Two recent land rezonings in the Town of Riverview have been strongly opposed by neighbouring residents.

Earlier this week, Riverview Town Council firmly rejected a rezoning from R1 to R3 on a parcel of land which would have green-lit two new apartment buildings on Hillsborough Road in Bridgedale.

The motion being defeated was a victory for dozens of nearby residents who opposed the project and wrote letters and sent petitions.

Councillor-at-large Heath Johnson felt each potential zoning change should be based on its own merits.

“I need to look at the whole community in mind. We want to be thoughtful and deliberate about it. This is the right kind of project, but I don’t think it’s the right place for it,” Johnson noted.

Councillor Wayne Bennett said developers may want to reconsider trying to rezone properties from R1 (single unit dwellings) to R3 (multi-unit dwellings) to make a profit.

“I’m not sending a message to developers that Riverview is not open for business. What I’m trying to say is that don’t expect to come in and buy R1 at dirt prices and expect it to get converted to R3,” said Bennett.

Last month, Town Council narrowly approved a controversial rezoning on Buckingham Avenue despite opposition from numerous residents who live in the area.

Two new apartment buildings are proposed on land sandwiched behind homes on the street and Riverview High School.

Most councillors seemed to agree that each proposed rezoning case from R1 to R3 should be examined on an individual basis.

According to fall 2022 data from CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation), the rental market vacancy rate in Riverview was 0.2 percent while it was 1.7 percent for the Greater Moncton CMA (census metropolitan area, which includes Moncton and Dieppe).