City approves taller wood buildings

The city is hoping to get more affordable housing by allowing taller wood-frame buildings.

The National Building Code recently changed its standards to allow wooden structures of six storeys rather than the previous four. So Saint John is following suit, hoping it will spur development uptown…possibly allowing for more affordable housing. Building with wood saves as much as 20% over materials like concrete.

There was also a request for proposals yesterday for potential development of property at Canterbury and Princess Streets owned by the city.