

Deespite all this damage and concern to neighbours, in the summer of 2019 the owners of 290 Waterloo

Row proceeded to add a metre or more of infill into the land where the floodwaters overwhelm the area

during flood season. Without seeking permission.

In this morning’s Daily Gleaner its readers were told that the City plans ahead to weather climate

change. We have been hearing that for a while now, but we don’t see the evidence. For the most part

we believe that our city is well run. We are proud to live in this wonderful city. But some of the recent

decisions by PAC and City Council fly in the face of any realization of what climate change and flooding

really mean, both from rising river levels and from increased volumes of water coming down the hill

from heavier storms, more snow melt, and more paving and development uphill. If tougher limits on

building in flood plains is part of the City’s plan, then why have the trees been removed from Officer’s

Square with the intention of paving it over? It’s in the flood plain. Why was the house at 290 Waterloo

Row approved to be built on high fill with no input from a hydrologist as to what impact that would have

on several neighbours and the road itself? It’s in the flood plain. And why was the development at 650

Waterloo Row approved, which requires installing a box culvert across a downhill stream that rages

during intense storms and snow melt, overflowing a containment channel below it that was built to hold

the expected volume of water only 2 years ago, all of which will only increase as the impact of climate

change increases? That falls in the same category of adapting to climate change. Where is the

adaptation or the recognition?

If this request for retroactive approval of adding a significant body of fill is granted by PAC and City

Council, then the citizens of this fair city will have no reason to ever trust PAC and City Council to do the

right thing for its citizens when making any planning decisions. The approval to allow the building in the

first place, on a raised lot that has seriously damaged several surrounding homes, was regrettable, to

say the very least. To give approval retroactively for an action by a private homeowner that knowingly

threatened the neighbouring home even more than the original build already has would be egregious.

The neighbours in the area, who watched the building with concern and then the infilling with utter

dismay, strongly encourage you to do the right thing. That infill needs to be removed.

Sincerely,

Howard and Jane Fritz, 645 Waterloo Row

Deborah Rippin, 669 Waterloo Row

Colin Wilson and Thuy Nguyen, 609 Waterloo Row

Alan and Karen Burk, 270 Waterloo Row