SACKVILLE, N.B. – Town council has taken the first step towards approving a rezoning that will allow an ambulance station to be built on a piece of property on Robson Avenue.
Council approved first reading last week of a zoning bylaw amendment that asks for the property to be changed from Highway Commercial to Institutional, a designation that would permit the operation of an ambulance service on the site. The rezoning request still needs to go through second and third reading for full approval.
The application comes from Parsons Investment Ltd., which is proposing to build a two-bay ambulance station on an approximately half-acre section of a 6.6-acre property on Robson, located next to Westmorland Animal Hospital.
The station would be set back about 50 feet from the road, a similar setback to the neighbouring veterinary clinic on Robson.
But this setback did raise concerns last month from some members of town council, who questioned how it would fit with a recently-approved vision for the Exit 506 area that recommends setbacks of no more than 20 feet. This proposed setback aims to help create a more pedestrian-oriented area, which also includes new walkways, bike lanes, parks, and shops.
Other councilllors argued, however, that the setback for this building won’t really interfere with the plan’s overall goal given its location on Robson Avenue and the changes coming for the realignment of that street.
There was also a general agreement among councilors that they’d like to see the Ambulance New Brunswick (ANB) station relocated from its current site in the industrial park because of the possibility of an ambulance being blocked by a train on the CN Rail line during an emergency situation.
During the public hearing last week, councillor Bill Evans repeated that he’s in favour of the relocation of the ambulance station from its current location – but he did issue words of caution about developing in an area subject to potential flooding in the future.
Evans said although the site on which the building is being proposed is not within the flood plain area, he does worry that, in the case of a dyke breach, that the surrounding Bridge Street area could experience flooding and the ambulances would be cut off from an emergency.
Councillor Megan Mitton said the building would be well away from the boundary set by the town about four years ago when it established its 8.9-metre flood plain zones and feels this is a better location for ANB than its existing site.
