The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[BlackYear]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I think I would qualify that statement a bit. There are a number of fine restaurants in Moncton. I agree with you that the new St. Hubert's is perhaps one of the most architecturally interesting restaurants in town.

Yes, you are correct. One of the nicest architecturally designed eateries in Moncton. I like chicken like the next guy, but it's definitely not the finest menu in town!

[MonctonRad]

Harrisville rezoning sought
Published Monday February 9th, 2009

Moncton council has refered matter to planing commission

Moncton city council looked at an application to rezone a piece of land at the northwest corner of Shediac Road and Harrisville Boulevard at its meeting last Monday night.

The plan is to rezone the land, also bounded by Weston Street, to a suburban commercial designation from its current R2 residential zoning.

The change is sought to accommodate the construction of a small suburban strip mall.

Council has referred the matter to the Greater Moncton Planning District Commission for its recommendations and scheduled a public presentation of the proponent's plans for March 2.

As well a public hearing into the matter will come the night council is likely (though not certain) to make its decision on the parcel, at its regular public meeting of April 6.


Personal note: This is a small matter but it is still one more step towards Harrisville/Dieppe Blvds becoming the main commercial corridor for Moncton East and Uptown Dieppe.

We have Fox Creek Golf Course, the new Dieppe Co-op, the Dieppe Aquatic Centre, The Irving HQ, The Super 8 and Holiday Inn Express hotels, the new proposed Sobey's at Harrisville & Rt. 15 and the direct connection through to the TCH and the Caledonia Industrial Park.

I see that there are now large "for sale" signs lining Harrisville between Rt. 15 and the Shediac Rd. This has occurred since they upgraded the water mains out there this summer. Perhaps this is an indication of more things happening in the future.

[C_Boy]

Originally Posted by mmmatt

Thats exactly it. Too much interference, there are at least 5 cell towers within 2 km of the mall and I always have perfect signal anywhere in metro moncton, but as soon as you go into the mall of wal-mart etc its down to 1 or 2 bars.

Good news for Aliant users on this note... One of my friends was at Sounds Fantastic the other day and while he was there questioned the reception at the mall. As well all know the new renovations (ceiling)really decreased the all ready poor signal. Apparently Bell Aliant is now putting 4 antennas in the mall at different locations so we can get signal all over. Places like Walmart area, American Eagle, Sports Check, and Sobey's I think.

[stephan.richard]

Does anybody know that will be going in the old Fairweather, Disney store location in the champlain place it looks like that has been boarded up forever and also what will be going in the old Stitches location also and will Fairrweathers be moving accross the hall to mak eway for H&M? I am just curious on this..

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by stephan.richard

Does anybody know that will be going in the old Fairweather, Disney store location in the champlain place it looks like that has been boarded up forever and also what will be going in the old Stitches location also and will Fairrweathers be moving accross the hall to mak eway for H&M? I am just curious on this..

H&M is going in the old Fairweather/Disney location. Fairweather meanwhile will be decamping across the hall to the old Tabi location.

La Vie en Rose & Aqua is moving into the location previously occupied by R&W (which is now located in the old Pseudio location).

Also, Coles is moving out of Champlain and Le Blue Jean is already gone.

And the old Champlain Place two-step continues. There are several other stores closed for renovations and I'm sure that there will be even more shuffling about in the next several months as other tenants spruce up their surroundings to match the overall mall renovations.

The wild card in all this of course is the recession. While the Moncton franchises of these national chains have faired reasonably well, this does not count for much if the rest of the nation is crashing and burning. I expect to see more mall vacancies before the year is out.

[JasonL-Moncton]

I'm really amazed that Coles is leaving the mall...I asked the manager the other day if they were moving somewhere else...and she had no idea.

I'm still surprised they haven't managed to 'connect' Champlain Mall and Crystal Palace/Chapters either via underground tunnel or directly....that'd be amazing.

JL

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by JasonL-Moncton

I'm really amazed that Coles is leaving the mall...I asked the manager the other day if they were moving somewhere else...and she had no idea.

I'm still surprised they haven't managed to 'connect' Champlain Mall and Crystal Palace/Chapters either via underground tunnel or directly....that'd be amazing.

JL

Yeah I was surprised about Coles as well...they seem to do well and always have people in there...I think this is just a cost trimming measure by Indigo, due to the recession etc. Perhaps they will come back in a couple years.

And its funny you mention a pedway to Crystal Palace as I was just talking about that with my g/f yesterday when we were at the mall. It makes a lot of sense, I mean think about coming with your family, staying at the Ramada and kids playing at the park...then coming over to shop without having to go outside...especially when we have weather like recently, it would work well. Both buildings and the lot between them are owned by the same company, so why not? They could even put an elevated pedway over the roads to keep traffic flowing around the mall etc.

[acrew79]

Hey Everyone,

Just a note on the topic. Maybe a couple reasons why they are reluctant to link the two.

I know a couple yrs ago ( 1999) when JC PEnny was rumoured to come to the mall.. they wanted to link the two. but that plan fell through.

a pedway/ tunnel may not work simply because the mall is sinking and the ground is not stable enough.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by acrew79

Hey Everyone,

Just a note on the topic. Maybe a couple reasons why they are reluctant to link the two.

I know a couple yrs ago ( 1999) when JC PEnny was rumoured to come to the mall.. they wanted to link the two. but that plan fell through.

a pedway/ tunnel may not work simply because the mall is sinking and the ground is not stable enough.

Regarding the mall, I am not aware of the mall "sinking". There is no question however that the marshy ground the mall is built on is somewhat unstable (just look at the frost heaves in the parking lot each winter). The mall however must be structurally stable - why else would Cadillac Fairview spend $14M just this last year on mall renovations?

If the land is stable enough for Champlain Place and for Crystal Palace, then it would be stable enough for a pedway. If it has not been built yet, it is only because of cost considerations and/or worries over obstructing traffic flow in the parking lot.

[JimiThing]

Originally Posted by acrew79

Hey Everyone,

Just a note on the topic. Maybe a couple reasons why they are reluctant to link the two.

I know a couple yrs ago ( 1999) when JC PEnny was rumoured to come to the mall.. they wanted to link the two. but that plan fell through.

a pedway/ tunnel may not work simply because the mall is sinking and the ground is not stable enough.

I have heard something similar in the past. Although different to your statement, I have heard that it is not the mall that is sinking it's the ground bellow and the parking around it. Since the mall is built on a pile foundation the chances of it sinking are pretty much nil.

[JasonL-Moncton]

I thought it was pretty common knowledge that the 'old section' (Sears to Walmart-original section) of the mall has been sinking ever so slightly (fractions of an inch) since the 70's due to it being built on swamp...another reason why the mall expanded 'out' and not 'up', but when they added the new areas they put piles on the bedrock to support the mall.

Now if they did build some sort of structure to connect the two, it would be connected to the new end anyway because that is the closest area to CP.

Jason

[mylesmalley]

I can't see them building a tunnel between the two unless something gets built in between. That'd be quite a distance to cover, even for a tunnel, and I suspect you'd have security issues. That said, if a new big-box store or a general expansion to the mall was added, a passageway could be a possible option. I doubt we'll see much change to the size of the mall now though. Parking there is almost always an issue and adding a new section would probably necessitate the need for a parking structure of some sort...which would cost a fortune considering the marshy soil underneath.

I think the biggest force against that is just the current style in store construction. A lot of big box retailers -especially- WalMart, prefer standalone stores, or at most strip mall/power centres. It gives them a certain degree of gravitas as they dominate their lot and full control over parking. But most importantly, being outside of malls usually means lower rent. I know that the Walmart in Fredericton wanted to move out of Regent Mall to save on rent. The mall had to build a giant hallway thing to connect the store to the rest of the mall to appease them.

So, while I hate malls in general, and especially hate power centres, I don't see trend changing back into indoor malls anytime soon.

[MonctonRad]

Metro's menu expands
Published Tuesday February 10th, 2009

New and expanded St. Hubert latest restaurant to cash in on Metro's growing economy
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Today's opening of the new St-Hubert rôtisserie on Carson Drive is the latest in a series of revamped dining establishments in Metro Moncton and another indication that the local economy is doing well.


GREG AGNEW/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
The new St. Hubert restaurant in Moncton opens today. The popular spot features new contemporary styling. An urban designed Resto Bar, seen here, features live music. "It shows that our economy is growing and, with it, our quality of life; they go together," says Ben Champoux, economic development officer for the City of Moncton.

The new St-Hubert opens its doors to the public at 11 a.m. today in a new and much larger location than the old place on Mountain Road. Company officials from the franchise head office in Montreal were in Moncton last night to snip the ribbon on the new restaurant.

It features a bar, main dining room, children's room and conference room that together offer seating for more than 300 people. It also has separate pickup area for take-out orders and, for the first time, a drive-thru window. Owners say the bigger and improved restaurant will see the staff go from 60 to 125. The new restaurant has a contemporary decor, dark woods contrasting with white brick and plaster, along with African-style decorations and lighting. The bar has a music theme and includes a small dance floor, with room for live entertainment.

Over the last six months, several new restaurants have opened in Moncton, including Portofino's Italian eatery on Weldon Street, the Keg Steakhouse and Bar on Main Street, the City Grill on Westmorland Street, Japanese Pink Sushi on Main Street, Diesel Pizza in Riverview and a new Quizno's Sub on Elmwood Drive. Construction of a new Papa John's Pizza at 939 Mountain Road, in a former Need's Convenience Store location, is nearing completion and should open soon.

Several chain restaurants have also seen additions and renovations over the last six months, including the Boston Pizza on Mountain Road.

Overall, Metro Moncton has hundreds of dining spots for burgers, fish & chips, steaks, subs, pizza, donairs and fine dining.

Champoux says the number of restaurants represents Moncton's taste for different foods and also different cultures. It also points to the amount of disposable income among the growing population. And since many of the dining places are franchises which do their homework before opening, it stands as more proof that restaurants do well here.

"If they couldn't make it work, they wouldn't come here."

Champoux and others say the restaurant business goes hand-in-hand with retail and the fact that so many people come to Metro Moncton from all over New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for business and shopping trips. Concerts, hockey games, sports tournaments and other events also draw people from out of town.

[ErickMontreal]

Mega Wraps located on Main street has closed his doors.

Seriously, the retail aspect along Main street is a total failure.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by ErickMontreal

Mega Wraps located on Main street has closed his doors.

Seriously, the retail aspect along Main street is a total failure.

They are opening a new location on Mountain Road adjacent to NBCC. This must be a direct transfer of that particular site.

[BlackYear]

Originally Posted by ErickMontreal

Mega Wraps located on Main street has closed his doors.

Seriously, the retail aspect along Main street is a total failure.

Just like Quizno's, looks like it just to difficult to try and sell enough lunch time products between 8am and 5pm. Main street during the winter months can be a killer for some businesses.

What ever happen to the dome project for Main street.

[bam63]

These types of eateries will never survive downtown without a major draw like a new arena " Highfield Center"

[mylesmalley]

Highfield Place
Westmorland Centre
Codiac Centre
Place-Acadie

....anything but Metro Centre

[David_99]

Originally Posted by Budyser

Just like Quizno's, looks like it just to difficult to try and sell enough lunch time products between 8am and 5pm. Main street during the winter months can be a killer for some businesses.

Moncton weather defintely affects this type of business. We aren't Vancouver where people are literally able to walk everywhere almost every day. The only thing to stop people there is rain, but they counteract this by adding plexiglass sheets all along Robson St to protect people form the weather.



Obviously this wouldn't work here. Instead I always wondered why more shops along Main didn't have temporary parking in back (along Queen) and a back enterance. This would give the option during winter to park behind the shop/eatery and enter from the back, not having to weather the storm while parking in the Aliant lot and walking half way up Main.

This way, Mega Wraps or Candy Chameleon or wherever could become a "destination" instead of them having to rely on the walk-by traffic. Not much walking going on when it's -40!

[bam63]

Places like the Keg,Pumphouse are swamped all week because they are destination points.No one makes a point to drive downtown,find a place to park and then walk three blocks to get a footlong at subway,its alot easier on mountain road.Just think about thousands of people spilling out onto downtown streets three or four times a week!!!???