The city wants to see more residential development to take place so it can derive more property tax revenue. To that end, Chief City Planner Ken Forrest has drawn up a plan of action on what vacant and surplus lands owned by the city can be used for housing. He's trying to downplay expectations saying there isn't as much land just lying about as some people might believe. He will have a list of the best such properties for Common Council in June. Forrest says the big problem in Saint John is not the availability of land but momentum to get the projects going.
Common Councillor Patty Higgins believes the city has come up short when it comes to furthering residential development. She claims it should be a priority. Higgins doesn't want Saint John to be a donut city where the majority of the people live on the outside with virtually nothing in the middle.
