The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by new kid in town

I wonder how feasible it is to build up a mixed-use or purely residential tower here (in the old Costco building). I think even 12-15 stories would have a fantastic view since it sits atop most of Moncton in terms of elevation. And it could easily be a landmark in the area. A lot of shops are close by so it is very convenient, and there are already lots of traffic control, plus access to the highway.

I'm getting way ahead of myself here but imagine Wheler park being another focal point of highrises aside from downtown.

That's what I'm sayin'

[jonny golden]

Originally Posted by Nashe

That's what I'm sayin'

The old Costco building was acquired by U-haul in April. It's their largest facility in Moncton and includes 800 storage lockers.

However, there is a massive parking lot that was appropriate for Costco, but is way too big for U-Haul. A nicely designed residential project would be a good add for Wheeler Park. I can't see the existing businesses objecting to more customers on site.

However, I wouldn't hold my breath on anything like this happening any time soon.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

The old Costco building was acquired by U-haul in April. It's their largest facility in Moncton and includes 800 storage lockers.

However, there is a massive parking lot that was appropriate for Costco, but is way too big for U-Haul. A nicely designed residential project would be a good add for Wheeler Park. I can't see the existing businesses objecting to more customers on site.

However, I wouldn't hold my breath on anything like this happening any time soon.

I imagine they’ll eventually fill the parking lot with storage units like they did with the old Canadian Tire building.

[new kid in town]

Originally Posted by Nashe

That's what I'm sayin'

I just saw your comment on the Moncton Downtown thread. I'm glad I'm not the only one who had wild thoughts about that lol.

Originally Posted by jonny golden

The old Costco building was acquired by U-haul in April. It's their largest facility in Moncton and includes 800 storage lockers.

However, there is a massive parking lot that was appropriate for Costco, but is way too big for U-Haul. A nicely designed residential project would be a good add for Wheeler Park. I can't see the existing businesses objecting to more customers on site.

However, I wouldn't hold my breath on anything like this happening any time soon.

Oh I didn't know about the U-haul acquisition

[habs33]

New nursing home coming to Moncton
https://www.919thebend.ca/2023/11/15/new-nursing-home-coming-to-moncton/

A new 60-bed nursing home is coming to Moncton, the province announced Wednesday.

The new nursing home, set to open in the fall of 2025, will be built by for-profit corporation Shannex.

Officials said the new home will be connected to Shannex’s Ocean Hall and Gordon Hall, which opened earlier this year.

[MonctonRad]

That's their new complex up in the Pinehurst subdivision.

[MonctonRad]

Grants, roads and 'red tape' cuts part of Moncton's plan with $15M federal housing funds
City says money should result in almost 500 more housing units over 3 years

Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Nov 16, 2023 2:18 PM AST | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-housing-funding-plans-1.7030150

The money will be used for various grant programs for home builders, to help cover the cost of building new roads to open areas for development, and to ease the development approval process.

The city applied for the funding through the housing accelerator fund. The $4-billion program introduced in last year's federal budget runs until 2026-27 and is intended to speed housing construction across the country.

He said one grant program would provide $20,000 "per door" for up to 15 units, to a total of $300,000.

"So we think in the downtown this will accelerate up to 10 high-density projects that are currently stalled," Budd said.

The funding will also help cover the city's cost to build new roads. One area would be a street from Mountain Road near the New Brunswick Community College west into an 85-acre area where Shannex is building new nursing homes that Budd said is now "landlocked."

Another area would be a new road from Harrisville Boulevard into a neighbourhood around École Champlain.

"We think there's six or seven projects waiting for this infrastructure and it should take off," Budd said.

I wonder what "10 high density projects in the downtown" are currently stalled???

[Monctoncore]

That is interesting news. I think off the top of my head, Galco building on Robinson, St.Bernard Square, but the rest are a mystery. I don’t think those 10 would include the Ashford development or the icon development building. I hope we will start seeing some good news with this.

[MonctonRad]

There may be some medium sized "as of right" projects out there that we don't know anything about. If no variances are required, then they would not have to present anything to PAC for approval. It will be interesting to see what crawls out of the woodwork.........

[Conorth]

Wonder if we can expect something similar for Dieppe and Riverview soon. Riverview had a Housing Needs survey a few months back - may or may not be related to the funding.

[lirette]

Nice to see this news.

If this is what it takes to get these projects moving than by all means, have the federal government work with cities. I really don't see how it is good politically or constructively for the province to try and get in the way and make a battle out of this. Housing is the #1 issue for many people in this country right now and this shouldn't be another partisan culture war.

In a perfect world all 3 levels of government would be working together on this but that just doesn't seem possible given Higgs choice to try and tie Holt directly with the federal liberals.

Very interested to see what 10 projects will get moved along due to this.

[ChampduLarge]

I would be very excited to see even half of ten projects get underway, I feel like 2023 has been a lot of holding our breath and waiting for the big one to be announced, but we've really only had one big proposal (the 30 story) come forward. I like Moncton the way it is, but downtown can definitely use some densification.

[Conorth]

The agenda for tomorrow’s council meeting is out. The item below is under planning matters:

Introduction: Municipal Plan and Zoning By-Law Amendments – Changing Residential Uses from Conditional to Permitted

https://www5.moncton.ca/docs/councilmeetings/2023/Agenda/2023-11-20%20Agenda-Ordre%20du%20jour.pdf

I think it’s interesting because under the current zoning bylaws, all multiple units dwellings are conditional and have to go before PAC even if they’re not requesting for a variance. The only exception is for developments in the MU zone, which is not a very common zone anyway.

Townhouses are also conditional and needs PAC approval in all the residential zones, even in an R3. Always found that odd for Moncton. Understand the need to enforce some design standards and make sure they’re well integrated into the neighbourbood, but these are smaller scale developments that shouldn’t require that level of scrutiny and public hearings.

[MonctonRad]

I'm sure these changes were necessary to qualify for the $15M federal housing plan.

[Conorth]

Here’s a good summary of the discussion about the proposed changes to the zoning bylaws at the council meeting on Monday.

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7034674

It seems to me that even some of the council members don’t fully understand the concept of conditional uses from their questions/comments.

[MonctonRad]

Moncton weighs how to slow traffic without a lower speed limit
City to test several measures on two streets next year
Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Nov 27, 2023 8:03 PM AST | Last Updated: November 27
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-traffic-calming-report-speed-1.7041015

Moncton's 2024 budget has $200,000 to test traffic calming measures on two streets.

On Purdy Avenue in the city's central area, proposed steps include a sign showing the driver's speed, raising the level of the intersection with Lorne Street, a painted centre line that visually narrows the lane and on-street parking separated from traffic by "vertical delineators."

On Pleasant Street in the east end, the steps planned include speed cushions or speed bumps, signs showing the driver's speed, on-street bike lanes and elevated crosswalks.

The plan is reasonable, but, I hate the idea of the "delineators." I find them ugly and annoying. You also cannot deploy them widely because they have to be installed and removed every year to allow for snow clearing. This is costly and labour intensive. The city could only use them on a few selected streets.

[drewber]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Moncton weighs how to slow traffic without a lower speed limit
City to test several measures on two streets next year
Shane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Nov 27, 2023 8:03 PM AST | Last Updated: November 27
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-traffic-calming-report-speed-1.7041015





The plan is reasonable, but, I hate the idea of the "delineators." I find them ugly and annoying. You also cannot deploy them widely because they have to be installed and removed every year to allow for snow clearing. This is costly and labour intensive. The city could only use them on a few selected streets.

Aren't deliniators what they have on Killam now basically?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by drewber

Aren't deliniators what they have on Killam now basically?

Yes. I still find them ugly, intrusive and a nuisance. I'm also not sure how necessary they are. The bike lanes are already well marked and painted.

[MonctonRad]

I see that the Higgs government is going to spend over $100M towards construction of four new schools (including in Moncton, Dieppe and Salisbury) and major upgrades to two additional schools (including Ecole St. Henri in Moncton)

They did not specify the new school construction in Moncton, nor did they elaborate on the new Dieppe school. It will be interesting to see if the Dieppe school will be the new combined anglophone middle/high school that the Anglophone East School Board has been lobbying for.

[BeeTeeOH]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Yes. I still find them ugly, intrusive and a nuisance. I'm also not sure how necessary they are. The bike lanes are already well marked and painted.

It depends on the type of road - but in any situation with either high speeds, or storefronts, the physical barrier is necessary to keep things from mixing. Any bike lane in downtown Toronto with no bollards is inevitably filled with a delivery van.