A Sackville resident is asking Tantramar council to change the way they regulate the size of dwellings in the former town.
Right now, Sackville dwellings must have minimum dimensions of 20 feet by 20 feet, which is too wide for buildings to be constructed offsite and transported on provincial highways to their final destination. Natalie Donaher is proposing using the equivalent in area, 400 square feet, for the minimum size requirement, thereby allowing for rectangular-shaped small homes that can be built elsewhere and transported to Sackville.
Donaher believes the type of change she’s proposing would be part of a municipal plan review when Tantramar takes one on, but the affordable housing advocate decided to apply for this change immediately, covering the $1500 application fee out of pocket. “I didn’t think we should wait that long,” says Donaher, “because it seems the housing crisis is much more urgent than that.”