Article in the TJ today about Canadian Tire and Marks Work Warehouse starting construction may 15th.
http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/1042645
SAINT JOHN - Workers are expected to be onsite May 14 as construction gets under way on a new Canadian Tire store on Fairville Boulevard.
Coun. Bill Farren says work to replace the old Canadian Tire on Fairville Boulevard will begin a week from Friday.
The new stand-alone store will include a 9,000-square-foot Mark's Work Wearhouse, said Coun. Bill Farren, who started talking to Canadian Tire officials more than a year ago.
It will be located between the existing Canadian Tire store and Cox Electronics and Communications and will open in the fall, Farren said. Maxim Construction has been awarded the contract.
"We've been hounding them every month.
"They finally agreed in the last few weeks that the (present west side Canadian Tire) store does not represent what they want for what's going on in Saint John," Farren said.
"We need a new and improved store."
All of Canadian Tire's new stores will include a Mark's Work Wearhouse, Farren said.
Initially, Canadian Tire planned on building a 5,000-square-foot in-store Mark's Work Wearhouse, but a study of the area suggested that a bigger store would be needed.
In fact, Mark's wanted to go even larger than 9,000 square feet, but the parent company advised that the site couldn't accommodate it, Farren said.
Initial reports put the pricetag of the big new store at $8 million; Canadian Tire officials could not be reached to confirm this and other details.
When tenders to build the store came in way over budget, Canadian Tire put the brakes on the new store, Farren said.
But all that has changed.
"At supper time last night, I got a phone call and they said that the board said that, 'even though it's beyond our price range, we want to do this for West Saint John.'"
Cox has given permission for Canadian Tire to encroach on their property during construction and Home Hardware is also allowing easements across their property.
"Everybody's co-operating and helping this go through.
"It's going to fill the whole imprint of the lot that they've got there," Farren said.
In September 2008, Farren got a scolding from Mayor Ivan Court for meeting with retail officials in Toronto without consulting council first. Farren spent nearly $1,100 out of his own pocket to make the trip.
"I was accused of being a renegade and a maverick," he said, adding that he's still talking to potential west-side bound retailers to increase growth.
With a couple of anchor stores now on Fairville Boulevard, other retailers will be attracted to the area, Farren said he's been told by those in the know.
"There's another one I was hoping to announce but they got cold feet after rumours got around that they were looking," he said.
"Hopefully, people like that will get re-interested."
The Plaza Corp strip mall, which includes a Staples and Bulk Barn, has contributed to the west side revival, and Fairville Boulevard is also home to a new Sobeys. In addition, Lancaster Mall has undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation. The old Sobeys, meanwhile, recently reopened as a large Lawtons Drugs.
Prev
Linear Mode
