The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread [Archive] - Page 65

MonctonRad

Feb 13, 2010, 12:29 AM

Tasty Cow offers gourmet burgers
Published Friday February 12th, 2010

Riverview restaurant boasts peanut butter, mac & cheese burgers and much more
By Eric Lewis
Times & Transcript Staff

"Remember, only you can prevent boring burgers."

That line is included in the description for Smokey the Cow, one of 17 gourmet hamburgers offered at The Tasty Cow, an offshoot of Riverview's Diesel Pizza, located on Pinewood Road.

The burger features barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, bacon and onion rings piled high on a six-ounce (170-gram) slab of beef.

Sounds like a lot? It's certainly not the most interesting burger on the menu.

That title might go to the PB and Cow, which offers peanut butter, mozzarella and bacon. Or better yet, the KD Cow, which comes dripping with Kraft Dinner, bacon and mozzarella cheese.

The Tasty Cow opened this week at 630 Pinewood Rd., the same location as Diesel Pizza. Owner of both Jeff Hughes says he's been noticing gourmet hamburger joints opening up across North America and he wanted to be the first to do so in Metro Moncton. Like Diesel Pizza, The Tasty Cow offers old-fashioned flavours right up to the most outrageous toppings one can think of.

Many of the burgers were inspired by pizzas available at Diesel, which offers a peanut butter pizza and a mac and cheese pizza.

"The burgers are handmade here, we make them," Hughes explains. "The buns we use are calabrese buns that we get at a local bakery. We have toppings like fresh pineapple. There's one burger that has caramelized pears, bacon and goat cheese on it. So some of them are pretty over-the-top."

Hughes says even with just a plain burger, one can taste the difference at The Tasty Cow. The beef, a combination of medium ground beef and certified Angus beef, is seasoned with special spices to make for a mouth-watering meal.

And no, The Tasty Cow isn't limited to just cow. The burger joint offers veggie burgers as well and one can make any of the specialty burgers into a veggie burger at no extra cost.

All burger orders come with fries, sweet potato fries, caesar salad or onion rings (for an extra buck).

The average burger and fry price is about $10, Hughes says.

The Tasty Cow may be in its infancy, but its big brother Diesel Pizza opened almost two years ago, and Hughes says business is going well.

He's hoping The Tasty Cow is as successful as its sibling, and in the long term, he would like to open a second location of the co-branded restaurant in Moncton or Dieppe.

Development rumours are so slow right now in metro Moncton that I have to stoop to reporting the opening of a new burger joint in town........I can feel my serum cholesterol rising as I type! :haha:

Seriously though, gourmet burger shops are hot right now and Diesel Pizza has been quite popular. It'll be interesting when they open a new location on the right side of the river. :tup:

KMac

Feb 13, 2010, 3:07 AM

Is Home Outfitters still coming to town? Anyone know?

tw31

Feb 13, 2010, 3:09 AM

As I was driving by Ryan/horsmen/Berry mills intersections today, i noticed some markings around the intersection of ryan and horsmen, and also there was a bunch of tree being cleared infront of the intersection of Berry Mills and Horsmen. Anyone know what the story of these are? I assume the re-allignment?

mylesmalley

Feb 13, 2010, 5:29 AM

Realignment probably.
I wouldn't have expected them to get going this early in the season though.

David_99

Feb 13, 2010, 3:07 PM

Realignment probably.
I wouldn't have expected them to get going this early in the season though.

The weather's been so Spring-like. Might as well get a head start!

MonctonRad

Feb 13, 2010, 5:21 PM

Is Home Outfitters still coming to town? Anyone know?

Welcome to the forums KMac!

I wasn't aware that Home Outfitters ever formally announced that they were coming to Moncton, although they would fit in very well up at the Trinity/Mapleton area and they should be represented in the Moncton market. Does anyone else know anything different?

MonctonRad

Feb 13, 2010, 5:57 PM

from "the Sleuth"

A new pizza joint will open in downtown Moncton come spring says Meddler from Main Street.

Cut Throat Pizza, which currently operates over weekends out of The Manhattan bar and restaurant on Westmorland Street, will be branching out on its own later this year with pizzas, poutines and panzerottis on the menu.

The pizza has gotten rave reviews from anyone hanging out at The Manhattan checking out some of the city's talented young bands.

Expect Cut Throat to open in a few months time as a full-time venue in the old sushi restaurant location next to The Paramount on Main.

development news in Moncton continues to be slow......does anyone know anything new about the proposed downtown arena/events centre? This seems to have dropped completely off the radar!!

mylesmalley

Feb 13, 2010, 6:27 PM

Pretty aggressive name for a pizza joint.

David_99

Feb 13, 2010, 9:54 PM

Pretty aggressive name for a pizza joint.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2667/3932189854_974f4973c2.jpg

Arrrrrrrrrrr!

drewber

Feb 14, 2010, 5:03 AM

Anyone know what is going up next to Zellers at Northwest Center? I notice they have an expanded area coming out from the building...I will try and take a pic and post it online tomorrow but anyone know what its supposed to be?

MonctonRad

Feb 14, 2010, 2:24 PM

:previous:

They are renovating the storefront immediately next to the Zeller's (presumably for a new tenant).

Is that what you mean?

StormShadow

Feb 14, 2010, 7:43 PM

development news in Moncton continues to be slow......does anyone know anything new about the proposed downtown arena/events centre? This seems to have dropped completely off the radar!!

I knew there was going to be trouble when a) the study didn't arrive on time, b) the study itself, was not made public- even though you paid for it, in another 12 months it will be out of date, c) The big talking point of the report was a downtown events center would be profitable. (well, no $@#!)

Moncton city council reads that and says "Great! Now, someone ELSE can build it, we don't have to do anything! We don't have to make any decisions, they (a private developer) will come to us, because we've got this report here says that a downtown events center will be profitable!"

The Beaver Lumber situation with Verdiroc- most people blame Verdiroc, and I agree but it takes 2 to tango. Verdiroc was not getting enough from Moncton. Show Verdiroc the $$$, or you can have a vacant lot downtown. The alternative was a provincial government project that does not need to and shouldn't be built on prime downtown real estate.

Moncton CC has got to realize, that THEY are the ones that need to get the ball rolling- it's Moncton, not (insert other major Canadian city here) How does that song by The Who go? "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss- we won't get fooled again!" Moncton city council is indecisive.

You watch: Moncton CC will re-pave the parking lot, fill in every pot hole, install new HVAC, replace the digital road sign, and upgrade the food vendors ALL BEFORE they build a new downtown events center.

mylesmalley

Feb 14, 2010, 8:56 PM

Group seeks ways to revive downtown Moncton
Last Updated: Sunday, February 14, 2010 | 4:40 PM AT

A Moncton economic development group is looking for ways to attract businesses to the city’s Main Street.

With the number of vacancies on the street increasing, Downtown Moncton is calling on merchants and business people to get together and devise a plan.

Daniel Allain, the organization's executive director, says three roundtable meetings will be held to talk about recruiting businesses and retaining tenants.

“This is economic development right on the front line,” he said. “If we can't cater to the needs of businesses, they're not going to come here and that's what I'm worried about — are we missing something? Is there something extra we should be doing?”

Steve Vasseur, a longtime downtown merchant who runs a local smoke shop, says he's concerned about the lack of retail shops on Main Street.

Vasseur said there are several ideas that could bring retailers back to the downtown core, like boosting the number of parking spots, chopping rent prices and making Main Street a one-way street.

The first roundtable discussion will be held on Feb. 22.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/02/14/nb-downtown-moncton.html#ixzz0fXuLuhS2

___________

What we really need are more people downtown.

And making Main a one-way street would be a tough sell. Unfortunately, we don't have a layout like Fredericton which makes alternating streets feasible.

mylesmalley

Feb 14, 2010, 8:57 PM

I knew there was going to be trouble when a) the study didn't arrive on time, b) the study itself, was not made public- even though you paid for it, in another 12 months it will be out of date, c) The big talking point of the report was a downtown events center would be profitable. (well, no $@#!)

Moncton city council reads that and says "Great! Now, someone ELSE can build it, we don't have to do anything! We don't have to make any decisions, they (a private developer) will come to us, because we've got this report here says that a downtown events center will be profitable!"

The Beaver Lumber situation with Verdiroc- most people blame Verdiroc, and I agree but it takes 2 to tango. Verdiroc was not getting enough from Moncton. Show Verdiroc the $$$, or you can have a vacant lot downtown. The alternative was a provincial government project that does not need to and shouldn't be built on prime downtown real estate.

Moncton CC has got to realize, that THEY are the ones that need to get the ball rolling- it's Moncton, not (insert other major Canadian city here) How does that song by The Who go? "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss- we won't get fooled again!" Moncton city council is indecisive.

You watch: Moncton CC will re-pave the parking lot, fill in every pot hole, install new HVAC, replace the digital road sign, and upgrade the food vendors ALL BEFORE they build a new downtown events center.

You're absolutely right.

MonctonRad

Feb 15, 2010, 12:26 AM

What we really need are more people downtown.

And making Main a one-way street would be a tough sell. Unfortunately, we don't have a layout like Fredericton which makes alternating streets feasible.

I wish they would stop talking about altering the traffic flow on Main Street, or turning it into a pedestrian mall. This is ludicrous.....as Myles says, it is the only direct east/west route through the downtown core. To monkey around with Main Street would only make things far worse!!

I have never found Main Street unfriendly to pedestrians. It is narrow and two lanes with abundant crosswalks. Drivers routinely stop to let pedestrians cross the street. Main Street is much better in this regard than, say, Spring Garden Road in Halifax. Leave Main Street alone!!!

Myles is also right in the sense that the key to downtown renewal is to have more people actually living downtown. To do this we have to make downtown a more attractive place to live. People need a reason to live there, especially since Moncton is so easy to get around with no natural barriers to sprawl like there is in Halifax.

This is why I feel that a downtown arena/events centre is so important. This would be a major attraction and would help to breed new retail/pubs/restaurants in the surrounding area. This could in turn lead to new hotel/commercial development as well. Once a critical mass is achieved, then people would want to live downtown. A virtuous circle would then be created as new retail would follow the increased population density and so on and so on...........

This all has to start somewhere however.......and that start should be the arena/events centre.

There has to be some reason why this has dropped off the radar. Either city council has lost interest or they are working on a plan in secret in the background. The latter possibility is my secret hope.........maybe Crosbie REIT has a major plan in the works for Highfield Square.

Somebody must know something that we don't......

pierremoncton

Feb 15, 2010, 2:21 AM

I drove by this (street view: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=430+high+st,moncton,nb&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=29.710183,78.662109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=430+High+St,+Moncton,+Westmorland+County,+New+Brunswick&ll=46.09855,-64.79577&spn=0,359.993155&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=46.09853,-64.795887&panoid=YaULV9sas50PRY09HAOubg&cbp=12,109.85,,0,-7.25) on High Street recently and I was wondering if they were condos, but the building actually contains "50 apartments for non-elderly singles and disabled persons" according to this (http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/fcs/2009e0655sd.htm).

I don't understand why there aren't decent 2-bedroom condos between St George and Main (or anywhere close) priced at or below $100k. I realize that Moncton's real estate is relatively low priced (so I don't need to be told), but just about everything still seems overpriced to me. And I must not be the only one since these (http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=7085902) have been for sale for years but are currently being rented out as no one is dumb enough to buy them. They were originally all priced at $99k but I've seen them listed for as low as $82k (and they still don't sell). The building is evaluated at $1.1-m, which means that each unit is evaluated at $55k. This markup is insane.

Units for this condo (http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.aspx?propertyId=8805743) are for sale at reasonable prices -- but why is a condo building this size being built all the way out in the suburbs (in Moncton's terms)? Where's the logic in choosing to live in a dense building, but in a residential neighbourhood, away from amenities? The condos in Dieppe near city hall make sense, but these don't. The condos around Cameron St and Assomption Blvd make sense too but are huge and insanely priced.

And again, if 2-bedroom condos can be built on Grant St at around $55k per unit, why is there no developer willing to pay a bit more for land closer to the core, put on a slightly nicer shell than that generic Grant crap and sell for $100k? Where are the basic 2-bed, 1-bath, 800-1000 sqft, no-garage, no-pool, no-fancy-crap units downtown?

Edit: The questions are rhetorical. The answer is surely always money.

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 15, 2010, 5:51 AM

I wish they would stop talking about altering the traffic flow on Main Street, or turning it into a pedestrian mall. This is ludicrous.....as Myles says, it is the only direct east/west route through the downtown core. To monkey around with Main Street would only make things far worse!!

I have never found Main Street unfriendly to pedestrians. It is narrow and two lanes with abundant crosswalks. Drivers routinely stop to let pedestrians cross the street. Main Street is much better in this regard than, say, Spring Garden Road in Halifax. Leave Main Street alone!!!

Myles is also right in the sense that the key to downtown renewal is to have more people actually living downtown. To do this we have to make downtown a more attractive place to live. People need a reason to live there, especially since Moncton is so easy to get around with no natural barriers to sprawl like there is in Halifax.

This is why I feel that a downtown arena/events centre is so important. This would be a major attraction and would help to breed new retail/pubs/restaurants in the surrounding area. This could in turn lead to new hotel/commercial development as well. Once a critical mass is achieved, then people would want to live downtown. A virtuous circle would then be created as new retail would follow the increased population density and so on and so on...........

This all has to start somewhere however.......and that start should be the arena/events centre.

There has to be some reason why this has dropped off the radar. Either city council has lost interest or they are working on a plan in secret in the background. The latter possibility is my secret hope.........maybe Crosbie REIT has a major plan in the works for Highfield Square.

Somebody must know something that we don't......

Its not Crosbie REIT it's Crombie REIT...just thought I'd put that out there.

Also, they very well could have a secret plan for it. Its pretty much completely empty. http://www.crombiereit.ca/en/lease_floorplan.aspx?PID=47

Also the Terminal Towers are not very full either
http://www.crombiereit.ca/en/lease_floorplan.aspx?PID=76
http://www.crombiereit.ca/en/lease_floorplan.aspx?PID=84

MonctonRad

Feb 15, 2010, 12:44 PM

Its not Crosbie REIT it's Crombie REIT...just thought I'd put that out there.

I knew that..............it was a mental slip, just the early stages of senility slipping in. :haha:

Halifax Hillbilly

Feb 15, 2010, 9:03 PM

Group seeks ways to revive downtown Moncton
Last Updated: Sunday, February 14, 2010 | 4:40 PM AT

Steve Vasseur, a longtime downtown merchant who runs a local smoke shop, says he's concerned about the lack of retail shops on Main Street.

Vasseur said there are several ideas that could bring retailers back to the downtown core, like boosting the number of parking spots, chopping rent prices and making Main Street a one-way street.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/02/14/nb-downtown-moncton.html#ixzz0fXuLuhS2

I think more parking is the last thing downtown Moncton needs. Better management of parking maybe, but there is more than enough supply.

sdm

Feb 15, 2010, 9:09 PM

I think more parking is the last thing downtown Moncton needs. Better management of parking maybe, but there is more than enough supply.

First problem Moncton did was to build the casino where they did. That should have been kept downtown.

BlackYear

Feb 15, 2010, 11:01 PM

First problem Moncton did was to build the casino where they did. That should have been kept downtown.

Not really. I felt the same way at first, but now I feel the casino fits very well next to the highway and Magnetic Hill's waterpark, zoo, concert venue, golf course, etc.

The new arena is a MUST for downtown. If the city fails to do this, then, downtown will be dead, which is already half way there.

I live downtown, and I prefer to have the arena here rather than the casino. I'm sure the casino will have daily shuttle services from downtown to the casino.

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 15, 2010, 11:10 PM

First problem Moncton did was to build the casino where they did. That should have been kept downtown.

I disagree. It works in both places. Where it is now, it sets up the area to become a tourist destination. They have a casino, zoo, waterpark, "magnetic hill" attraction, golf course etc. It is right on the highway. Good location in my opinion. Would the casino have worked downtown? Yes there is no question it would have worked downtown.

The biggest problem Moncton has I think is parking. There is too much space WASTED by parking. Look at Charlottetown. They have what, 3 parking garages? If all the HUGE parking lots were reduced in area by building parking garages, SO much space could be used. Parking lots = low density and parking garages = high density. Which is the obvious choice to help Moncton with what they are trying to do?

Here is what Moncton should do for their downtown though. Create a reason to go there. A very good example is in Halifax, one of only TWO HMV's in the entire city is located on spring garden road. They need more stores in Moncton to be exclusive to downtown Moncton. Things like an downtown Arena and an IMAX theatre, as mentioned before would bring people downtown. People living downtown also would obviously help as well.

In time these things will hopefully sort themselves out. My long term personal goal is to be a land developer, so, maybe if things take too long I'll have enough capital then to help out.

MonctonRad

Feb 15, 2010, 11:35 PM

I think more parking is the last thing downtown Moncton needs. Better management of parking maybe, but there is more than enough supply.

Moncton has way too much surface parking. It would be much better if there were a couple of large parking garages downtown, this would free up additional space for new development.

Another issue with the surface parking is that if you don't frequently park downtown, you may not really be aware which surface lots are "safe" for evening parking and which are not. Some of these lots are patrolled by private parking contractors who will "boot" your car if you park there even after hours........this is a real issue and cannot be underestimated. I was downtown at the City Grill a couple of nights ago and the grill's parking lot was full. The adjacent streets were also full because of the Hubcap Comedy Festival. There were some empty surface lots nearby, but being paranoid, I assumed they were empty because the "boot police" were on the prowl. I ended up parking about five blocks away and walking. :(

I want parking garages downtown now. They will be absolutely mandatory if the arena/events centre gets built!!

mylesmalley

Feb 15, 2010, 11:59 PM

It all comes down to leadership and planning. If the city never takes any initiative, or approves projects for the sake of development regardless of fit or appropriateness, we'll continue to see Rogers buildings and Sobeys built across the core.

drewber

Feb 16, 2010, 12:04 AM

sdm

Feb 16, 2010, 1:19 AM

Not really. I felt the same way at first, but now I feel the casino fits very well next to the highway and Magnetic Hill's waterpark, zoo, concert venue, golf course, etc.

The new arena is a MUST for downtown. If the city fails to do this, then, downtown will be dead, which is already half way there.

I live downtown, and I prefer to have the arena here rather than the casino. I'm sure the casino will have daily shuttle services from downtown to the casino.

It would be the best of both worlds to have an arena and casino. Both could feed off each other.

Everyone speaks of creating a destination as the reason to go downtown. A casino would have done this, which in turn would help the retailers. Same can be said of an arena, but i think if you review a casino has a greater impact for retail then an arena.

Every large city has downtown parking problems, yet they can make it work.

BlackYear

Feb 16, 2010, 2:53 AM

Here's a pic of that construction I was talking about...and yeah its the one right next to Zellers. Just curious and I know you guys are the best ones to ask. haha.
http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/drewber26/zlelers.jpg

Would slicing a 8 inch gash through the membrane and sticking your head inside and saying, "Here's Johnny!", be inappropriate?
:leek:

MonctonRad

Feb 16, 2010, 3:20 AM

Would slicing a 8 inch gash through the membrane and sticking your head inside and saying, "Here's Johnny!", be inappropriate?
:leek:

You might be able to find out what is going in there if you did. :haha:

Interesting.....I went on the PlazaCorp website to see if I could find any info on this renovation but I couldn't. I did find a listing of all the PlazaCorp properties in the Moncton area however, and one of their holdings was called the Moncton East Lands and this was listed as being "under development".

I wonder if this proposed PlazaCorp "development" is on East Main Street or is it in the far east of the city (Harrisville/Shediac Rd.). Does anyone know about this?

mylesmalley

Feb 16, 2010, 3:52 AM

Who owns the new retail development at the corner of Harrisville and Shediac?

michael_d40

Feb 16, 2010, 4:23 AM

You might be able to find out what is going in there if you did. :haha:

Interesting.....I went on the PlazaCorp website to see if I could find any info on this renovation but I couldn't. I did find a listing of all the PlazaCorp properties in the Moncton area however, and one of their holdings was called the Moncton East Lands and this was listed as being "under development".

I wonder if this proposed PlazaCorp "development" is on East Main Street or is it in the far east of the city (Harrisville/Shediac Rd.). Does anyone know about this?

Its not often I come on the Moncton board to be nice. But people do change lol!
Anyways... I thought I would let you know that Arcturus owns the Superstore property. They have a pdf on their website at http://www.arcturusrealty.com/pro-opp.cfm?type=Retail

Not sure if the PDF is updated or not though. My Adobe randomly stopped working last week.
Anyways.. Thought I'd help.
Cheers.

MonctonRad

Feb 16, 2010, 4:32 AM

I did a little more digging and came up with this........

From a little known website known as Skyscraperpage, dated 2008.

Retail plaza planned for Harrisville Boulevard

Alan Cochrane
COCHRANE REPORT
Published Saturday January 26th, 2008
Appeared on page D2

A new retail plaza to complement a "major national retailer" will be constructed on Harrisville Boulevard near the Greater Moncton International Airport in the next couple of years.

Michael Zakuta, president and CEO of Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd., said this week the company has acquired a piece of land on Harrisville Boulevard and construction of a new retail complex is expected to begin in 2010 or 2011. He said a well-known national retailer will anchor the complex, but declined to name the company. Plazacorp is now in the process of finding other retailers to lease space in the complex surrounding the anchor store.

Zakuta said Harrisville Boulevard and the airport area is the location of the future, since the Champlain Place area is saturated.

"There has been some residential growth in that area and we want to service that growth."

Plazacorp Retail Properties Ltd. is an owner of shopping malls and strip plazas throughout Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario. Plazacorp now owns interests in 89 properties comprising over 4.1 million square feet of retail real estate.

So, the "Moncton East Lands" refers to the proposed development to be built at the interchange between Harrisville Blvd. and War Veterans Highway, just on the other side of the highway from the Holiday Inn Express Moncton Airport. The major national retailer that they refer to is the proposed Sobeys.

monctonian

Feb 16, 2010, 11:01 AM

MonctonRad

Feb 17, 2010, 12:16 AM

Will Metro get a new downtown convention (events) centre?
Published Tuesday February 16th, 2010

Project has 'snailed along,' with no immediately available answers coming from City Hall
Brent Mazerolle

Is a downtown events centre the new downtown convention centre?

After almost a decade of discussion about the idea of a convention centre to revitalize downtown, the idea just sort of faded away, with key downtown players like Bernard Cyr and Denis Losier eventually announcing they were moving onto other projects because they could no longer wait for the city to make up its mind.

The 2008 announcement that Casino New Brunswick would be built with a conference centre component out at the edge of the city all but ended the last talk of a downtown convention centre.

With that, years of growing talk about a downtown multi-purpose entertainment centre shifted into high gear.

Mayor George LeBlanc campaigned on a promise of building such a centre if a business case could be made for it, and since the current council's election in May 2008, the business of making that business case has snailed along.

In January of 2009, seven months after taking office, the city council hired IBI Group to do a feasibility study, which it presented to council last June.

In July, Mayor LeBlanc appointed a committee to review the financial feasibility and merits of a downtown multi-use sports and entertainment facility, a study of the study, if you will, on the assumption the council would then decide whether or not to pursue the project.

That second report was supposed to be before council by Oct. 15, ostensibly so it could play a role in budget deliberations.

But four months after it was supposed to be ready, there's still no sign of the report, and no one from city hall was prepared to explain why yesterday.

Down the street at Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Inc,, general manager Daniel Allain was willing to talk, and he suggested patience was wearing thin with his membership to have an answer of what the future of downtown holds, whether the news is good or bad. Though securing a downtown centre as a catalyst for development in the city's core has long been DMCI's stated priority issue, Allain said now, "the consensus of our board is 'if it's going to happen, great, but if it's not, let us know so we can work on other issues.'"

Allain said there's no question what answer the board, which represents every commercial enterprise in Moncton, wants.

"It comes back to the vision process," which the City of Moncton and DMCI commissioned Toronto's award-winning Office for Urbanism to conduct four years ago.

The key message of the Office for Urbanism's report was that one high-quality, high-density project could turn a downtown around, just as it has done in numerous other successful North American cities. As Allain and his board look at the increasingly bleak Main Street streetscape of empty storefronts and vacant lots, he says DMCI's membership see a multi-purpose building with an arena, entertainment, meeting and other facilities as just the sort of needed development the experts prescribed.

He pointed out that the businesses and institutions of Moncton's downtown business improvement area bring $338 million in assessment value to the city and said generally that cities and other governments seem to forget that sort of value at times, spending money in their peripheries that should be reinvested in their revenue generating downtowns. It's an interesting argument, leading one to try to imagine what sort of property tax bill an Assumption Place or a Blue Cross Centre might pay in the course of a year.

On the bright side, Allain said Mayor LeBlanc had taken time to address DMCI in November, when it was clear the report would not be ready, and on an even brighter note, Allain said, "the mayor (more recently) indicated the report would be coming shortly."

Unfortunately, no one from the City of Moncton was available to say that yesterday.

All I can say is that a multipurpose downtown arena/events centre with integrated conference/hotel/restaurant/entertainment/retail facilities is the last best hope to save the downtown core. It is not a matter of "can it be done", it must be done.

Moncton is not blessed with thousands of entrenched civil servants in their office buildings like Fredericton, nor does Moncton have the old money and corporate power of Saint John. Moncton is highly decentralized and is characterized by excessive suburban sprawl. Moncton may be the largest CMA in the province but you wouldn't be able to tell this by looking at our downtown core.

I firmly believe that if the city can build this one signature development in the downtown, it would be the impetus necessary to breath new life into the core and give people new reasons to visit and live their.

People need a reason to believe in the downtown...........let's give it to them!!

Come on city council, get off your collective duffs and make it happen :tup:

Phil_5

Feb 17, 2010, 2:00 AM

Hello everyone,
I have been reading this forum for quite a while now and I find it really interesting.
Anyway, I totally agree that Moncton should have an event center/arena in the downtown area.:)

Dmajackson

Feb 17, 2010, 3:03 AM

Hello everyone,
I have been reading this forum for quite a while now and I find it really interesting.
Anyway, I totally agree that Moncton should have an event center/arena in the downtown area.:)

From all of your buddy's here in Halifax, WELCOME!

:cheers:

P.S. out of curiousity does anyone know how many people are contributing to this thread? Everytime I come on theres new faces ...

mmmatt

Feb 17, 2010, 3:25 AM

Will Metro get a new downtown convention (events) centre?
Published Tuesday February 16th, 2010

Man I really wish we would see some action on this front...a year ago its all anybody in town was talking about, but it has fallen to the back burner and we are seeing the consequences now...stores moving out, lack of faith in our downtown etc...this is unacceptable. :hell:

drewber

Feb 17, 2010, 3:55 AM

Would slicing a 8 inch gash through the membrane and sticking your head inside and saying, "Here's Johnny!", be inappropriate?
:leek:

Not sure if this is up to date or not but got the info from avondale's website:
Zellers Inc., New Construction (100,000 sq. ft.), NorthWest Centre - Moncton, NB

Not sure if that was the original placement of Zellers there...but its been there for years so I doubt it...

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 17, 2010, 4:19 AM

Here is an Idea. Don't elect George LeBlanc next time. The Moncton city counsel appears to be horrid.

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 17, 2010, 4:28 AM

Not sure if this is up to date or not but got the info from avondale's website:
Zellers Inc., New Construction (100,000 sq. ft.), NorthWest Centre - Moncton, NB

Not sure if that was the original placement of Zellers there...but its been there for years so I doubt it...

Perhaps they are expanding to compensate for the loss of the one at the Superstore near Champlain Place.

MonctonRad

Feb 17, 2010, 4:39 AM

Hello everyone,
I have been reading this forum for quite a while now and I find it really interesting.
Anyway, I totally agree that Moncton should have an event center/arena in the downtown area.:)

Welcome to the forums Phil_5, looking forward to your input.

Here is an Idea. Don't elect George LeBlanc next time. The Moncton city counsel appears to be horrid.

I don't think George LeBlanc is the problem, he seems reasonably proactive to me. It may be the city bureaucracy that is the problem. I'm just frustrated by the delays on this project.........especially now that virtually all the federal stimulus money has been dispersed. We missed a golden opportunity on that one!!

Perhaps they are expanding to compensate for the loss of the one at the Superstore near Champlain Place.

I really don't think that this is an expansion to the existing Zellers, I think they are renovating for a new tenant. The info from the Avondale website that Drewber found may be old........they did expand the Zellers several years ago when they did the wholesale renovation to the Northwest Centre.

Out of curiousity does anyone know how many people are contributing to this thread? Everytime I come on theres new faces ...

Lots of new faces, but most are only occasional posters. That's OK though, the more the merrier!!

love*moncton

Feb 17, 2010, 11:04 AM

I'm doubtful that it is Zellers expanding. That store is really not very busy now.

Downtown arena- the City wants it, problem is money. Do we go further in debt? I think yes. Gotta spend it to make it sometimes!

benvui

Feb 17, 2010, 1:11 PM

MonctonRad

Feb 17, 2010, 1:23 PM

:previous:

The sudden T&T interest in this issue may not be coincidental. We know for a fact that the T&T monitors this forum.

MonctonRad

Feb 18, 2010, 1:00 AM

Moncton council approves trail for Millennium Boulevard
Published Wednesday February 17th, 2010

Construction is expected to be completed on $2.6-million reconstruction project by October
By Cole Hobson
Times & Transcript Staff

Moncton City Council has unanimously approved the construction of a multi-use trail on the north side of Millennium Boulevard, as part of a $2.6-million reconstruction project.

The project, which was originally in the 2009 capital works budget, will see Millennium Boulevard widened to three lanes, the road's ditches filled in and curbs and gutters added, as well as the addition of the trail.

The multi-use trail will run from Killam Drive to Russ Howard Drive and was recommended by the Sustainable Transportation Planning Committee at Monday night's council meeting. The committee presented two options for consideration, the one which was adopted and will see the trail built outside of the roadway and a second option which would have seen a bike lane constructed on each side of Millennium Boulevard, incorporated within the roadway.

"Safety has come up and we talk about who are out on the streets biking, a lot of the people out biking or that want to be out are the young families, we keep talking about those people," said Councillor Brian Hicks, who is the chair of the committee. "It makes common sense to me that if you have a six-year-old or a nine-year-old you'll feel much more comfortable being on a trail like this than on any other type of street."

Hicks added that the next step will be to have the trail system completed along Millennium, so that it extends all the way through to Vaughan Harvey Boulevard, although he noted that process could be a little more difficult as the City of Moncton doesn't own that stretch of land.

Alcide Richard, the City of Moncton's director of design and construction, said construction on the project is expected to begin in June, with the goal of being completed by about October.

Along with providing an increased level of safety for bicyclists and others who may use the trail, Richard said designing a trail that isn't a part of the roadway will be approximately $300,000 cheaper.

"For more of the novice bicycle driver there is more of a comfort level (with a trail located outside the roadway), so that's why we recommended it. The bonus of that is that it was cheaper," he said, noting the city owns the park land along the edge of the road. "We don't actually have to buy any land. So we're able to build on our own land and that's a big bonus in these kinds of situations."

Richard said that the remainder of the reconstruction of Millennium Boulevard -- from Russ Howard Drive through to near Vaughan Harvey Boulevard, is slated for the 2011 capital works budget.

Mayor George LeBlanc is in favour of developing more sustainable transportation options in the city and said he uses the city of Ottawa as a good basis for what he would like to see in Moncton.

"(Ottawa) does a tremendous job of interconnecting trails through the whole city and into the province of Quebec and the Laurentain Mountains ... It works very, very well," he said. "I think that it adds an element of safety, I think it's more flexibility and more user friendly and it's cheaper, it's less expensive. In my mind it's definitely the way to go."

This is excellent news. The new Northwest Moncton Trail that runs in the power right of way will eventually get extended down to Berry Mills Road in the Westbrook Circle area. From there, it is just a short hike over the Berry Mills/Killam overpass at Wheeler to the Coliseum and the new trail at Millenium Boulevard. The new trail will allow people from the northwest of the city to get within spitting distance of downtown or Centennial Park without worrying about traffic.

The city is doing a bang-up job on the trail system! :tup:

StormShadow

Feb 18, 2010, 1:35 AM

Its funny how the talk seemed to start up here for no particular reason then we get the first bit of news on the downtown "events" center in months. T&T reported today that the report will be released on March 15th and that the report is complete that they are just doing some editing and translation.
Sounds like they put a lot of effort into doing the report, which also includes the operating cost of both the new venue and the coliseum. It'll be interesting to see how this proceeds, but I agree, sometimes you need to spend a little money to make money and this is a as good an investment the city can make to try and save downtown.

Benvui, you did create this post today, right? I'm confused because, I could have sworn these exact words were being spoken about the report a year ago?

Do you know what is really surprising, in addition to what you have already said? That the report is magically going to be ready in just a month as soon as the T&T starts to publicly hold City Council accountable.

"It was originally expected to be completed by last Oct. 15" translates into someone at City Hall sitting on their ass for months. Why didn't ANYONE come forward in the fall to say that the evaluation of the report would be delayed? That doesn't pass the smell test.

I just want to point out too, because the T&T article doesn't really make it clear- that there ALREADY has been a report. This was supposed to be an evaluation of said report. Leave it to Moncton to come up with 3 different sub-committees to analyze the same report. What a F@#! bureaucracy! From the article: "Of course, part of that will take into account a new downtown centre would mean either no ice-making or vastly diminished ice making at the Moncton Coliseum" Oh, what IF? What IF? You got to be kidding me!

Give the report to AEG (the Magnetic Hill promoters). "What can you do for us?" Answer- "Moncton, we can build you an arena and manage it like we do with the dozens of other ones we own across North America." When places like Kitchener and Truro can get medium sized projects like this done, I have to ask why Moncton can't? It's not like we're trying to build an Olympic venue.

Indecisive. No one has the balls to make a decision. And so much for federal funding, because the spending is over and now it's time to tighten the belts.

mylesmalley

Feb 18, 2010, 5:47 AM

Benvui, you did create this post today, right? I'm confused because, I could have sworn these exact words were being spoken about the report a year ago?

Do you know what is really surprising, in addition to what you have already said? That the report is magically going to be ready in just a month as soon as the T&T starts to publicly hold City Council accountable.

"It was originally expected to be completed by last Oct. 15" translates into someone at City Hall sitting on their ass for months. Why didn't ANYONE come forward in the fall to say that the evaluation of the report would be delayed? That doesn't pass the smell test.

I just want to point out too, because the T&T article doesn't really make it clear- that there ALREADY has been a report. This was supposed to be an evaluation of said report. Leave it to Moncton to come up with 3 different sub-committees to analyze the same report. What a F@#! bureaucracy! From the article: "Of course, part of that will take into account a new downtown centre would mean either no ice-making or vastly diminished ice making at the Moncton Coliseum" Oh, what IF? What IF? You got to be kidding me!

Give the report to AEG (the Magnetic Hill promoters). "What can you do for us?" Answer- "Moncton, we can build you an arena and manage it like we do with the dozens of other ones we own across North America." When places like Kitchener and Truro can get medium sized projects like this done, I have to ask why Moncton can't? It's not like we're trying to build an Olympic venue.

Indecisive. No one has the balls to make a decision. And so much for federal funding, because the spending is over and now it's time to tighten the belts.

+1

drewber

Feb 18, 2010, 5:59 PM

MonctonRad

Feb 19, 2010, 1:40 AM

New clinics now open at Moncton Hospital
Published Thursday February 18th, 2010

New facilities now in one place in new Ambulatory Care Centre
By Aloma Jardine
Times & Transcript Staff

The last piece of the puzzle is finally in place at The Moncton Hospital's Ambulatory Care Centre.

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=452597&size=800x0
GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
The main entrance to the new Ambulatory Care Centre at The Moncton Hospital.

All of the hospital's outpatient clinics are now open and operating in the new facility.

"It is very exciting. We've been waiting for this for a long time now," says Ruth Dunnett, director of ambulatory care at the hospital. "This is very good for our community."

Ambulatory care refers to tests and procedures that don't involve the patient being admitted to the hospital. They come in for their appointment and leave the same day.

The new setup offers a sort of one-stop shopping for everything from blood tests to the diabetes clinic to minor surgery. All together, about 18 clinics are now grouped together in one place.

"The clinics were spread all over this entire building and over in the Professional Arts building and we even had the diabetes clinic down on Main Street. All of these have now been brought into one visible area," Dunnett says. "It will be easier for our public when they come here."

Proximity also means it is easier for the health professionals in the different clinics to work together.

"By centralizing all the clinics together, it will improve efficiencies with regard to the services we provide," Dunnett says.

"By improving our efficiencies it provides a better patient care overall for patients, staff and everyone."

Many patients need to get blood tests before they go to other appointments, for instance. Sometimes they need to go to more than one clinic to treat a problem. Now there is no following dots or arrows trying to navigate your way around the hospital from place to place.

"They can have their blood work done and then go to their clinic and it's all in the same area, so it's much improved for patients," Dunnett says.

Dunnett says all of the clinics have moved over to their new homes over the last three weeks.

The clinics are also housed in the same space as the hospital's major trauma and emergency room as well as its laboratory, which also makes for better patient care.

"Because of the close proximity we can deliver specimens more quickly because we are closer together. The emergency department, all those patients that require blood testing and so forth, they don't need to transport the specimens in order to get the testing done. It's the same in the clinics as well," Dunnet says.

Plus patients coming in with cardiac symptoms have quick access to the ECG and stress testing.

"It is much easier and a much improved service," she says.

Staff are excited about their new home as well.

"Some of the clinics have been working in areas for over 30 years in the older part of the building. This is a welcome pleasure for them to go there in a bright spacious area," Dunnett says. "Some of the areas have new equipment and more up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment, so they're very, very pleased."

Dunnett says it has been a nice change for hospital volunteers as well.

"People want to come and work there," she says.

The easiest access to the centre is through the new 175-space underground parking lot accessed off Walsh Street, just past the main entrance to the centre. Park in the heated lot, leave your coat in the car and head up the stairs or the elevator in the middle of the lot for direct access to the clinics.

"It's wonderful. They can park there, come up the elevator and they're right there," Dunnett says. "It's really good for the elderly and people with disabilities."

The parking lot entrance opens into the main lobby of the centre, with a large map showing where each of the clinics are and a reception desk to help you if you can't seem to find your way. And the old days of tramping through the hospital trying to conceal any embarrasing samples while you searched for their ultimate destination are gone. The sample drop-off desk is mercifully few steps away from the entrance.

The whole clinic area has been designed with light in mind. Large windows and glass ceilings let in loads of natural sunlight, brightening up what is already a sparkling facility.

Each clinic has its own reception desk and waiting area, complete with large screen television to give patients something to do while they're waiting. On Tuesday most every set was tuned in to Olympic coverage, so patients could make their appointments without even missing any gold medal moments.

The main hospital is easily accessible from the centre by crossing through a beautiful atrium complete with park benches where those visiting the hospital can pause for a moment of rest.

Dunnett expects about 185,000 people will pass through the clinic's doors in the next year.

While the clinics are now operational, she says there is still a little bit of work to be done in some of them to get everything in place, but all should be completed soon.

"The bottom line is it is a wonderful building, a wonderful space where you have centralization of many clinics in one area. It is a wonderful service that we are able to provide to our community," she says.

The atrium connecting the ACC to the older part of the hospital is quite nice - three stories tall with lots of natural lighting. It is a little sterile however and needs something to make it more interesting.

I would suggest a coffee shop (Starbuck's perhaps) or a place to buy newspapers or magazines. Patient's (or their companions) waiting to be seen in the clinics might appreciate this. The existing retail services by the hospitals main entrance (nurses alumni coffee shop, Tim Horton's, gift shop and flower shop) are already quite busy. The hospital has 2,500 employees and there are thousands of visitors each day - I think there is room for some competition.

mmmatt

Feb 19, 2010, 4:07 AM

Just found this great video on the net made by EGM in 2008. Has lots of cool info about the city and how it is developing as of late.

4WTeDGegF3c

Other than the woman on the phone cutaways (lame) I think it was very well done.

MonctonRad: kinda seems like they were doing some research on "our page" eh? haha

MonctonRad

Feb 19, 2010, 4:38 AM

MonctonRad: kinda seems like they were doing some research on "our page" eh? haha

Yep, it's not the first time that I have seen items on Greater Moncton that have heavily plagiarized the Wikipedia article. :haha:

You and I should be getting royalties on this!! :tup:

mmmatt

Feb 19, 2010, 4:56 AM

Yep, it's not the first time that I have seen items on Greater Moncton that have heavily plagiarized the Wikipedia article. :haha:

You and I should be getting royalties on this!! :tup:

I'd say so :)

Lrdevlop

Feb 20, 2010, 1:51 PM

Is there anyone who know what they are going to be building on the proprety in front of the Rodd Parkhouse? I heard they are going to build an hotel... is it true?

mylesmalley

Feb 20, 2010, 5:49 PM

Is there anyone who know what they are going to be building on the proprety in front of the Rodd Parkhouse? I heard they are going to build an hotel... is it true?

Welcome to the boards, Lrdevlop!

Are you referring to the project on Harper Street, just down the road from the Park House? If so, that's an 8 story, 8 floor apartment building that's been proposed by a local developer. There hasn't been any visible movement on it in quite some time though (unless something recent has changed. I haven't been in Moncton all that much in the past six months).

MonctonRad

Feb 20, 2010, 5:54 PM

Is there anyone who know what they are going to be building on the proprety in front of the Rodd Parkhouse? I heard they are going to build an hotel... is it true?

Greetings Lrdevlop, welcome to the forums!

I have heard no rumours for that site, although a hotel would be an excellent addition to that part of town. Where did you hear this?

A bit further down the road, next to the Staples, Valmond Robichaud is planning a large condo development. Do you think this could be it?

MonctonRad

Feb 20, 2010, 6:08 PM

Abridged from the Moncton T&T

Historic buildings get $6M for renos
Published Saturday February 20th, 2010

Central United Church to become Moncton Peace Centre; Aberdeen Cultural Centre gets good start on much-needed upgrades
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Revenue Minister Keith Ashfield called it a "two for one deal" and Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc called it a "double-double," but it all adds up to funding of more than $6 million in taxpayer dollars to bring new purpose to a couple of historic downtown buildings.

Hundreds of politicians, artists and community activists crowded into the Aberdeen Cultural Centre yesterday for the announcement that the Moncton Peace Centre Project would go ahead with combined funding of more than $4.4 million from three levels of government. The second part of the announcement is that the Aberdeen Cultural Centre would will receive about $2.3 million for much-needed renovations.

The Peace Centre project has been in the works for seven years. It will bring six non-profit organizations -- Family Service Moncton, Early Childhood Stimulation, the Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA), the United Way and the Volunteer Centre and Central United Church -- together under one roof. The church is already undergoing renovations but the funding of $4.4 million will allow construction of a large addition onto the historic church to create office space. The church itself will be converted into a multi-use theatre with space for 750 people.

The federal and provincial governments are each contributing $2.2 million to the project while the city is giving up land next to the church to allow construction, and LeBlanc said more funding from the city will be coming later.

Peace Centre spokesman Maurice LeBlanc said the funding will allow the project to move ahead quickly with an eye on completion about a year from now. The building is being designed as a model of energy efficiency.

The idea of the Peace Centre is to bring agencies that help people together in one central location so they can share resources and ideas while becoming a beacon for wellness in the community.

The Peace Centre will have approximately 150 people working inside of it and plans include walkways to link it with Main Street as part of downtown revitalization.

The Aberdeen Cultural Centre, located on Botsford Street between St. George and Mountain Road, was first built in 1897 and was a high school before the nearby Moncton High School was opened in the 1930s. Today, the Aberdeen Cultural Centre is home to several businesses in the film industry, working artists, a day care, cultural associations, three art galleries, a cafe and a theatre.

It was announced yesterday that the Aberdeen Centre will get $500,000 from the Community Adjustment Fund, another $500,000 from the Canadian Heritage Canada Cultural Spaces Program, $750,000 from the provincial government and $170,000 from the City of Moncton. The centre will come up with $375,000 on its own for a total of $2.3 million. That money will be used for a new furnace, electrical system, sprinklers, security systems, an elevator and other improvements. Centre director René Légerè said the renovations will help make the centre safer and allow more activities, but it will still need another $500,000 for exterior work as soon as possible.

Collins said the Peace Centre will provide ease of access to the services provided by the member agencies, and also create a campus environment where they can work together on delivering services and coming up with better opportunities for the clients they serve.

"Both important projects located in the downtown area," LeBlanc said. "The Aberdeen Cultural Centre is a cultural and artistic icon for the city, while the Peace Centre will bring six of the leading volunteer organizations together in one place."

Lrdevlop

Feb 20, 2010, 7:37 PM

MonctonRad:

I don't remember where I heard that but I also heard that it could be a Fourpoints by Sheraton... But I don't know if it's true so maybe you are right, it could be condos.

mylesmalley:

Sorry, I just saw your post... Thanks for the answer! ;)

Snowman

Feb 21, 2010, 4:44 AM

mylesmalley

Feb 21, 2010, 6:13 AM

Welcome, Snowman!
I've got a fairly decent map of the projects going on throughout moncton (though I haven't updated it in six months or so), but it only lists projects and where they are. I don't know if anyone has maps of proposed subdivisions.

You might try looking at the city zoning maps. They're generally the most up to date of anything you'll find of the city. Taht said, I don't know if they include projects that are still under development or in the planning stages, or how frequently those city maps are updated.

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 21, 2010, 6:38 AM

Hey

I was recently looking for some information on future development in the North West end of Moncton. The area between Evergreen and Ryan road as well as on the other side of Ryan road. Does anyone know if this information is available? Like map with the roads and a time frame of when they will be built?

Good timing. I was just up there today as I had been over to Moncton this weekend. I had looked up some stuff.

Here is a few PDF's I found. The biggest one is the bottom one. Mountain Way Estates.
http://www.hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/173215_stonehavenestates_siteplan.pdf
http://www.hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/173219_tanyagaleestates_siteplan.pdf
http://www.hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/173208_rosemontpark_siteplan.pdf
http://hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/227246_arbor_park_3_sites.pdf
http://www.mountainwayestates.com/Attachments%5Cpromotions.pdf

If you don't know where any of these are located, 1st consult a map, and if you still can't find it, I have more info on where they are.

ErickMontreal

Feb 21, 2010, 7:44 AM

Abridged from the Moncton T&T

Historic buildings get $6M for renos

Here's sort of a rendering of it :

http://an.capacadie.com/system/files/articles/5/Keith_Ashfield_moncton_19fevrier.jpg

Courtesy of Acadie-Nouvelle

Lrdevlop

Feb 21, 2010, 12:03 PM

Here's sort of a rendering of it :

http://an.capacadie.com/system/files/articles/5/Keith_Ashfield_moncton_19fevrier.jpg

Courtesy of Acadie-Nouvelle

Wow! I think this will be great!
_______________________________________

Now out of subject-lol

Just for Fun there is some questions I sometime ask myself I will ask them to you, just to see what kind of answer we get... lol

Ok, so if you where going to build an Hotel in Moncton, where would you build it? And how many storey? And do you think Moncton could support a 5 star Hotel?

MonctonRad

Feb 21, 2010, 3:14 PM

Ok, so if you where going to build an Hotel in Moncton, where would you build it? And how many storey? And do you think Moncton could support a 5 star Hotel?

I think Moncton already has a small stable of good quality hotels..........
- Delta Beausejour
- Crowne Plaza
- Marriott Residence Inn

These will soon to be joined by the yet-to-be-branded Casino NB Hotel

Add in a couple of good quality suburban properties like the Future Inns and Hampton Inn and the city is doing pretty well.

In addition, the inventory of rooms in the city has increased by hundreds in just a few short years. In short, I'm concerned that the market might get saturated with too much new construction.

Do I think we could have a real five star property in the city.........probably not.

There might be room for one more higher quality four star facility but I think it would have to be packaged appropriately to work. You had mentioned in one of your earlier posts about a Four-Points by Sheraton. Something like that would certainly be feasible.

Ideally, It should go downtown and, I think it should be part of a package including an arena/events/convention centre. As part of a large integrated development such as that, it would work quite nicely.

Snowman

Feb 21, 2010, 3:33 PM

Good timing. I was just up there today as I had been over to Moncton this weekend. I had looked up some stuff.

Here is a few PDF's I found. The biggest one is the bottom one. Mountain Way Estates.
http://www.hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/173215_stonehavenestates_siteplan.pdf
http://www.hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/173219_tanyagaleestates_siteplan.pdf
http://www.hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/173208_rosemontpark_siteplan.pdf
http://hartrealty.ca/webcura/files/227246_arbor_park_3_sites.pdf
http://www.mountainwayestates.com/Attachments%5Cpromotions.pdf

If you don't know where any of these are located, 1st consult a map, and if you still can't find it, I have more info on where they are.

Thanks for the maps. The first link you posted is part of the area I was looking for. The map shows 'future' development any idea what the time frame is? Also where did you find all this information? I looked for quite some time and came up with nothing. Any chance there is more info along hunterwood street?

Thanks a lot.

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 21, 2010, 4:17 PM

Thanks for the maps. The first link you posted is part of the area I was looking for. The map shows 'future' development any idea what the time frame is? Also where did you find all this information? I looked for quite some time and came up with nothing. Any chance there is more info along hunterwood street?

Thanks a lot.

http://www.mountainwayestates.com
http://www.hartrealty.ca/greater_moncton_developments.php
Thats all that I found. No saying that it is going to end up looking like this either but thats what their plans are. Also, developers don't usually give time frames. If the "1st phase" fills up quickly then they may build another phase and if that doesn't fill up as fast they may opt to wait another year before building another phase. That is why things are built in phases, to control costs.

I will do my best to find out information on the rest of the areas though.

Also, As far as I know, the Casino NB hotel is the "Amsterdam Inn" is it not, with the Super 8 or Motel 6 or whatever it is being built down the road

http://www.mountainwoods.ca/images/siteplan.jpg

MonctonRad

Feb 21, 2010, 5:32 PM

As far as I know, the Casino NB hotel is the "Amsterdam Inn" is it not, with the Super 8 or Motel 6 or whatever it is being built down the road

No, the Casino NB Hotel is most definitely not the Amsterdam Inn!!

http://www.marcogroup.ca/media/1948/casino-1_1.jpg

This is the Casino NB Hotel, which is connected directly to both the Casino and the Palladium. It will be a 128 room full service four star resort hotel and spa

The Amsterdam Inn (and the Super 8) are immediately behind this.

MonctonRad

Feb 21, 2010, 6:00 PM

@ Snowman:

Welcome to the forums!

The precise information that you are looking for may be difficult to come by, and as Josh says, plans can change with time.

Below is a link to a .pdf file displaying the zoning map for the entire city of Moncton.........enjoy!

http://www.gmpdc.ca/webcura/files/619.pdf

Lrdevlop

Feb 21, 2010, 7:25 PM

Anyone knows whats happening for the Moncton Metro center?

mylesmalley

Feb 21, 2010, 8:12 PM

:previous:

Nothing concrete yet. We were supposed to hear back in October about recommendations, but that has apparently been pushed ahead to March sometime.

mylesmalley

Feb 21, 2010, 8:24 PM

Wow! I think this will be great!
_______________________________________

Now out of subject-lol

Just for Fun there is some questions I sometime ask myself I will ask them to you, just to see what kind of answer we get... lol

Ok, so if you where going to build an Hotel in Moncton, where would you build it? And how many storey? And do you think Moncton could support a 5 star Hotel?

As MonctonRad pointed out, we already have a good stock of decent hotels. I don't know a lot about the industry, but I wonder if we have the corporate base to justify anything much more high-class at the moment. My understanding is that the Marriott is a very nice establishment.

Also as MonctonRad said, I think the city is probably due for some slowdown in the hotel sector. In the past three/five years:

Super 8 dieppe
Holiday Inn express Dieppe
Marriott Residence Inn
Casino
The two hotels behind the Casino
Future Inns
...and I'm sure there's probably one or two I've forgotten.

Here's a (not terribly up to date) list from the city

http://tourism.moncton.ca/Visitor_Info/Where_to_stay_/Hotels.htm

Unless you were planning on a 5 star resort hotel, I think it would have to be downtown. As for height. That's a function of the number of rooms, the price of land, location, and whether or not council scares them away because of 'parking issues'. The tallest proposal with a chance of actually happening that I'm familiar with is the 8 story apartment building on Main. With the city the way it is today, I doubt we'll see anything much taller than that in the next decade.

EDIT:

Then again, if my population projections from a few pages back are correct, we may well have 150,000 people by 2020. Coupled with an ageing population that often prefers to live closer to the amenities of the city centre, there's always the possibility that higher density developments might come sooner rather than later.

EDIT 2:

There's no such thing as off topic on here!

Lrdevlop

Feb 21, 2010, 10:57 PM

Hey is there anyone here who thinks we will have some buildings with 10+ floors built in the next few years? Well, maybe 10 years or more... lol It would be pretty interesting for Moncton, as well for the skyline.

MonctonRad

Feb 21, 2010, 11:06 PM

Lrdevlop

Feb 21, 2010, 11:09 PM

Oh well... let's keep dreaming... maybe there will be one in the next couple of years... well, let's hope!

mylesmalley

Feb 22, 2010, 12:32 AM

I'm pretty confident we'll see one or two ~8 floor buildings in the next five.

There's Main by the Parkhouse, some mysterious talk around Dominion at Gordon, and even along Mapleton of some pretty big residential developments. There was even talk many moons ago of putting one or two 11 story towers across from the Moncton Commons.

Anything taller though? No. Doubt it.

When you get down to it, there's no reason to build up when you can build out. for the time being, it's still a lot cheaper to build three four-story buildings than one twelve'r

mmmatt

Feb 22, 2010, 4:59 AM

Here's sort of a rendering of it :

http://an.capacadie.com/system/files/articles/5/Keith_Ashfield_moncton_19fevrier.jpg

Courtesy of Acadie-Nouvelle

Awesome! This building will fill in that lot very nicely, and add a nice touch of modernism to the area. Also of note it looks like they decided to put those neat tower style wind turbines on top, similar to the Dumont expansion, which will most likely be U/C at the same time:

http://monctonguide.com/architects4.jpg

Both of these are excellent additions to the city :)

MonctonRad

Feb 22, 2010, 1:28 PM

It's in the paper today that Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is planning a franchise store in Champlain Place.

When you throw in the existing Laura Secord store at Champlain, the soon to be opened Ganong's Chocolate Store in Riverview, as well as Staple's Pharmacy on St. George (renowned for it's selection of specialty chocolates), it gives new meaning to the fact that Moncton is located on the Chocolate River. :haha:

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 22, 2010, 4:26 PM

:previous:

Only if it is a hotel or a residential tower. Moncton may be growing and closing in on a population of 150,000 but land is cheap and Moncton is not a capital city festooned with civil servants, nor is it blessed with a panoply of corporate head offices so no, I don't think we are going to see too many tall office towers built in the next 10(20) years.

BUT, many companies are streamlining, and Moncton is a good location. I think that in ten years there will be at least one new building in moncton around 10 stories, and within twenty years, there will be more. Moncton can only sprawl so much before people start to prefer to build up rather than out. Also, most office buildings nowadays are not occupied by one tenant. So if I was going to build 2-3 five story buildings or one 10-15 story building, the one 15 would probably be more expensive, BUT, I'd be getting the same amount of tenants and I would own less land. I think once you start to see the downtown fill in, any remaining land will become expensive.

mylesmalley

Feb 22, 2010, 6:54 PM

BUT, many companies are streamlining, and Moncton is a good location. I think that in ten years there will be at least one new building in moncton around 10 stories, and within twenty years, there will be more. Moncton can only sprawl so much before people start to prefer to build up rather than out. Also, most office buildings nowadays are not occupied by one tenant. So if I was going to build 2-3 five story buildings or one 10-15 story building, the one 15 would probably be more expensive, BUT, I'd be getting the same amount of tenants and I would own less land. I think once you start to see the downtown fill in, any remaining land will become expensive.

I've come to one profoundly depressing realization about Moncton (and North America in general). Our willingness to expand geographically is only limited by the amount of land we can expand in to. Logic, economics, social costs, and feasibility do not apply.

BlackYear

Feb 22, 2010, 9:50 PM

The Google car was in Moncton during the month of September 2009 to upload our city streets to Google's Street View.

Here are a few pics from Google Street View in Moncton. All credits to Google. Hope you enjoy my view of GSV.

And in no particular order...

Heritage Court
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/HeritageCourt.jpg
Jones Lake
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/JonesLake.jpg
Main & Weldon
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/MainWeldon.jpg
Marriot
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/Marriot.jpg
Moncton High School
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/MonctonHighSchool.jpg
Moncton Museum
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/Museum.jpg
CN Plaza
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/OldCNPlaza.jpg
Skateboard Park
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/SkateboardPark.jpg
Inside Main Street Subway
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/Subway.jpg
Vaughan Harvey blvd.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/VaughanHarveyblvd.jpg
Victoria Park
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/VictoriaPark.jpg
YMCA
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/YMCA.jpg
Crown Plaza
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/CrownPlaza.jpg
Assumption & Delta Hotel
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/DeltaHotelandAssumption.jpg
Dominion Public Building
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/DominionPublicBuilding.jpg
Edith Cavelle School
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/EdithCavelle.jpg
Fisheries & Oceans
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/FicheriesOceans.jpg
Gunningsville Bridge
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/Gunningsvillebridge.jpg
Hampton Inns
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/HamptonInns.jpg
Moncton City Hall
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/cityhall.jpg
Atlantic Lottery Offices
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/ALC.jpg
Aberdeen
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/Aberdeen.jpg
Assumption blvd.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/Assumptionblvd.jpg
Blue Cross
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/BlueCross.jpg
Bostford Fire Station
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/BostfordFireStation.jpg
Casino NB
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/CasinoSept2009.jpg
Cathedrale Assumption
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/Cathedrale.jpg
Centennial Park
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j303/blacquiere/Moncton/Moncton%20Google%20Street%20View/CentenialPark.jpg

MonctonRad

Feb 22, 2010, 10:12 PM

:previous:

Nice selection of image captures Budyser, I think it's really neat that the Google car happened to be passing under the CN overpass on Vaughn Harvey as a VIA train was going by!

:banana: :banana: :banana:

David_99

Feb 22, 2010, 11:16 PM

Anyone else notice the disappearing Courthouse!?

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1269/justice1f.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/6302/justice2.jpg

MonctonRad

Feb 23, 2010, 1:38 AM

:previous:

Yikes, the only explanation is that the Google car made a second pass through the city several months later.

C_Boy

Feb 23, 2010, 3:03 AM

:previous:

Yikes, the only explanation is that the Google car made a second pass through the city several months later.

:haha: Haha ! Oh I'm sure there are many things like that around the city because there are many wierd and funny things around the world like that. That does explain why Halifax and many other Canadian cities were online before Moncton, they have obviously gone more than once.

mylesmalley

Feb 23, 2010, 3:30 AM

There are quite a few sections where you're driving along and suddenly you're surrounded by roadwork, and just as suddenly surrounded by fresh asphalt. Botsford at Wheeler, and Main/Champlain at Chateau Moncton are two examples that jump to mind.

mylesmalley

Feb 23, 2010, 3:33 AM

I haven't got the heart to post it, but there's an actual, honest to god article in the Transcript today that suggests we could host the Olympics.

If there was a Nobel Prize for wishful thinking, and a Pulitzer for ridiculous hyperbolizing, I'd say the T&T is a shoe-in.

MonctonRad

Feb 23, 2010, 4:03 AM

:previous:

Talk about over reaching, that's frightening.......

I think we're doing amazingly well at hosting the World Men's Curling Championships, the IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships and a CFL Regular Season Game during an 18 month time frame.

Let's not get carried away here...........

edit - I just read the aforementioned opinion piece and I would say that the authors tongue was at least partially placed within his cheek!

mylesmalley

Feb 23, 2010, 6:34 AM

Oh, no question. But you know as well as I do how they like to get the ball rolling...

MonctonRad

Feb 23, 2010, 2:42 PM

Moncton residential construction strong in January
Published Tuesday February 23rd, 2010
By Yvon Gauvin
Times & Transcript staff

Total value of building construction permits for Moncton issued last month was down slightly from January 2009. The good news is that residential construction was strong for the month.

Figures released by the city showed 29 construction permits issued totalling $2,476,000 for January 2010, compared to 52 permits worth $2,619,000 in 2009.

Ten of the permits were for residential construction worth half the total at $1,268,000. By comparison, residential construction permits issued in January 2009 were worth $417,000.

"It was encouraging to see some strong residential building permits posted for this January. This is positive and tells us that consumer confidence has carried over to 2010," said Mayor George LeBlanc. "January has the potential to be a soft month relative to the busier construction peaks but we're off to a good start and we look forward to an exciting building season."

Four permits were for institutional and government construction valued at $613,000 and another 12 permits for commercial and industrial projects worth $568,000.

The city's Building Inspection department plans to have a new building permit system in effect beginning Mar. 1. Any inquiries can be directed to the City of Moncton Building Inspection department at 856-4364.

Highlights of the January report include a permit for a new 12-unit apartment building at 54 Connolly St. valued at $725,000; a $320,000 permit on behalf of the Government of Canada for renovations at 1045 Main St.; a permit for a new Vogue Optical Clinic at 1634 Mountain Rd. valued at $144,610; a permit to renovate the Pavillon Rémi Rossignol at the Université de Moncton valued at $140,000, and a permit valued at $105,000 to renovate offices of the Fortis Properties Corporation at 644 Main St.

I'm afraid that the upcoming construction season will not be nearly as successful as last years.

There will be some ongoing (and new) work on major projects:
- Dr. Georges-L. Dumont Hospital expansion
- Crandall University expansion
- NBCC Moncton expansion
- Moncton North School
- Gunningsville School
- French school for Moncton north
- Moncton Peace Centre
- finishing off the courthouse
- finishing off Casino NB
- finishing off the track facility/stadium at U de M

Missing from the list is the "next big thing".
- what is going to happen to Valmond Robichaud's condo/apt. projects?
- will the Mapleton Power Centre restart?
- whither the downtown Moncton arena/events centre?

Nothing of any major significance has been announced recently. To continue the city's momentum, a decision on the downtown arena is needed very soon...........

Sony500

Feb 23, 2010, 3:54 PM

Updated pic from the renovations next to Zellers...the black pillars out front make me think it will be a retail store of some sort..electronics or clothing perhaps.
http://i723.photobucket.com/albums/ww234/drewber26/zlelers2.jpg

Sony Style is moving out of Champlain Place and moving into the location beside Zellers. So now the mystery is solved.

JasonL-Moncton

Feb 23, 2010, 6:32 PM

Sony Style is moving out of Champlain Place and moving into the location beside Zellers. So now the mystery is solved.

REALLY? Wow...now there is 'nothing' in the the way of electronics in the mall (sorry, Sears/Wal-Mart don't count).

Amazing...so sooner rather than later there will be absolutely no reason for a guy to go to the mall at all.

JL

MonctonRad

Feb 23, 2010, 6:34 PM

:previous:

This is bad news for the Mapleton Power Centre as several of the anticipated tenants of that development (including Sony Store) have now found locations elsewhere.........

I fear that Mapleton may become a white elephant.

David_99

Feb 23, 2010, 7:03 PM

Amazing...so sooner rather than later there will be absolutely no reason for a guy to go to the mall at all.

Someone has to hold the purse outside the women's change room. If not the men, who? WHO!?

JHikka

Feb 23, 2010, 8:26 PM

Amazing...so sooner rather than later there will be absolutely no reason for a guy to go to the mall at all.

That was my biggest problem with Champlain. There were no stores for me to buy anything at. I think it's relatively clear who the target audience is in this case.

MonctonRad

Feb 23, 2010, 9:16 PM

Abridged from the CBC website:

Wal-Mart to expand Canadian supercentres
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | 3:21 PM ET

Wal-Mart Canada plans to open 35 to 40 supercentres across Canada in 2010.

Through a combination of new openings, relocations and renovations of existing stores, the company will spend $500 million and create more than 6,500 jobs, it said Tuesday.

The company said specific store locations will be announced over the coming weeks and months.

In a related move, the company said it will spend $115 million to build a refrigeration facility in Balzac, Alta., in the fall. The facility will create 1,400 jobs, the company said, and open in the fall of 2010.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2010/02/23/walmart-canada-supercentres.html#ixzz0gObA3U2e

Comment: If Wal-Mart plans 35-40 new supercentres in Canada, it would not be unreasonable to suspect that one of them will be in the greater Moncton area - perhaps the rumoured new location in Riverview?

Also, if the new refrigeration facility in Balzac AB is going to cost $115M and employ 1,400 then maybe the rumoured new Wal-Mart refrigerated warehouse in the Scoudouc Industrial Park really will be huge!!

BlackYear

Feb 23, 2010, 9:24 PM

I think this is a great move on Sony's part. I assume the rent will be a lot cheaper, better exposure, extremely high traffic area, Futureshop near by, Sportsbar right in front, lots of free parking.

Good for them.

josh_cat_eyes

Feb 23, 2010, 9:36 PM

MonctonRad

Feb 23, 2010, 11:19 PM

if the new refrigeration facility in Balzac AB is going to cost $115M and employ 1,400 then maybe the rumoured new Wal-Mart refrigerated warehouse in the Scoudouc Industrial Park really will be huge!!

Interesting..........I just looked up Balzac AB and it is located just north of Calgary city limits. Scoudouc meanwhile is located just outside Moncton city limits.

Coincidence?!?!..........I think not. Methinks Wal-Mart is allergic to municipal taxes.

MonctonRad

Feb 24, 2010, 1:43 PM

Downtown Moncton poised for change
Published Wednesday February 24th, 2010

Housing projects expected to generate more business, atmosphere
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

The way Ben Champoux sees it, Downtown Moncton is like a big puzzle with many challenges and headaches.

But the pieces are coming together and within a couple of years, he says it could look dramatically different with the new courthouse, more retailers and a new multi-use arena and entertainment complex.

The new courthouse, now under construction, is already changing the landscape again and two major housing projects at either end of Main Street are

expected to get under way this year, bringing more full-time residents to the downtown and thus kicking off a wave of development that could change the look and atmosphere of Downtown Moncton.

"These are big projects that will create big economic spin-offs," Champoux, the City of Moncton's business development specialist, said yesterday as he took a walk along Main Street with Downtown Moncton Centre Ville executive-director Daniel Allain. As they walked, the two pointed out some of the challenges, the less-visible success stories and the areas for potential development.

"We need to have more people living in the downtown before we can start to attract more retailers and other businesses," Champoux said as he stood near the corner of Main and Botsford Streets, just a few steps from the new city hall and a line of restaurants. "The pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

"Two or three or five years ago, we didn't know where the casino was going, where the courthouse was going or where the convention centre would be. The city didn't really have a say in where the courthouse or casino would be. The only big thing left is the multi-use centre with an arena and we can control where that goes."

Champoux says local developer Valmond Robichaud is moving forward with plans to build a new condominium complex on Main Street between Harper Street and the Staples Business Depot that will have about 80 units. The second development is an apartment complex near High Street and Dominion Street. Land has been cleared in both areas with construction expected to begin this year.

Walking along Main Street from the Times & Transcript building to City Hall, Allain and Champoux pointed out some of the challenges, opportunities and success stories along the way. There are a number of empty storefronts along Main Street that Allain sees as opportunities for the right person willing to invest in fixing them up. He says there are many deals under way to fill those empty spaces and is confident more are in the works.

The Main Street strip is home to several pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, coffee shops, restaurants, a fitness club, financial institutions, law offices, hotels and other businesses. Champoux says a number of IT and management companies have moved into the downtown that employ hundreds of people.

During the summer months, people can be found sitting at the outdoor cafes eating lunch, drinking coffee, sharing gossip or hatching the latest business deal. Even on a Tuesday afternoon in February, you can still find people sitting outside with their coffee or walking between meetings.

Allain describes Robinson Court near the Capitol Theatre as the premier hotspot for nightlife with several bars in one zone, and DMCI is meeting with building owners and the RCMP to further develop it as a place for live music.

Years after an historic building was destroyed by a firebomb, there is still a gaping hole next to the old Transcript building. Allain would like to see it developed into an outdoor patio where people could have a meal and a drink with some live music.

At Oak Park, the wooden archway over a marble fountain is rotting away and will have to be torn down in a year or so. But that area is expected to become part of a walkway between Main Street and the new Peace Centre, which had its funding approved last week.

Allain points out the St. James Gate restaurant and pub as a great example of what can be done to rejuvenate an historic building.

There's also the Old Triangle Irish pub and a variety of restaurants.

"I'm amazed at the diversity of the new restaurants in the downtown," Champoux says. "Only five years ago you didn't have a Japanese restaurant, a Mongolese restaurant, a Thai restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant ... The cultural diversity has changed in the downtown and a lot of that has to do with housing. There's a fair number of housing projects that have been built in the last few years that people forget about."

During an open house earlier this week, local business owners said lack of parking was a big issue that is hurting the downtown, but there were disagreements. Some business owners say there should be more free parking, but others say people would take advantage of free parking and leave their cars in one spot all day, blocking access for shoppers who want to come and go.

Champoux said the focus on bringing new retailers to Champlain Place and the Trinity district has hurt the downtown but he believes it can come back. Simply put, if there are more people living and working in the downtown, the retailers will believe it is worthwhile to follow them.

He said the city wants to help with the challenges but it will cost money to build above-ground parking garages or underground parking in new buildings.

"I can reassure merchants and retailers that parking has been discussed internally at city hall almost every week over the last four years since the parking study was done.

"There's a perception that the parking strategy and the downtown vision exercise have been put on the back burner, which is not the case at all. They have been discussed every week at our meetings.

"The magic is to find a way to convert surface parking into parking garages and part of the challenge for us is that monthly fees for parking are still extremely low. They are not at the point where we can build a parking garage that is financially viable."

Champoux said the changes in the downtown will be driven by changes in demographics. He believes that aging baby boomers will eventually sell their houses in the suburbs and move to condos or apartments closer to the downtown. Also, their children will want to live closer to the downtown in their formative years.

But they will want to live in a safe area. This shift in demographics should result in more demand for retail and other businesses within walking distance.

"There's a lot more people working in the downtown than ever before."

He said the foundation has already been laid with the new Gunningsville Bridge and Vaughan Harvey Boulevard extension, site of a new Sobeys and Shoppers Drug Mart next to the VIA Rail station. The new Marriott Hotel at the other end of Main Street has also spurred some development.

Champoux says there is overwhelming interest in building the downtown metro events centre. He believes it will be financially viable and bring a whole new atmosphere to the downtown.

"If you have 40 hockey games a year and probably 15 or 20 concerts a year, or probably more because there are concerts that we have to decline every year because of the lack of infrastructure, that's about 60 events a year. So, at least once a week you would have 8,000 to 10,000 people invade the downtown. They would invade your restaurants, invade your bars and stay at the hotels. That would be tremendous.

"It would bring people downtown and boost morale in the downtown and generate interest from outside Moncton to come here. It would be tremendously beneficial."

Ben Champoux obviously "gets it" (I think he must read our forum). :haha:

It's interesting to note that Champoux expects both of Valmond Robichaud's projects to get underway this year!

:banana: :banana: :banana:

mmmatt

Feb 24, 2010, 6:29 PM

Ben Champoux obviously "gets it" (I think he must read our forum). :haha:

It's interesting to note that Champoux expects both of Valmond Robichaud's projects to get underway this year!

:banana: :banana: :banana:

This is great news! If these both get going this year and we hopefully get some good news about the arena this could be a great year for downtown.

Even if the city decides that the arena will be built in 2012 there will still be an insurgence of new shops etc downtown this summer...did you see what happened to north mountain rd since the casino was announced for that area? Almost immediately every vacant storefront was filled and a bunch of new strip malls went up. The same thing will happen downtown.

mmmatt

Feb 26, 2010, 4:20 AM

St. George Street sees constant change

Artsy part of Downtown Moncton has wide variety of landmarks and businesses

BY ALAN COCHRANE
Published Thursday February 25th, 2010

http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=456368&size=500x0
Daniel Allain says that the old Bonne Nouvelle bookstore on St. George Street has been sold and will undergo development soon.

From the landmark Deluxe Fish & Chips restaurant to the post office and l'Assomption Cathedral, some things on St. George Street never seem to change, but the historic business district is ever evolving as entrepreneurs try to breathe new life into the second heart of Downtown Moncton.

"St. George Street is full of culture and really represents what they call mixed-use with lots of residential space and everything you need, like restaurants, banks, churches and specialty businesses," Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville executive-director Daniel Allain said during a brisk stroll along St. George, which he describes as the second heart of the city. Allain is considered the unofficial mayor of the downtown core. They beep their horns and wave as he walks along the streets and hit him up with ideas, complaints and concerns as he makes the rounds.

St. George runs parallel to Main Street and is surrounded by a downtown residential district of old and new apartment buildings and historic wood-frame houses. If you begin your walk at the east end by the Aberdeen Cultural Centre and head west, you will encounter several restaurants, coffee shops, antique shops, a funeral home, a couple of bars, office buildings, three drug stores, a camera shop, churches, financial institutions, hair salons, a vintage clothing shop, a martial arts school, a dance school, a music school and other interesting sights.

"It's one of those fun streets. It has all of the amenities. There's lots of parking and history and apartments, but we just need to give it some new life and the property owners are up to the challenge."

During a walking tour yesterday morning, Allain pointed out new apartment buildings, new businesses and at least three landmark buildings that have been purchased by new owners who are hatching plans for the future.

The former Bonne Nouvelle book store at 251 St. George has been purchased by a Turkish immigrant with plans to turn the 1930s-vintage brick building into an international market and grocery store with apartments and office space upstairs. The Benjamin Moore paint store at 300 St. George has also been purchased by a new owner who is planning a health and wellness business. And the former massage club building, diagonally across the street from the historic l'Assomption Cathedral and vacant since it was busted by police a few years ago, has been purchased by a new owner who is also considering several options.

"What's great about St. George Street is the businesses have history here," Allain says. "There's a new generation of businesses that have been here for over 20 years so there's a success story here because they are obviously still in business. People know there are certain types of services that you can get here and that's why business owners are looking at St. George as an alternative to Main Street. But it's a different type of living."

Jean-Marc Duguas, who owns the Artsy and Vintage clothing store and a café next door, says he wants to see St. George transformed into Moncton's version of SoHo, a Manhattan neighbourhood famous for its arts, culture and destination shopping. SoHo is often described as a model of "mixed-use" city districts where people can live, work and play in close proximity.

Ben Champoux, business development specialist for the City of Moncton, says more plans and financing are in the works to improve the St. George Street area. The city will this year expand its Wi-Fi network to St. George to accommodate people who want to surf the Internet with their laptops, video games and PDAs.

"We have a vision for downtown and we're extending it to St. George Street," Champoux said.

Many of the buildings have changed with the times. For example, the building that is now La Guitare music store and academy was once a tire and auto service shop. The DancEast school is a former church, the post office was a hardware store and the Hakim Optical building started out as a motorcycle shop. St. George is also home to a couple of historic brick fire stations that have been given new life as a real estate office and the YouthQuest drop-in centre. Allain likes to praise the corporate headquarters of Major Drilling, which was extensively damaged by fire a few years ago and was rebuilt with a modern look.

A few businesses have become true landmarks over the years. Deluxe French Fries has occupied the same spot near the railroad tracks since 1949. The Moncton Fish Market has been in business since 1917. Staples Drugs has been on St. George since 1934 and in the present location at 319-321 since 1950.

Walk into Staples and you'll think you are in chocolate heaven with tasty treats from all over the world crammed into the shelves. If you're really in the mood for some chocolate, owner/pharmacist John Staples has a Toblerone bar the size of a baseball bat priced at $89.99. Clocks on the wall tell the time in major cities around the world and you can browse around reading through John's collection of newspaper clippings and black and white photos from the old days.

"Yes we've sure seen a lot of changes over the years," Staples says as he stirs up a concoction from behind his pharmacist's counter. He says business continues as usual but he complains that money for upgrades has been diverted to Main Street and Assomption Boulevard in recent years while St. George has been basically ignored. He'd like to see more money go toward beautification of the area to make it more attractive to visitors, especially with some nice trees and sidewalk improvements. And if they plant trees, they should put protective steel skirts around them.

A few years ago, when city hall was considering the idea of making St. George a one-way street, Staples took time off work and walked from Robinson to High Street, talking to every business owner along the way and got them to sign a petition against the idea. St. George remains a two-way street with wide sidewalks and parking metres.

The big 320 block across from the Shoppers Drug Mart incorporates a mish-mash of architectural styles and has a very 1950s look to it. It has been home to many businesses over the years and Allain says current owners and tenants are in a wait-and-see mode for improvements, renovations and changes.

Another landmark is Jean's Restaurant, which has been in place for many years and one of the few real diner-style eateries in Metro Moncton.

Across the street you can find more antique shops, hair salons and a laundromat.

Oops. It might be called The Laundromat, but it is actually an espresso bar where the downtown artsy set gather for a coffee or a beer while lounging on retro-looking vinyl-covered furniture. Down the street at the corner of Lutz is another artsy lounge called the Plan-B, where local musicians can often be found performing intimate and interactive sets. Between the two, in the historic Commerce House office building, is the Triangles Night Club.

While Allain and others consider St. George Street to be a hub of culture in Metro Moncton, it has also been known as a hub of violence, drug abuse and prostitution. A few years ago, Downtown Moncton and the city embarked on a project to identify hotspots and take action to clean up the area. The property at the corner of St. George and High was occupied by people living in tents and the building was torn down to create a prime piece of real estate for development. The RCMP have also taken action to stop the sex trade. Last month, police arrested at least eight men in the area around St. George who now face prostitution-related charges.

"We haven't eradicated it, but initiatives have been taken on it with downtown security roundtables.

It's part of our community solutions program," said Allain. A town hall style meeting of downtown business owners was held this week and the main topics of discussion were parking and bringing more business downtown. Allain pointed out there was no mention of security or crime concerns at that meeting, an indication that the situation has at least improved.

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I'm glad to hear that St George is coming back, the street has a TON of potential, it has lots of great shops, unique architecture, lots of people living in the area.

Its nice to see La Bonne Nouvelle taking on such a great role, we need many more retail with apartments/condos on top type places downtown...which just makes me so sad to see that newish 6 floor apartment building on mountain rd with retail on the bottom...its great don't get me wrong, just wish it was a bit closer to the core.

It seems like there is interest in revamping the area from both the city and private business, so here's hoping it all works out! :)