Developer offers to save Jelly Bean houses

A private developer is willing to step up and save the Jelly Bean houses.

Saint John Non-profit Housing says it can’t afford to preserve the historic buildings which would be too expensive to include in an affordable housing project. The city has ordered them demolished but a petition has been circulating to try to save them.

Now developer Andreas Holmes is stepping up, telling CBC he’s willing to put his own money into saving the brightly coloured buildings. Holmes says the buildings are in better shape than some projects he’s done in the past, so he’ll be asking the city to put the demolition on hold to give him a chance to save them.