[Saint John] Uptown Thread

[sailor734]

Here's an issue that needs to be addressed if we want to see continued growth and development up town. I ran into a friend today and they were telling me one of their kids (30-ish) had recently sold their condo in Harbourfront Residences and taken an apartment in Millidgeville while they looked for a house.


The reason? The couple felt unsafe uptown. The wife has had a several unpleasant encounters with aggressive panhandlers and one particularly upsetting experience with a person who was either very high or mentally ill and out of control who threatened to kill her dog. She no longer felt safe taking their dog for a walk after supper by herself.

I don't pretend to know what the answer is but the problem is making uptown an unattractive place to be.

As a lifelong SJ resident I've noticed it myself. A few weeks ago I parked on Germain by the Market and walked to the Urban Shoe Myth to pickup something my wife had ordered. I was approached by panhandlers twice in King St and on the way back encountered a guy waving his arms and carrying on a loud and violent argument with the air. It makes King St a place I don't want to be.

Once again, no idea what the solution is but the situation is a definite detriment to uptown growth.