Quote:
Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy
Saint John viewed from the first cruise ship of the season from netanel_fahima on Instagram. May 8th.
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Pretty egregious spelling mistake... how dare they?
So I thought while correcting it, I could correct something else in that photo, something that should have happened 48 years ago, imo, and that would be
topping out Brunswick Square to its full 36 storey potential.
While the view wouldn't change that dramatically, the views of the surrounding hills and mountains of the river valley would be even more striking. Also, the Saint John skyline could be seen from much further away, which would be impressive. Those 17 extra floors would unlock huge potential for residential development at Brunswick Square... adding at least 17 floors of units of housing stock in the city centre, with striking views of the Bay of Fundy and Kennesbecasis/Saint John River would be huge for Saint John.
I think it would be a catalyst for development, not just for Saint John, but Atlantic Canada. I don't think Halifax and Moncton would let Saint John keep the title very long, but it might be just what Saint John needs to finally get more residential high rises put up. Plus, the building is for sale, right? Now would be the perfect time to do something ambitious like this. Anyone have any ideas on how to make it happen, or who could make it happen? We're all excited for Fundy Quay to happen, but compared to Moncton and Halifax, that project is happening at slower than a snails pace. Topping out Brunswick Square to 36 storeys could be done a lot quicker.
I think a Church has been the tallest building within the City of Saint John for long enough. Saint John has such amazing potential for ocean and river valley views, and Brunswick Square is an opportunity waiting to be unlocked. Saint John has so much potential to fill in the skyline... not just to give the city more property revenue, which it desperately needs, but to fundamentally improve the city, by increasing density and height, especially the urban core.
It's a lot nicer to live in a building with an elevator than the third or fourth floor of a building without an elevator, like many of the current rental stock Uptown. Not only is is more convenient for moving in and out of apartments for renters, it's just a lot nicer for bringing back your shopping, plus the views will speak for themselves.
Saint John's heritage restrictions and height limits as they stand are far too restrictive... Saint John needs to find a way to strike a balance between showcasing the amazing architecture of the past, while coming up with a strategy to attract the investment needed build up our skyline for the future. The strategy for high rises should be to unlock those coastal and river views, and help the city grow and densify. It's sad that it seems Saint John doesn't even want to try and compete with Moncton... I think there's so much more potential for high rises in Saint John, than Moncton, because not only are there much more spectacular views to behold, the bedrock is ideal for the foundations needed to build high rises, or even legitimate skyscrapers one day. Yet, Moncton is showing us the way. It's possible to make this happen... just takes some vision and a lot of money. I don't think Moncton or Halifax would let SJ sit at the #1 spot on the list of tallest buildings very long.
We have the potential for some of the nicest ocean views in all of Canada, yet, there's very few residential high rises in Saint John, and most are nowhere near the coast. Hopefully Saint John can learn to emulate Moncton and start building more high rises here in the Port City.
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