[Moncton] Downtown Developments

[jonny golden]

Originally Posted by new kid in town

I agree. I think it would have great synergy being close to Assomption Place for some height, and Queen 55 for modernity. At 18 floors, it would likely stand taller than the Three Sisters and even perhaps the Gateway Towers (base podium notwithstanding). But like others said, the lack of progress is also making me think it's not likely to happen anymore. And between this and Infinity, I'd much rather prefer to hope the latter will push through.

I remember when Valdo Grandmaison first proposed the 12 floor building a few years ago there was a lot of talk about exactly that. Being close to 55 Queen, it was thought that it could spur more development in this part of downtown. Maybe that could still happen, but again, there's red flags with this project.

[MonctonRad]

I am almost a little reluctant to post this because it could be considered hearsay, but, what the hell.

I has a business meeting with a well connected downtown businessman the other day and the topic of the Ashford/Downing project came up.

He confirmed he was aware of previous outlandish rumours of what Ashford wanted to do. He repeated these rumours as if he believed them to be established fact. This businessman has an excellent reputation therefore I have no reason to disbelieve him. The veracity of these rumours boils down to how reliable his own sources are. He seemed to believe this information anyway.

Allowing for this, here goes..........

1) - Ashford indeed had been looking at a 50 storey building as the signature tower for the Downing Street development. He has since scaled back his ambition to a 40 storey building. I subsequently mentioned this to my son (an electrician) and, he said that a contractor friend of his had heard the same thing. Riberviewer has also said similar things previously on SSP.
2) - there are plans for 5,000 new residential units in the lands south of Main Street.
3) - The new crosstown street behind Assumption Place will be primarily pedestrian, with some vehicular access, mostly for delivery and emergency vehicles. It is designed to be lined with restaurants, pubs and small shops to create a lively pedestrian realm. He said the idea is to create a Moncton version of Argyle Street in Halifax.

We didn't go any further into the Downing Street plans. In particular we didn't talk about the new city market, a relocated library or a modern art museum. The city market however is a slam dunk. The other two are more aspirational. Also, we didn't talk about any other buildings as part of the Ashford/Downing development (such as the mystery educational building).

I am very much looking forward to this month's "doozy" of a city council meeting. Will the "doozy" be Ashford/Downing? One can only hope..........

[Riberview]

Oh my

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Riberview

Oh my

You know something, don't you............

[Jfgodin8]

I don't know if this is real, but if so, this is a nice looking rendering for the intersection of Main Street and Cameron Street!

http://powersbrown.com/projects/multi-family/ashford#/

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Jfgodin8

I don't know if this is real, but if so, this is a nice looking rendering for the intersection of Main Street and Cameron Street!

http://powersbrown.com/projects/multi-family/ashford#/

Good pick-up!!!

Well, real enough for Ashford to have ordered site plans, architectural drawings and renderings.





Location - NE corner of Cameron and Main, across from 1222 Main and next door to the (former) Coin Cabinet (and current Bullion Bank). Auto Indulgence is currently located here.

The Ashford project is a six-story, mixed-use retail and multi-family building located in Moncton, New Brunswick. With a total area of 121,423 square feet, it offers a unique combination of residential and commercial spaces. This project encompasses 100 modern apartment units and 3,521 square feet of prime retail space, providing a vibrant and integrated living and shopping experience for residents and visitors alike.

This development has never been mentioned at PACS or in any city council meeting, but, it is possible it could be built "as of right" if no rezoning or variances are required. The timeline is unknown.

Ashford has several projects planned, with the elephant in the room being Downing Street, but, they also have Building Two of the Lorentz Apartments project as well. Neither of these two projects is started as of yet. In what order will they be built?

Is this the "doozy" that Mayor Arnold was referring to (and not the Downing Street project)? We will find out in a couple of weeks.

In any event, the Avenir Centre continues to weave it's magic upon the surrounding neighbourhood.

[jonny golden]

Has Ashford started the 2nd building on west Main/Lorentz yet? I know the first one has been leasing units for a while now.

This new building will be a huge upgrade from the dated auto business. Much better image for Main Street, and another Avenir district development!

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

Has Ashford started the 2nd building on west Main/Lorentz yet? I know the first one has been leasing units for a while now.

No. Building Two of the Lorentz apartment complex has not started, Perhaps this will take precedence.

[jonny golden]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

No. Building Two of the Lorentz apartment complex has not started, Perhaps this will take precedence.

And so it should! According to the city, there's still infrastructure work to be done in 2025 for the big Ashford development, so it makes sense that they'd want to keep busy in the mean time. I like the Main Street commercial component to this building - it makes perfect sense.

From CBC:

The city's capital budget forecasts spending $7.9 million related to "Ashford's downtown development plan" in 2022. A further $10.2 million is scheduled in 2023, with $8.1 million in 2024 and $5.7 million in 2025.

[jonny golden]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Good pick-up!!!

Well, real enough for Ashford to have ordered site plans, architectural drawings and renderings.





Location - NE corner of Cameron and Main, across from 1222 Main and next door to the (former) Coin Cabinet (and current Bullion Bank). Auto Indulgence is currently located here.



This development has never been mentioned at PACS or in any city council meeting, but, it is possible it could be built "as of right" if no rezoning or variances are required. The timeline is unknown.

Ashford has several projects planned, with the elephant in the room being Downing Street, but, they also have Building Two of the Lorentz Apartments project as well. Neither of these two projects is started as of yet. In what order will they be built?

Is this the "doozy" that Mayor Arnold was referring to (and not the Downing Street project)? We will find out in a couple of weeks.

In any event, the Avenir Centre continues to weave it's magic upon the surrounding neighbourhood.

I just noticed that the parking lot that extends to Weldon Street seems to eliminate the Elks Lodge! So it appears that there's still some work to be done by Ashford before this development could begin. According to PAOL the lodge has not been sold recently. I do really like this project.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

I just noticed that the parking lot that extends to Weldon Street seems to eliminate the Elks Lodge! So it appears that there's still some work to be done by Ashford before this development could begin. According to PAOL the lodge has not been sold recently. I do really like this project.

Actually somebody posted on the forum about the land sale recently and wondered what was going on. I guess we now know.

The surface parking in behind is probably intended as customer parking for the three CRUs on the main floor of this building. I have a hunch the larger CRU is intended for a restaurant. This would be a good location for a restaurant, close to the Avenir Centre and to other nearby competition (Baton Rouge, Monck 10, Carrabba's, la Vida).

[Riberview]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

You know something, don't you............

Nope

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Riberview

Nope

Your smiley face emoji somehow makes me doubtful of the veracity of your denial.

[Taeolas]

Hmm, with all this development in Moncton's downtown, I wonder if some of the retail space components will be snapped up for a supermarket?

I know some of the plans have the farmers market in there. The downtown also has Sobeys on either ends and a Superstore at the Dieppe end; but at the same time with all those people and a focus on Walkability, it feels like a more central supermarket (likely a higher end/more focused store brand from one of the chains) would be needed.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Hmm, with all this development in Moncton's downtown, I wonder if some of the retail space components will be snapped up for a supermarket?

I know some of the plans have the farmers market in there. The downtown also has Sobeys on either ends and a Superstore at the Dieppe end; but at the same time with all those people and a focus on Walkability, it feels like a more central supermarket (likely a higher end/more focused store brand from one of the chains) would be needed.

Farmers market will 100% be part of Ashford/Downing. I think there is the potential of an urban market of some kind in the Three Sisters/Gateway Towers neighbourhood.

[Riberview]

Originally Posted by jonny golden

I just noticed that the parking lot that extends to Weldon Street seems to eliminate the Elks Lodge! So it appears that there's still some work to be done by Ashford before this development could begin. According to PAOL the lodge has not been sold recently. I do really like this project.

A shame to lose the Elks Lodge. But a nice replacement for the old Coast Tire/Auto Indulgence.

I wonder how they'll keep these 68 parking spots free for business visits rather than Avenir parking.

Also.. the site plan looks like the surface parking area takes up more space than the building does..

And the rendering vs. Floor plan vs. Site plan buildings all look completely differently shaped. Weird.

This will make more sense when presented at PAC I'm sure..

[MonctonRad]

Look more closely at the site plan. The parking spaces fronting Cameron Street are actually within the footprint of the building. I had the same concerns as you, but, if you look carefully, you can see the outline of the building.

[adamuptownsj]

Access to the rear lot from Cameron seems to go under the building (dotted line) in the site plan, which also matches the render.

[Mattyyy]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

You know something, don't you............

It'll be interesting to see where this actually ends up. I have a source close to this as well who is quite adamant that Ashford has no plans or interest in trying to have the tallest building(s) in Moncton.

Personally Ashford strikes me as a company that is more conservative and it would surprise me if they aggressively pursued a 50 floor building.

One thing I do know for sure - plans are progressing at a very slow pace and it may be a few years before shovels are even in the ground.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Mattyyy

It'll be interesting to see where this actually ends up. I have a source close to this as well who is quite adamant that Ashford has no plans or interest in trying to have the tallest building(s) in Moncton.

Personally Ashford strikes me as a company that is more conservative and it would surprise me if they aggressively pursued a 50 floor building.

One thing I do know for sure - plans are progressing at a very slow pace and it may be a few years before shovels are even in the ground.

My own personal opinion is similar to yours. I was just repeating what my respected downtown businessman friend said to me. This guy would not lead me on. As I said, the veracity of this rumour lies with the quality of his own sources.