The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Condos on Robinson?

It was in T"et"T a while back. Its a four-story (36 Units/Office) along robinson on the Andal parking lot surface.

"The condo units in the four-storey building will range in size from 1,500 square feet to 1,900 square feet, with two penthouses each comprising 2,500 square feet. The main floor will be 15,000 square feet of office space and there will be two levels of underground parking with a total capacity of 124 vehicles."

[mylesmalley]

Originally Posted by HalifaxMtl666

It was in T"et"T a while back. Its a four-story (36 Units/Office) along robinson on the Andal parking lot surface.

"The condo units in the four-storey building will range in size from 1,500 square feet to 1,900 square feet, with two penthouses each comprising 2,500 square feet. The main floor will be 15,000 square feet of office space and there will be two levels of underground parking with a total capacity of 124 vehicles."

Oh, wow. That's fantastic. I'm really pleased to see downtown actually starting to get denser. They've built a ton of new apartments around the cathedral and along Gordon in the past few years. Hopefully they'll start to build up soon.

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Oh, wow. That's fantastic. I'm really pleased to see downtown actually starting to get denser. They've built a ton of new apartments around the cathedral and along Gordon in the past few years. Hopefully they'll start to build up soon.

Really fantastic, I don`t care about the height on that one because that project will help to revitalize whole street. In fact Robinson really need to get some refurbishements and upgrades as well.

[mmmatt]

Yes things are really looking good for dowtown Moncton

Assumption Tower, Casino, new police station, justice complex, hotel, convetion center, arena, condo etc etc

[ErickMontreal]

:: Andal Project ::

Office :: 15,000 square feet
Condo :: 36 Units
Parking spaces :: 125

[mylesmalley]

Nice job, HalifaxMTL.

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Nice job, HalifaxMTL.

Thank you!

[ErickMontreal]

:: Moncton city ::

:: Today and Yesterday ::








http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnycapote/

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Nice job, HalifaxMTL.

Second that

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by HalifaxMtl666

:: Moncton city ::

Thats awesome! Great find

[ErickMontreal]

New Sobeys store to open by Christmas
Main Street facility will include new full-service liquor store



BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF
Published Thursday November 8th, 2007
Appeared on page A8

A new Sobeys grocery store now under construction on Main Street in Moncton is expected to open by Christmas, creating approximately 150 new jobs, company officials said yesterday.

Jill Thomas Myrick, a spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia-based grocery chain, said the Sobeys has a target opening date of mid-December.

"Employment will be a minimum of 100 new employees to complement the team of 55 we already have.

We are now accepting applications and people who are interested can pick up applications at Sobeys stores."

The Sobeys location will replace the existing store in Highfield Square and include modern conveniences. Sobeys already operates several grocery stores in Metro Moncton. The large building will be managed by ECL properties, a division of Sobeys' parent company the Empire Group.

Among the other tenants at the property will be NB Liquor, which will operate new full-service "selection store" with its own wine-tasting area.

Mike O'Brien, vice-president of supply and facilities for NB Liquor, said yesterday the new store has a tentative opening date of Feb. 1, 2008. It will be located inside the new Sobeys building now under construction on Main Street at Vaughan Harvey Boulevard.

O'Brien said it will be branded as a selection store with a complete offering of up to 2,000 products and a full line of beer, wine and spirits.

The store will have a Centre of Discovery, with full-time staff to show new products to consumers. The staff members are there to help customers with wine and food selections and allow tastings of products.

Another highlight of the store will be a temperature and humidity-controlled cooler for high-end wines and specialty projects. And there will also be a large walk-in cooler filled with a wide variety of beer and coolers.

O'Brien said selection stores already exist in Dieppe, Fredericton, Saint John and Edmundston.

He said the shared vestibule with the grocery store is something consumers appreciate and the design features are geared to be more appealing to female shoppers.

He said the design reflects the growing sophistication of customers who are more appreciative of different wines, which could be attributed to the success of the annual Moncton wine festival.

The opening of the liquor store in February will coincide with the closure of the long-standing St. George Boulevard store. The building on St. George Boulevard has recently been sold by the corporation.

O'Brien expects the new store to do well, since it will be in a central location near Downtown Moncton, the Highfield Square shopping mall and the new Gunningsville Bridge connection to Riverview.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Gunningsville Blvd. to open next month
Paving complete, traffic lights should be arriving soon



BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF
Published Thursday November 8th, 2007
Appeared on page A9

The new stretch of Gunningsville Boulevard from the bridge to Findlay Boulevard should be open by mid-December, Riverview Mayor Clarence Sweetland said yesterday.

Work on the new road has been ongoing for several months and is now in the final stages. Sweetland said paving is complete on the loop and the final pieces of the puzzle are traffic lights, which should arrive soon for installation.

The road will connect with the new Gunningsville Bridge and Coverdale Road. It will allow traffic to flow up the hill, skirting the golf course and connect with Findlay Boulevard at Whitepine Road.

This will create a new loop for traffic and connect the Gunningsville Bridge with the Petitcodiac Causeway. It should also ease traffic flow during morning and evening rush hours.

Although the road is expected to open in early to mid-December, Sweetland said an official ribbon-cutting ceremony will likely be delayed until the good weather returns in the spring.

Meanwhile, the old Riverview fire station building on Coverdale Road is back on the market.

Brenda Orchard, the town's director of economic development said a developer had been paying a fee to hold the building for a client, but recently let the option go. However, she said there are still several interesting proposals for the building.

"There's lots of people interested, but we want to make sure it's appropriate use that will inspire growth in the downtown, like retail, commercial or office use. And they need to make sure it looks good from both the front and the river side."

The purchase price for the old fire hall, which sits on a prime piece of Coverdale Road property overlooking the river, is approximately $350,000. The main floor includes office space and a large truck bay with roll-up doors. When in use by the fire department, the upper floor had office space, a TV room and sleeping quarters for staff, and even a brass fire pole.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Jean Coutu : Store opens

Published Thursday November 8th, 2007
Appeared on page c2



Hundreds of people lined up yesterday for the opening of the new Jean Coutu Pharmacy in Dieppe

[ErickMontreal]

There will be one Casino or Racino in the province and that could include a Convention Center, retails, restaurants, peformance theater and Hotel. The promoters will choose the market (Moncton-SaintJohn-Fredericton). They seem to focus on "family destination", in that case, things are really looking good for dowtown Moncton. More coming soon...

I`m sure Verdiroc/Ashford/Assumption will come back on the table with a multi-use development. Its the green light for the project released couple years ago by Verciroc/Bernard Cyr (Casino/Convention center/Retails/Hotel/Condo)

[mmmatt]

Lots of good news

That new street should be very nice...I was quite impressed with how the Vaughn Harvey extention turned out. Also great to have a new big grocery store a block from my house

[ErickMontreal]

Responsible gaming policy unveiled

NB 1446

Nov. 8, 2007

FREDERICTON (CNB) -- A new responsible gaming policy unveiled today by Premier Shawn Graham and Finance Minister Victor Boudreau focuses on responsible management and responsible play, in a responsible environment.

The new policy, the most comprehensive of its kind ever introduced in the province, will bring transformational changes to gaming in New Brunswick.

Graham said there were many issues considered leading to today's announcement - but one issue in particular kept rising to the surface.

"We carefully examined all aspects of this important sector, and without a doubt, the driving force behind our action is responsibility," Graham said. "The Responsible Gaming Policy brings greater protection to the public. It brings integrity to responsible gaming activities in the province, as well as a new approach that highlights clarity, fairness, transparency, and consistency to this sector throughout New Brunswick."

Boudreau added the policy "brings major changes to gaming in our province. It brings responsibility, and takes standards and principles in the industry to a whole new level."

VLT Reform

The new Responsible Gaming Policy includes cutting the number of video lottery terminal (VLT) sites in the province by more than 50 per cent, from 625 to 300. The number of VLT machines will be reduced by nearly 25 per cent, from 2,650 to 2,000.

A moratorium will be placed on the approval of new video lottery sites for at least one year.

All video lottery terminals will be hosted in age-controlled environments. To this end, video lottery terminals will be removed from restaurants by April 2009. These sites are currently approved for up to two VLTs. One terminal will be removed from the system by Oct. 1, 2008 and the remaining will be removed from the system by April 1, 2009.

Royal Canadian Legion branches which currently have VLTs will be able to continue to operate them under the new model.

New Responsible Gaming Initiatives

The policy also includes launching the most comprehensive responsible gaming initiatives ever seen in New Brunswick.

Responsible gaming funding will double to $1.5 million.

Addiction services programs delivered by the Department of Health will receive an additional investment of $250,000 above current funding of $757,000.

In addition, more efforts will go toward research, prevention and education awareness campaigns, with an investment of $500,000 through the Lotteries Commission of New Brunswick.

Focused education campaigns will be launched so that New Brunswickers can make more informed choices.

The Province will establish corporate social responsibility standards which will include training of staff at VLT sites. Responsible advertising standards and practices will also be developed.

Stronger Charitable Gaming Policy

Many charitable organizations depend on bingos, raffles, Monte Carlo nights and similar events to raise money for worthy causes. The importance of these events for the charitable organizations was recently stressed in the Premier's Task Force on the Community Non-Profit Sector.

Legislation will be introduced to provide regulatory-making authority with respect to charitable gaming activities. At the same time, the government will review ways of assuring red tape and costs for charities are controlled, to make sure funds raised go to those who need them the most without undue delay.

Also, a program for the licensing of charitable Texas Hold 'Em tournaments, a popular form of card play which charities have been asking permission to host, will be licensed starting in 2008.

An evaluation of the proposed new charitable gaming policies will be undertaken with input from charitable gaming licensees.

Tourism Initiatives

Statistics show that the number of tourists visiting N.B. has dropped considerably from 2002 to 2006, from two million visitors to 1.57 million - a decrease of nearly 25 per cent. While there may be a slight increase in visitors in 2007, Boudreau said it is imperative that the five-year downward trend from 2002 to 2006 is addressed, as the province needs to be strong in all sectors, including tourism, as it continues towards the path to self-sufficiency by 2026.

One way the tourism sector can be bolstered is by offering visitors more services, attractions and entertainment choices.

As such, it was also announced today that the Lotteries Commission of New Brunswick, on behalf of government, will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a destination casino in the province. This would make New Brunswick the ninth province in Canada to authorize a casino and/or racino complex.

Adding a destination casino into the variety of attractions which draw people to New Brunswick is seen a means of broadening the visitation experience choices for tourists coming to the province. It is also believed it will help keep some tourists in the province longer.

Further, the provisions for ancillary services which will be part of the proposals made on a destination casino will weigh heavily in the assessment process.

Ancillary services could include, but are not limited to: a standard-bred horse racing facility, hotel, performance theatre, meeting or trade and convention facilities, special events venues, restaurants, lounges or specialty restaurants, retail facilities, or recreation facilities.

Boudreau emphasized that absolutely no government funding will be involved in the design, construction, equipping, financing or operation of the destination casino complex. An independent third party consultant, KPMG LLP, has been engaged to oversee the development of the RFP as well as the evaluation of the bids. The company will also act as the fairness monitor for the submission and evaluation process. This RFP for the destination casino will be open to interested parties, including private entities, First Nations, and the harness racing industry.

The RFP does not specify a location for the destination casino complex. Proponents will undertake their own a market assessment and select an appropriate site for the facilities based on their analysis of the market potential.

The Lotteries Commission will enter into an agreement with the successful bidder, and it is anticipated that a destination casino complex will be in operation in 2010. It would make New Brunswick the ninth province in Canada to authorize casino or racino gaming.

"Besides creating a new destination for visitors to the province, it has been shown in other jurisdictions that the spin-offs in jobs, services, and other industries are very beneficial to a community, and province, which have a destination casino," Boudreau said.

Further initiatives to boost tourism will also be announced in the months ahead.

Building Partnerships

The government recognizes that First Nations communities have very specific interests, requirements and challenges in relation to gaming.

In 2006-2007, the provincial government returned $7.5 million to eight First Nations communities through gaming revenue sharing agreements.

Following on a dialogue that the government has been having with First Nations communities over the last several weeks, Boudreau noted government is committed to immediate action through the Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, New Brunswick Relationship Building Bilateral Agreement, and other avenues of bilateral dialogue, to engage and involve First Nations and aboriginal organizations in the new approach to responsible gaming.

Talks will begin on formal development of First Nations Economies and Sustainability, which includes responsible gaming.

http://www.gnb.ca/0162/gaming/Gaming_policy-e.asp.
http://www.gnb.ca/3000/

[mylesmalley]

Fantastic!
I bet we'll see some excellent proposals in the next few months.

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Fantastic!
I bet we'll see some excellent proposals in the next few months.

With the work done years ago (market assessment, downtown development proposal), do you think Moncton promoters have an advantage to get that project ?

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by HalifaxMtl666

With the work done years ago (market assessment, downtown development proposal), do you think Moncton promoters have an advantage to get that project ?

It is my impression that because the casino developments will not involve public funds, and are entirely up to private developers, we may end up seeing approved casions or racinos in both Saint John and Moncton. This would not only be good for both cities, but also help keep complaining to a minimum from either side.

That being said, I'm not too optimistic about either city coming up with a really great proposal. I mean when was the last time New Brunswick built a great anything?

I am jealous however that Moncton seems to want a casino downtown, while developers in Saint John are stupidly wanting to pull the gaming facility away from our waterfront.

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by kwajo

It is my impression that because the casino developments will not involve public funds, and are entirely up to private developers, we may end up seeing approved casions or racinos in both Saint John and Moncton. This would not only be good for both cities, but also help keep complaining to a minimum from either side.

That being said, I'm not too optimistic about either city coming up with a really great proposal. I mean when was the last time New Brunswick built a great anything?

I am jealous however that Moncton seems to want a casino downtown, while developers in Saint John are stupidly wanting to pull the gaming facility away from our waterfront.

I am quite optomistic about this whole thing. I expect to see some nice designs come of it. There is a lot of money to be made here so would not be surprised to see some new and interesting players in the field (ie from outside NB).

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by stu_pendousmat2

I am quite optomistic about this whole thing. I expect to see some nice designs come of it. There is a lot of money to be made here so would not be surprised to see some new and interesting players in the field (ie from outside NB).

I tend to be optomistic too. I would like to see something with a modern look, other than red bricks style. Along the casino,the project should include a hotel (restaurant), a convention Center and retail spaces, and maybe even office spaces and theater. That could represent a efficient and a economically viable project for everyone.

[JasonL-Moncton]

I hope we get one in Moncton downtown attached to a convention center and new areana that holds at least 12K