J.D. Irving's efforts to demolish Saint John heritage building one step closer to reality
CBC
In a marathon session, Saint John city council tentatively agreed to allow three J.D. Irving properties to be removed from a heritage designation.
The controversial properties at 111-119 King St. East include two vacant lots and a large, dilapidated post-war home.
J.D. Irving purchased the properties in the mid-1990s, and they are adjacent to the company's Saint John headquarters.
The company has been seeking the change since 2016 and wants to demolish the building, which has been vacant, unheated and boarded up for six years.
The company has argued the building, known as the Brown House, does not fit into the streetscape with neighbouring buildings, mostly built in an earlier period, and therefore isn't historically significant.
But the Heritage Preservation Board did not agree with the argument and refused to make the changes.
In the meantime, the building continued to degrade, and in early 2020, Mayor Donna Reardon, who was then a city councillor, questioned the company's motives.
"My concern is that neglect is happening there." Reardon said.
"The building will be lost over time. It looks like there's absolutely no intention of trying to save it or salvage it or do anything with it."
The public hearing on Monday night was to consider a proposal by the company to turn the site of the building into a play park in exchange for the removal of the heritage designations on all three properties.
J.D. Irving would agree to maintain the park for 20 years.
When asked why the company has no interest in selling the property. Irving spokesperson Douglas Dean said it was considered important because of its proximity to its headquarters, and the company did not want to lose control of the land.
There were many people who opposed the project at Monday night's council meeting.
Greg Patterson, a resident landlord, told council he pushed the idea of a heritage area on King Street East starting in 1998, until it became a reality.
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