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Consultants urge city to expand in high-density areas

Development in new parts of town too costly, report says

DENISE RIDEOUT

A report released by the city last week recommends new development occur in areas where homes and apartment buildings can tap into the water and sewage systems that are already there.

Trow Consulting Engineers Ltd. of Ottawa was hired to examine the city’s systems to determine if they can handle the major growth expected in Iqaluit over the next 20 years.

Iqaluit’s population is growing at a steady pace and is expected to hit 11,300 by 2021. To accommodate more people, Iqaluit will undoubtedly have to expand, the engineers say.

But, they note, there’s a shortage of vacant spaces available for development. And it will cost the city millions of dollars to install the required water and sewer infrastructure in the spaces that are available.

In a previous report, conducted in 1999, Trow engineers outlined exactly how much it would cost to develop two new areas of town. In its most recent report, Trow again cautions the city against developing areas that require installation of a brand new water and sewer system.

The engineers examined the costs of developing two areas: the section of town north of Arctic College and west of the water treatment plant, and the area southeast of the Aqsarniip middle school.

According to the report, before homes could be built in the Arctic College area, the city would have to install a water booster station. Altogether, the major infrastructure, roads and utilidor pipes would run the city a little over $6 million.

The middle school area would require two sewage pumping stations and a forcemain before any development could take place. The installation of that infrastructure, along with roads and utilidor, comes with a price tag of $5.1 million.

In addition, the engineers pointed out that neither area can accommodate the major growth that’s expected in Iqaluit. The Arctic College area, for example, has 130 lots while the middle school area has 98 lots. Assuming there would be four people living in each house on each lot, the areas can accommodate only 912 people.

"This is not sufficient to meet long-term needs," the report says.

In the end, the engineers say, the best way to save money and accommodate more people is to focus on apartment buildings in areas of town where water and sewer lines already exist.

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