Construction of new Irving Oil headquarters on hold

Storage tanks are seen at the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John, N.B. on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013. (Andrew Vaughan/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Monday was supposed to be the first day of construction of the new headquarters for Irving Oil in Saint John, but it seems to be on hold.

The new 11-storey headquarters is now subject of an appeal with New Brunswick's Assessment and Planning Appeal Board, submitted by the City’s former heritage planner Jim Bezanson.

"It will tower over and dominate everything in the surrounding neighborhood and be very disrespectful of the quality of the architecture that we have in Saint John," said Bezanson.

The building that would house all of the company’s employees in one location is over the city’s height restriction by four stories, and is set too far back from the sidewalk by 10 feet.

Despite this, the heritage board approved the project.

"What sets Saint John apart, what makes us unique is the quality of the built environment, specifically the heritage buildings which we have inherited as a legacy from the previous generations,” said Bezanson.

Irving Oil anticipated the project would take between 18 to 24 months starting Monday, which would have seen the project end in the middle of 2018.

Word of the appeal has spread throughout the community and online. Jason Stephen is a realtor in the city, and a post he made supporting the project has reached hundreds on social media.

“It sends a signal that Saint John really isn't open for business and that mentality has to change," said Stephen.

Stephen says he's heard nothing but support for this project and all it would bring.

"When you have new developments, it creates this sense that there is something happening,” said Stephen. “But then if you go beyond that and say, ‘Look at the number of jobs this is going to create, the number of people who would work on the site,’ there's all these spin offs that are absolutely tremendous."

Bezanson says with a few changes, the Irving headquarters could still be built in that location. He says he's willing to sit down with the company, but wouldn't share what his plan would entail.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ashley Blackford.