The Official Moncton, NB Project Thread

[YYCguys]

Right, they serve Starbucks coffee but I don't think there's a full complement of Starbucks drinks such as macchiatos and lattes, etc. I'll have to check when I'm at the Delta in November.

[MonctonRad]

Yes, they proudly brew and serve Starbucks coffee at that kiosk at the Delta, but I'm pretty sure you can't get a grande no-whip decaf double shot caramel machiatto latte there.....

And in other news, the new Swiss Chalet at Mountain/Gorge will open on November 1st. I'm willing to bet that it will be as insanely busy as the new Second Cup is. I'm certainly looking forward to not having to drive across town to Dieppe to get my chicken fix!

[mylesmalley]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Yes, they proudly brew and serve Starbucks coffee at that kiosk at the Delta, but I'm pretty sure you can't get a grande no-whip decaf double shot caramel machiatto latte there.....

And in other news, the new Swiss Chalet at Mountain/Gorge will open on November 1st. I'm willing to bet that it will be as insanely busy as the new Second Cup is. I'm certainly looking forward to not having to drive across town to Dieppe to get my chicken fix!

They have delivery. In fact, you can order online.

[mcmcclassic]

Hey I have been wondering this for awhile and I was wondering if any of you Moncton forumers could be able to provide an answer to my question:

How come there haven't been many highrise (like 8+ stories) buildings being build in the downtown area of Moncton? Is there a zoning law against it, or a viewplane restriction(s) holding back development?

It just seems that Assomption place could look less out of place with some towers of a similar height in the near vicinity. Moncton has been growing quite rapidly in recent years and continually ranks high in economic surveys-- with that said it seems that there should be more going on in the downtown.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by mcmcclassic

How come there haven't been many highrise (like 8+ stories) buildings being build in the downtown area of Moncton? Is there a zoning law against it, or a viewplane restriction(s) holding back development?

Nothing in terms of restrictions as far as I know. My only assumption is that there's no need for high-rises when there's still so much sprawling to do. Generally the horizontal development takes place before the vertical can kick in.

[MonctonRad]

In a nutshell, Moncton does not have any geographic limitations to growth like Halifax has.

Moncton is blessed (? cursed) with a flat topography and land is cheap. The only body of water is the Petitcodiac River. In Halifax on the other hand, the downtown is easily defined and limited by the peninsula.

The tendency in Moncton is therefore low-rise sprawl, while in Halifax there is pressure to build upwards.

Things will change in Moncton at some point, but not until sprawl has reached the breaking point.

[mylesmalley]

Worth noting that there are two projects approved by council for towers in the 7-8 story range in the downtown area.

[mmmatt]

Yes it is good to note that while we have been slow on the development of true "highrises" as of late, the downtown area has seen a significant amount of infill in the last 10 years in the form of mid-rise 4-6 floor residential, office and hotel developments. This continues today with 2 projects in that range U/C.

And as Myles stated we have 3 mid/highrises which are poised for construction in the next few years. These include a 7 floor apartment building which has gotten recent approval. An 8~ fl condo development which has seen some play recently and will most likely start in the next 2 years. And finally there is a proposal for a 6-7 floor office which may come to light soon as our downtown office space is becoming ever more tough to find.

All things considered, mainly for the reasons MonctonRad stated, I am surprised that Moncton even has the highrises it does at this point. I am hopeful for the future as we seem to be picking up steam in that regard.

[mmmatt]

A CBC news article that just broke had me thinking again of the recent news of a meat plant closure here. The news is that the sawmill in Doaktown will be closing.

I have heard some people compare the meat plant news in Moncton to the CNR closures of the 80's and It almost makes me laugh. Comments such as "we overcame it when CN left in the 80's and we will overcome this". I have also heard people say things such as "devastating" and "signifigant impact on the economy". C'mon people...really?

Lets for a second compare the Moncton situation to that of Doaktown. To do so I will even forget about the fact that we have already created more jobs this year than what the meat plant will lose. There Irving is closing down a Sawmill for a year (possibly forever, who knows). It employs 115, the Moncton plant employed around 400. Now at first glance you say "WOW 400 that's a lot" etc. But look at it this way:

Moncton has 70,800 employed people in its workforce as of Sept. and Doaktown had 285 in 2006.

For Moncton the meat plant represents .56% (yes about 1/2 of 1%) of the employed people in the city. For Doaktown however this closure represents 59.6% of the working people in the village. THAT people is a situation that warrants words such as "devastating" etc.

End of rant

[mcmcclassic]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

In a nutshell, Moncton does not have any geographic limitations to growth like Halifax has.

Moncton is blessed (? cursed) with a flat topography and land is cheap. The only body of water is the Petitcodiac River. In Halifax on the other hand, the downtown is easily defined and limited by the peninsula.

The tendency in Moncton is therefore low-rise sprawl, while in Halifax there is pressure to build upwards.

Things will change in Moncton at some point, but not until sprawl has reached the breaking point.

That makes sense actually--- it's kind of sad but a reality. I hope to see Moncton become a mid-large city in the long term, and see the atlantic region be a more significant player on the national stage (just like we used to be)

[pierremoncton]

A head's up to everyone that the city is now gathering opinions through its Citizen Advisory Panel. I received a link to a survey regarding traffic today.

I should probably keep this to myself to lend my opinions more weight, but in the interest of democracy... you can sign up at www.forummoncton.ca.

[mike4190]

one point to remember is that before Maple Leaf bought the plant there were over 1100 people working there, so there has already been over 700 jobs adsorbed

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

A head's up to everyone that the city is now gathering opinions through its Citizen Advisory Panel. I received a link to a survey regarding traffic today.

I should probably keep this to myself to lend my opinions more weight, but in the interest of democracy... you can sign up at www.forummoncton.ca.

Done, thanks for the tip pierre. I think all Monctonians who participate in our forum should get involved.

Originally Posted by mmmatt

Moncton has 70,800 employed people in its workforce as of Sept. and Doaktown had 285 in 2006.

For Moncton the meat plant represents .56% (yes about 1/2 of 1%) of the employed people in the city. For Doaktown however this closure represents 59.6% of the working people in the village. THAT people is a situation that warrants words such as "devastating" etc.

Indeed. While the closure of Maple Leaf Foods in three years time will certainly be a blow to the local economy, it will by no means be a knockout punch.

A loss of 0.5% of the labour force will only be the equivalent of a small surface disturbance to the local economy, not the tidal wave of the combined loss of thousands of jobs in the late 80's when CNR, Eaton's and CFB Moncton all decamped.

The Moncton economy has also matured and diversified in the meantime, probably more so than a lot of non-Monctonians realize. Job growth has occurred in all sectors. There are many major employers in the Moncton region.

This list is not comprehensive, but serves as an example of the strength and diversity of the economy:

PUBLIC SECTOR - Atlantic Lotto, ACOA, DFO, CBC, Transport Canada, Corrections Canada
HEALTH CARE - The Moncton Hospital, Georges-L Dumont Hospital, Ambulance NB, Provincial Telecare
EDUCATION - District 1, District 2, Universite de Moncton, Crandall University, NBCC Moncton, CCNB Dieppe, Moncton Flight College
BANKING - RBC (NB/PEI HQ & national call centre), National Bank (Atlantic region HQ), ING Direct (national customer contact centre)
INSURANCE - Medavie Blue Cross, Assumption Life, Wawanesa
MANUFACTURING - APEX, Malley Industries, Industrial Rail Services, Action Car & Truck Accessories, Molson Coors
TRANSPORTATION - Nav Canada, GMIA, CNR (still)
DISTRIBUTION - Armour, Matrix, Loblaws
CUSTOMER CONTACT - Assurion, Exxon Mobile, Minacs, BBM Canada, Fairmont Hotels, Rogers Communication, Sitel
HIGH TECH - International Gaming Technology, Nanoptix, GTech
IRVING GROUP - Cavendish Farms, Majesta/Royale, Master Packaging, Irving Personal Care, Brunswick News, Midland Transport
RETAILING - Champlain Place, Wheeler Park etc.
HOSPITALITY & TOURISM - Casino NB, Magnetic Hill Attractions, many hotels including Delta Beausejour, Marriott and Crowne Plaza

I could go on, but you get the idea. Moncton is much more than Maple Leaf Foods.....

[mylesmalley]

I have to be careful about surveys like that, now that I'm a resident of Dieppe

[MonctonRad]

from the CBC

Mount Allison ranked best undergrad by Maclean's
CBC News Posted:
Oct 26, 2011 2:05 PM AT Last Updated: Oct 26, 2011 2:14 PM AT

Mount Allison has been named the best undergraduate university in Canada by Maclean's magazine for a record 15th time.

The university, located in Sackville, has placed first in the primarily undergraduate category for the past five years in a row and has never placed lower than second in the 21 years Maclean's has published an annual rankings issue.

"We are pleased with the Maclean’s results," president and vice-chancellor Robert Campbell stated in a news release.

"Each year the rankings serve as validation for our single-minded pursuit of excellence in academics and extracurricular activities and the unique way in which they are integrated," he said.

In the survey, which asks CEOs, experts, educators, and community leaders from across the nation for their views on quality, innovation, and leadership at Canadian universities, Mount Allison jumped eight spots nationally into the top 10.

It ranked first in its class in the highest quality category and placed second for best overall.

"We are extremely gratified to see our reputation with leaders growing across Canada," said Campbell.

"And they are evidently sharing the good news. With the highest percentage of first-year students from other provinces, the quality of our experience is clearly getting through to those seeking an immersive learning experience."

The University of New Brunswick placed sixth in the comprehensive category for universities that have a significant degree of research activity and a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees.

St. Thomas University placed 14th in the primarily undergraduate category, while the University of Moncton tied for 15th with Brandon.

[MonctonRad]

Champlain Place News:

- Jack & Jones is now open next to Bath & Body Works.



Judging from the potency of the aroma of cologne wafting from the entrance of the store, I would say that they have definitely stolen a page from the playbook of A&F or Hollisters!

- Also, they are starting renovations in the old Carleton Cards location. I have no idea yet what is going in there. This will leave the old Roots location as the only empty storefront in the mall. It will be a temporary Hickory Farms location for the holiday season.

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T



A new Sun Life Financial office will be officially opened in a new professional office building on Mountain Road this Friday.

The new Sun Life building on Mountain Road near Gorge Road sports a nice new clock. The building will have its official opening this Friday.
The new office building at 1888 Mountain Road has been attracting quite a bit of attention with its unique design and clock towers. The building is a project of business partners Kevin Williams of Sun Life Financial and Dr. Richard Cole, who will have his dentist office in the building. Other tenants are MacPhee's Accounting and Diversity Hair Salon. Williams says there are three spaces still available to be leased and he's hoping to attract professional offices.

Both Williams and Cole are from Moncton and played football for Harrison Trimble High School before they became business partners. He says the design of the building allows for easy access and parking, with an extended roof that allows customers to walk from one business to the other without being exposed to the elements.

Personal note - this new building is called the Indent Building, which I think is a rather clever play on words. One of the owners is a dentist, and the building is somewhat "indented" with relation to Mountain Road. Personally, I find the building attractive and it complements Wheaton's next door very well.....

[mmmatt]

Couple notes

- Exterior cladding is going up on Empire theaters but only the "back" of the new section...not much to speak of...just tilt-up grey concrete.

- The large apt on Gauvin is on its 4th floor now, lookin good so far

- Sobeys/Lawtons on Elmwood is putting the finishing touches on exteriors...they don't look too bad for what they are...the Sobeys has more glass on it than the new one on Vaughn Harvey.

- Site prep work is started at the new condo project on Harrisville Blvd.

- Most of the exterior is up on the Irving HQ on Dieppe Blvd...

- Seems as though the new Valmond building and phase II of Bella Casa are in a race to the top haha...they are progressing at about the same speed...both working on the underground parking so far but it looks like they will be moving up soon!

[mylesmalley]

The walls have started going up on a surprisingly huge looking apartment building at the end of Gauvin Rd. If it tops out at four floors (which I assume it will as everything else built in the last few years along that road has been), it'll probably hold 64 units. There have probably been close to 175 units built just on Gauvin since Summer.

[mmmatt]

Also forgot to mention

- The old Smitties/St Hubert is being renovated...possibly to look like the render they have posted. Not sure if that means they have a tenant lined up or they are just being proactive.

- Near that there is a lot with something going on as I mentioned a while back "Flatiron Moncton". I went by today and it seems as though they are making an attempt at digging to china haha.