[Moncton] Downtown Developments

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Update with Kevin Silliker, the city economic development officer on CBC Information Morning concerning the survey being conducted over the future of the downtown Moncton riverfront.

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-26-information-morning-moncton
(segment four)

Silliker emphasized that the Riverfront Master Plan will encompass the whole riverfront from Hall's Creek westward to the Brenda Robertson Bridge.

The survey will close on Friday, at which point the responses will be collated and reviewed. Initial drawings and plans will be developed, which will then be reviewed at public hearings, and by city council in order to receive feedback. Final designs will then be generated with final approval by city council, and hopefully an inclusion in the 2026 capital budget. They expect the riverfront redevelopment will take place in segments, and will take five years to complete (2031).

He didn't say anything specific about a riverfront concert site, or, a relocation of the Hal Betts Sports Complex, but his special emphasis that the plan encompasses the whole riverfront, including the former dump site west of the Gunningsville Bridge I found to be intriguing.

Well we know they intend to eventually extend Assumption Blvd. I think this happens ass a part of this plan, whatever way it ends up looking.

[tmacdougall]

I would hope that there would be an underpass/overpass where Assumption meets Vaughn Harvey.

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

Well we know they intend to eventually extend Assumption Blvd. I think this happens ass a part of this plan, whatever way it ends up looking.

[tmacdougall]

Anglophone East/Horizon Health will be moving into the Rogers building.

Originally Posted by Riberview

I noticed a sign out in front of the old Rogers building on Westmorland. General Contractor of some kind. Can't recall if it was Rice Contracting or something else. Curious.. no sale records, I believe Ashford owns this. I wonder what's up.

[Monctoncore]

Originally Posted by tmacdougall

Anglophone East/Horizon Health will be moving into the Rogers building.

If true, that’s awesome! Means more workers downtown again!

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by tmacdougall

I would hope that there would be an underpass/overpass where Assumption meets Vaughn Harvey.

There is no such plan. It will meet at the existing intersection. This isn’t a highway, it’s a downtown arterial, an interchange here would be complete out of character.

The other end of the extension will most certainly require the entire traffic circle to be reimagined. There is many options of what they could do here, I’m personally not sure what the best course would be.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by tmacdougall

Anglophone East/Horizon Health will be moving into the Rogers building.

Interesting. This will not be a permanent solution for this building, but, this is an acceptable stopgap for the next decade. Ashford will be busy with the Assumption block and the Downing Street project for at least the next 5-7 years. The old Rogers building will eventually see the wrecking ball, but, in the meantime, it will be good to have some new well paid workers in the core.

[MonctonRad]

Recently posted by Mayor Dawn Arnold after touring the Franklin Yards site:

Just toured the beautiful new apartments on Millenium Blvd…we started in building #2 (332 Millennium — underground parking, EV chargers, a guest unit, a gym, a meeting room, a delivery area) and also had a look at the progress of building #3 (that opens December 1st and is almost fully rented). Buildings #4, #5 and #6 are underway.

I was surprised to hear that Building #3 opens as soon as December 1st. This is only about six months after Building #2 opened.

What an assembly line they have going on!!!

[MonctonRad]

Reposted from the [Moncton] Retail thread:

Originally Posted by lirette

Old Triangle has rebranded to Gallaghers Pub.

Gallagher's Irish Pub to be precise.

This explains why they repainted the front of the pub red. Traditional for an Irish ale house.

[Leroy321]

There is construction fence surrounding the old church on the corner of Queen street and Botsford street. There was an article that showed that a couple where trying to transform it into a boutique hotel https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5417294. but that was back in 2020. I checked the SNB property site and it showed that it sold in April last year. If for safety reasons could they demolish this building? If they did it would be prime land for an apartment building due to its proximity to the already built 55 queen and the soon to be built Saint Bernard place.

[jnaygull]

Originally Posted by Leroy321

There is construction fence surrounding the old church on the corner of Queen street and Botsford street. There was an article that showed that a couple where trying to transform it into a boutique hotel https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5417294. but that was back in 2020. I checked the SNB property site and it showed that it sold in April last year. If for safety reasons could they demolish this building? If they did it would be prime land for an apartment building due to its proximity to the already built 55 queen and the soon to be built Saint Bernard place.

I don't think they can demolish it as it is protected as a historic property.

https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=3428

[MonctonRad]

I've been told by someone in the know that the fence is primarily there to keep the homeless out. They've been camping out in the vestibule, and fire could pose a real risk to the structure.

Also, there is some structural instability in the tower. They plan on repairing this in the spring, but, in the meantime, public safety is an issue.

[MonctonRad]

The first of Ashford's two Lorentz Street apartment buildings is now complete.


Infinity Aerials

I wonder if Ashford will start construction on Building #2 in the spring. I doubt we will see anything related to the Ashford/Downing project before 2026 (at the earliest).

[MonctonRad]

lirette posted this on the main Moncton thread:

Originally Posted by lirette

Some interesting notes for the proposed budget for Moncton

- $9.5 million increase in policing, including 17 more officers
- $500K + $5 million for new aquatics facilty
-$8 & $17 million for new market, convention centre and riverfront amenities

This funding will be for the public portion of the Ashford/Downing project. Maybe we'll see some work in 2025 after all.

[jonny golden]

From a CBC story a little over a year ago:

Four phases are planned over four to five years with a total budget of $36.3 million.

The bulk of the first phase was to raise Westmorland Street next to the courthouse, and to relocate a sewer linethat would otherwise be in the way of a future building.

So could we see Ashford start something next year? There's a lot more infrastructure work to do, but prioritising that sewer line to facilitate building is a good sign. We'll see how it unfolds, and yes we need to see some renders!

[josh_cat_eyes]

I wonder if we’ll ever see Botsford realigned with Downing Street once they finish the second phase of that project.

Would also be nice to see the city replace the parking lots that surround city hall with a parking structure off of orange lane, and have redevelopment potential for the other lots, particularly on the west and north sides of city hall.

[KnoxfordGuy]

Does Moncton have a convention centre?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

Does Moncton have a convention centre?

Not really. There are convention facilities at the Hotel Beausejour. Not quite the same thing.

The market and convention space will be immediately adjacent to the Hotel Beausejour, and will complement what they already have there. I imagine there will be a direct connection, but I am not entirely sure about that.

If executed well, this will increase the size of conventions that the city can host.

[jonny golden]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

I wonder if we’ll ever see Botsford realigned with Downing Street once they finish the second phase of that project.

Would also be nice to see the city replace the parking lots that surround city hall with a parking structure off of orange lane, and have redevelopment potential for the other lots, particularly on the west and north sides of city hall.

Looking at the map, it could be done if they moved the city hall park west, and curved Botsford to line up with Downing Street. Another development facilitator would be to eliminate the Min D'Or building which would create a much more workable footprint for development. But that building might be a heritage building. Ground floor commercial could give the businesses in that building a new home.

Realistically though, I can't see any of this happening any time soon.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

Looking at the map, it could be done if they moved the city hall park west, and curved Botsford to line up with Downing Street. Another development facilitator would be to eliminate the Min D'Or building which would create a much more workable footprint for development. But that building might be a heritage building. Ground floor commercial could give the businesses in that building a new home.

Realistically though, I can't see any of this happening any time soon.

I was thinking about realigning the street through the park adjacent to city hall.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

I was thinking about realigning the street through the park adjacent to city hall.

I doubt that realigning Botsford so that it will connect to Downing Street is on the city's radar.

The city envisages Downing as a shared roadway, principally pedestrian in character, but with some vehicular access. If you made Downing a through street, this would encourage more traffic flow and would defeat this concept.

Basically Downing will be a downtown pedestrian and active transportation connector between City Hall Plaza and the Riverfront Park, and will be frequently used for public events like concerts and buskers in the summertime. Vehicular access will be maintained, but, mostly for low intensity curbside parking, for any parking structure associated with the Ashford tower, and for delivery vehicles. Through traffic is not what they want. They want a pedestrian corridor lined by the public library, the relocated city market, convention facilities, and storefront retail and restaurants. As a connector from Main Street to the Riverfront Park, they want heavy pedestrian utilization.

Well executed, this could be a big attraction for the downtown east end,