Sackville Raised Its Height Limit for This 90-Unit Building

A seven-storey, 90-unit building is going up in downtown Sackville, and the most interesting thing about it is not the building. It is that the community changed its rules to allow it.

The York, at 24 York Street, is a roughly $25 to $30 million project from Lafford Properties. It broke ground in 2025 and is targeting occupancy in the first quarter of 2027. It is a rental building, so there is nothing here to buy, but there is plenty here worth understanding if you own property in southeastern New Brunswick or you are deciding where to buy next.

One note on names, because it trips people up. Sackville has been part of the Municipality of Tantramar since the 2023 local governance reform, which merged it with Dorchester and several surrounding communities. Locals still say Sackville, and so will we, but the municipality that approved this building is Tantramar.

The decision that made it possible

The York could not have been built under the rules that existed a couple of years ago. The downtown height limit was 50 feet. A seven-storey building needed 75.

That change went to a public hearing in late 2024. Residents raised real concerns about scale and shadowing, and the developer answered them directly, arguing the building would not overshadow the sidewalk. The limit was raised and the project moved ahead.

Whatever your view on taller buildings in small downtowns, that is a community making a deliberate choice to put growth in its core rather than pushing it to the edges as subdivisions. Very few Maritime towns this size have made that call, and it is the kind of decision that shapes a place for decades.

What is actually being built

The York is mixed use. Ninety residences sit above a ground floor set aside for retail and service tenants, including a restaurant with a south-facing patio.

The unit mix is broader than most new builds in the region: one bedroom, one bedroom barrier free, one bedroom plus den, two bedroom, two bedroom plus den, and three bedroom. The barrier-free layout is worth noting. It is a chronically undersupplied category in New Brunswick, and building it in from the start rather than adding it later is the right call.

Residents get a rooftop deck, a community room, underground and surface parking, keyless entry, and an on-site property manager. The building is wheelchair accessible throughout and pets are allowed subject to conditions.

It is also not the developer's first project here. Lafford Place, a 71-unit building on Main Street, opened in July 2025. The York is the follow-up, which tells you the first one performed well enough to justify a bigger swing.

What the pricing says about the market

Advertised rents start at $1,185 for a one bedroom and $1,700 for a two bedroom.

Those numbers matter to owners, not because you would rent here, but because they are a read on what this market will support for brand new, elevator-served, underground-parking product. If you own a rental property anywhere in the region, that is your 2027 competition setting its price. If you are weighing an investment purchase, it is a useful benchmark for what new supply can command outside the tri-city corridor.

Why this matters from Moncton

Sackville sits about 50 kilometres southeast of Moncton, roughly a 37-minute drive on the Trans-Canada. That is commuting distance for plenty of people.

It is also inside the same real estate board area. When you read "Moncton and Area" MLS statistics, Sackville is in that number. There is no separately published average sale price for Sackville, which is worth knowing if you ever see one quoted, because it is not coming from the board.

Mount Allison University is the reason the math works. The university reports more than 2,300 students and more than 530 faculty and staff in a community of about 6,000 people. That combination, a small population with a large institutional anchor, is unusual, and it is what makes a 90-unit building financeable there.

What it means if you own or are buying in the region

If you own property in the area. Ground-floor retail and several hundred more residents downtown generally support walkability and neighbourhood appeal, which tends to help values over time. The nearer-term effect lands on the rental side of the market in 2027.

If you are considering an investment purchase. Factor in that a modern building with an elevator and underground parking will be competing for tenants from 2027. That is not a reason to avoid the market, but it should shape what you buy and what you budget for updates.

If you are buying a home to live in. Sackville is worth a look if a walkable university town appeals to you more than a suburb. It is a genuinely different lifestyle from the tri-city corridor, with the Sackville Waterfowl Park, a real downtown, and a cultural scene that punches above its population. Our relocation guide covers the practical side of moving to the province, and most of it applies wherever in the southeast you land.

The bottom line

The York is a useful signal. Capital is not confined to Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, and a community does not need to be large to attract a $25 to $30 million residential build. What it needs is a stable demand anchor and a council willing to permit the density.

Tantramar had both. It is worth watching whether other communities in the region draw the same conclusion, because the ones that do will look different in ten years.

If you are weighing where in southeastern New Brunswick to buy, start with what is currently available across the region on the map search. If you already own and want to know where you stand, a current home valuation is the place to begin. We looked at another regional project worth tracking in our piece on Riverview's recreation complex.

Thinking about buying or selling in southeastern New Brunswick? Knowing which communities are attracting real investment, and what that is likely to do to values, is the difference between guessing and deciding. Candace McKay works with buyers and sellers across Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview and the surrounding communities and is happy to talk it through. Reach out here and Candace will personally get back to you.

About Candace McKay. Candace McKay is a REALTOR® serving Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview and the surrounding communities of southeastern New Brunswick. She works with local move-up buyers, sellers and out-of-province clients relocating to the region, with a focus on pricing strategy grounded in sub-market data rather than regional averages.

Data disclaimer: The York's storey count, unit count, address, unit mix, amenities and advertised starting rents of $1,185 and $1,700 are per the developer, Lafford Properties, and its listing pages as advertised in August 2026. The project cost range, the downtown height limit change from 50 to 75 feet and the public hearing are per CHMA community radio reporting. Sackville became part of the Municipality of Tantramar in the 2023 local governance reform, per the Municipality of Tantramar. Population of about 6,000 is based on the 2021 Census figure of 6,099. Mount Allison enrolment and staffing are per the university. Distance and drive time are approximate. The image above is a project rendering supplied by the developer and shows the completed design, not the building as it stands today. Advertised rents and availability change, so confirm current details with the developer. This article is general information, not financial, legal or investment advice.