New BrunswickMoncton is preparing to sell portions of city-owned land to be redeveloped as housing.Locations include land near Coliseum on Killam DriveShane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Nov 27, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Josh Davies, Moncton’s manager of long range policy planning, standing near part of the Coliseum property the city plans to sell for use as affordable housing. (Shane Magee/CBC)Moncton is preparing to sell portions of city-owned land to be redeveloped as housing.That includes a small portion of the Moncton Coliseum complex property off Killam Drive. Council voted Nov. 17 to declare a portion of the property surplus — the first step to seeing it redeveloped. “This is the third property that’s been declared surplus for the purposes of affordable housing,” Josh Davies, the city’s manager of long range policy planning, said during a recent interview beside the site. The roughly one-acre parcel along Killam Drive is near one of the entrances to the sprawling Coliseum site. The arena complex and parking lots would remain owned by the city.”What we would anticipate for this type of development would be a multi-storey, multi-unit building, potentially with the commercial activity on the ground floor,” Davies said. “So three to four storeys.”WATCH | City hopes to see construction over coming years:Moncton eyes selling city land for housingThe city is planning to sell off various pieces of municipal land to be developed as affordable housing, including a parcel near the Moncton Coliseum. The land would still need to be subdivided, rezoned, and go through a process to find a non-profit organization to buy it. Davies said if that all goes well, the city hopes to see construction start in 2027, with residents occupying the building the following year. Selling portions of municipal land is meant to help address a barrier to affordable housing construction, Davies said.”Often the biggest issue that our non-profit partners have is to actually acquire land to pursue funding from other levels of government,” he said. “So this is a very good option for the city where land is available and considered surplus to help increase that housing supply.”The city’s land disposal policy defines affordable housing as “low-cost housing oriented toward low income or non-income generating residents that is operated by a non-profit corporation whose primary mandate is to supply affordable housing.”The policy says surplus land designated for affordable housing will be sold for $1, and the buyer must agree to a condition requiring it to operate affordable housing.The city is also dividing a large lot bounded by Cedar, Duffy and Spruce streets into 10 building lots with two for Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)One of the other locations is near the Killam Drive roundabout. 2 building lots allocated for Habitat for Humanity Another location that’s farther along in the process is 1.5 kilometres away between Spruce and Cedar streets. City council has approved dividing the vacant land into 10 lots, allocating two to Habitat for Humanity New Brunswick. “We’re thrilled to be planning to be building homes in Moncton once again,” CEO Perry Kendall said in an interview. Families selected by Habitat for Humanity buy the homes through a model that has no down payment and low interest rates for 20 years. Kendall said the organization plans to build two semi-detached duplexes early next summer. They will be designed so basements can be separate apartments the building owners could either rent or use themselves.”It really is a win-win because it again gives that flexibility of living space for a larger family or an additional income stream for the primary family if they don’t need it for their own living.”Kendall said the duplexes will be built through a partnership with the Carpenter Millwright College. Kendall said Habitat for Humanity has about 115 families in its homes across the province.More development near Coliseum eyedIn 2018, city council voted to continue operating the Coliseum complex as a venue for large trade shows and exhibitions once the Avenir Centre arena opened. That plan called for redeveloping portions of the Coliseum site, including along Killam Drive, to offset the costs of keeping the facility open. Davies said that’s still being considered. “I would anticipate that in the coming years, you’ll see a redevelopment of the Coliseum lands,” Davies said. “The Coliseum is still really busy. … But there will be some opportunities to develop and repurpose some of the lands on site.”ABOUT THE AUTHORShane Magee is a Moncton-based reporter for CBC News.
Moncton looks to sell municipal land for affordable housing
