The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[UptownJeff]

Originally Posted by GregHickman

...said everybody, five years ago.

Would've, could've, should've....personally, I like the new station right uptown and I am hopeful it will change the complexion of Union Street. Whether the building of the complex was "right' or "wrong" is moot now but I do remember the debates around the old Downey site. I thought there were reasons why it wasn't chosen?? Something to do with traffic access/flow?? I know I'll probably get slammed for this but like it or not it's here to stay and I for one, like it!

[nwalbert]

Originally Posted by UptownJeff

Would've, could've, should've....personally, I like the new station right uptown and I am hopeful it will change the complexion of Union Street. Whether the building of the complex was "right' or "wrong" is moot now but I do remember the debates around the old Downey site. I thought there were reasons why it wasn't chosen?? Something to do with traffic access/flow?? I know I'll probably get slammed for this but like it or not it's here to stay and I for one, like it!

You are correct, the city claimed that the site was not acceptable due to traffic or vehicular access. Most folks, including myself, strongly disagreed with that assessment.

I think in general, your consensus is correct however. The Police Station is where it is and should greatly improve uptown. The law courts now have the external lighting switched on and it actually looks quite impressive entering the uptown core after dark.

[JHikka]

I've no problem with the Law Courts as I believe they were needed and the building is going to suit their needs...my problems solely rest with the Police Station. Anyway, doesn't matter now I guess.

One thing I did notice this morning was an odd similarity. It's time for tin-foil hats and conspiracy theories!

I posted this last week:

Originally Posted by GregHickman

Essentially he states that it is a central location between the LBR, Harbour Station, and the Uptown, with plenty of space for onsite parking as well as connectivity with Harbour Passage and bike trails.

CHSJ posted this this morning:

Originally Posted by CHSJ News Blog

He tells Council the site is central to the L-B-R and Harbour Station with onsite parking and links to several areas of the city via Harbour Passage and bike trails.

So...thanks for reading SSP, CHSJ? I know that Norton's letter to council was fairly short and could have been paraphrased similarly..I just thought it was amusing. Carry on.

[CdnEh]

Originally Posted by GregHickman

I've no problem with the Law Courts as I believe they were needed and the building is going to suit their needs...my problems solely rest with the Police Station. Anyway, doesn't matter now I guess.

One thing I did notice this morning was an odd similarity. It's time for tin-foil hats and conspiracy theories!

I posted this last week:

CHSJ posted this this morning:


So...thanks for reading SSP, CHSJ? I know that Norton's letter to council was fairly short and could have been paraphrased similarly..I just thought it was amusing. Carry on.

They're among us!

• Video Link

[mrniceguy]

i heard that supreme auto on rothesay ave is moving there in feb..

[JHikka]

166 Union Street (near the corner of Charlotte) is being demolished today.

[kwajo]

^ I noticed they were prepping for this last week. That corner is going to look awful [even more so] with that building gone. I really hope some proposals appear in the next couple of years to fill in some holes Uptown. For all of the great renovations taking place lately, the revitalized retail scene, and some nice new apartment conversions, there are an increasing number of vacant lots because little, if anything, new is being built.

[JHikka]

A few years ago on here I posted jokingly about that area (corner of Union & Charlotte) becoming a tiny Chinatown with the Commerce Centre just up the hill a bit from there. With the amount of Chinese investment in the North End in recent years I would like to see some of that shift to this part of the Uptown.

Once they finish with 166 they should take the corner lot down as well. It would be awesome to see a solid 6-7 storey building built on that entire lot, or any sort of midrise development at all. It's a heavy traffic area although the pedestrian traffic is less than it is in other parts of Uptown.

[kwajo]

I think it is a fabulous location for a mid-rise residential development, only a half-block from the city market and a block or two from a couple of our largest downtown office spaces. Ideally both that corner and the parking lot on the corner of Wellington and Union should have 4-7 story residential buildings with groundfloor retail. Union Street would really turn the corner with that many new residents.

[CdnEh]

Does anybody know the criteria for building a train bridge? Ie: at what point of "busy-ness" is a train bridge required over a level crossing?

The at-grade crossings at Rothesay Ave/Thorne Ave seem to be getting busier and busier, often with both crossings closed at the same time.

Having so many crossings across, and shutting down two major arteries so frequently, is going to be problematic.

It seems like some days there are long trains coming through every 20 minutes, sometimes even stopping halfway across the roads, blocking them. I just sat through 2 trains that came back to back - the road was open for about 10 seconds between them.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by CdnEh

The at-grade crossings at Rothesay Ave/Thorne Ave seem to be getting busier and busier, often with both crossings closed at the same time.

Having so many crossings across, and shutting down two major arteries so frequently, is going to be problematic.

This is something that was brought up in this thread a few months ago. With the work ongoing at Mile One any sort of ramp would seem difficult on Rothesay Avenue, and with the railway crossing occurring so closely to the intersection on Thorne a ramp there would prove to be difficult as well.

IIRC at peak operation there should be a train arriving every 15 minutes, which means traffic is stopped on both roads at those times.



As well, i'll head up to Union tomorrow to get a picture or two of the demolition.

[UptownJeff]

Originally Posted by kwajo

^ I noticed they were prepping for this last week. That corner is going to look awful [even more so] with that building gone. I really hope some proposals appear in the next couple of years to fill in some holes Uptown. For all of the great renovations taking place lately, the revitalized retail scene, and some nice new apartment conversions, there are an increasing number of vacant lots because little, if anything, new is being built.

As I understand it, the building on the corner was bought by an out of town investor a number of years back. He could not do anything with the upper stories as there was something regarding the building code and the fact that the frame building was interfering with access. It would be a shame to see that building demolished - I beleive it goes back to pre-fire times. It will look odd though but maybe now this will allow some development to go on.

I hate to think what the interior looks like - its been vacant for years.

[kirjtc2]

Originally Posted by CdnEh

Does anybody know the criteria for building a train bridge? Ie: at what point of "busy-ness" is a train bridge required over a level crossing?

They usually multiply the daily traffic average x the number of trains per day. I've heard the magic number is something like 400,000 to make an overpass worthwhile.

So if that crossing gets 10 trains a day, you'd need an AADT of 40,000. I don't have the numbers with me, but with a street like Rothesay Avenue, that may be pretty close. Might be worth looking into.

[CdnEh]

Originally Posted by GregHickman

This is something that was brought up in this thread a few months ago. With the work ongoing at Mile One any sort of ramp would seem difficult on Rothesay Avenue, and with the railway crossing occurring so closely to the intersection on Thorne a ramp there would prove to be difficult as well.

IIRC at peak operation there should be a train arriving every 15 minutes, which means traffic is stopped on both roads at those times.

Do the tracks cross under the overpass at any point? Or is it pretty much parallel?

There were no less than 4 crossings between 4 and 5pm today, two of which went back and forth across the road for 10 minutes (assuming they're changing tracks?) Cut off access to Bayside Dr, Loch Lomond Rd, Russell St, Thorne Ave and Rothesay Ave - none of which are exactly dead streets at 4:30 in the afternoon.

I understand the logistics around building that sort of structure might be difficult, but I'm sure the right amount of money could get it done

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by CdnEh

I understand the logistics around building that sort of structure might be difficult, but I'm sure the right amount of money could get it done

That's true, but who is going to pay for it? City has no money and it's not really private industry's problem...and even if it was, it's not as if they'd be willing to fork over copious amounts of money for city infrastructure that doesn't involve their own trucking. It almost feels as though it was planned ahead of time...get an overpass built so the trucking can go directly from the source to highway in either direction without having to deal with train-held traffic.

And yes, the tracks go under the overpass connecting Russell and the highway, mostly the overpass dealing with eastbound traffic exiting onto Russell.

[JHikka]

Real quick phone photo tour:

Technology Drive update:


166 Union demolition:


Corner of Charlotte & Union:


The rear of that lot:


101 Carleton Street:


Orthodox Church:


And the top of the new parking garage:

[ErickMontreal]

Thanks Greg for the tour. On a side note, I really hope the brick building at the corner won't be torn down, that would be hideous considering that the other corner has been sitting empty for years now

[ErickMontreal]

Common Councillor Calls For Revitalisation Plan

Plan SJ wants to get more development going closer to the urban core but one member of Common Council believes you will need a specific revitalization strategy to make that happen.

Donnie Snook, who represents Ward 3, believes there should be incentives on the table for new development and to restore buildings that are falling down.

He would like to see a curbside recycling pilot program be given another look as well as a stoop and scoop program.

Snook is also calling for more trees and flowers be planted, yearly neighborhood cleanups and an Adopt a Block program.

Posted by CHSJ News

__________________________________________________________________________

New Immigrants Are Looking At Saint John

The makeup of Saint John is changing if you judge by those people selling their homes to move elsewhere and other folks who want to move here.

Realtor Hodges Hamm tells CHSJ News there's a large number of people who are moving out of Saint John for the Alberta oil sands, a new refinery in B-C and industrial activity in Labrador.

On the other hand, Hamm says he's dealing with a number of Russians, Iranians and Turks who want to move here because it's affordable and close to the water.

Hamm concedes its now taking longer to sell houses from an average of 90 days to as many as 180 days with realtors having to show alot more homes to potential buyers who are well aware they are in control of the market.

Posted by CHSJ News

__________________________________________________________________________


We Know Now Where Mel Norton Wants 4-Plex Built

One of Mayor Mel Norton's priorities is for the city to build a multi-ice surface 4-Plex and now we know where he wants it to be located.

The Mayor will be asking Common Council tonight to approve preliminary discussions with the Port Authority on constructing it at Long Wharf.

Mayor Norton wants to find out how much land might be available and at what cost.

He tells Council the site is central to the L-B-R and Harbour Station with onsite parking and links to several areas of the city via Harbour Passage and bike trails.

Long Wharf was where Irving Oil wanted to build its new headquarters but ran into opposition from the International Longshoremen's Association.

Posted by CHSJ News at 5:00 AM
__________________________________________________________________________

Norton delivers first state of the city address

CBC News
Posted: Nov 21, 2012 7:55 AM AT
Last Updated: Nov 21, 2012 8:32 AM AT

Saint John Mayor Mel Norton delivered his first state of the city address in front of the Saint John Board of Trade.Saint John Mayor Mel Norton delivered his first state of the city address in front of the Saint John Board of Trade. (CBC)

Saint John Mayor Mel Norton took centre stage Tuesday evening in front of the Saint John Board of Trade for his first state of the city address in which he challenged residents to start a different conversation about their city.

"When will it again be the kind of Saint John that people have written about where the Saint Johners risk more, they speculate more, they lose more, they make more, and after every failure they rise and they make another fortune?" Norton asked the crowd at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre.

"When is that going to be?"

Norton, who has been in office for six months, began his speech by referring to a sticky note he was handed when he first took office.

The note said he needed to control the budget, create economic development and surround himself with good people.

Peter Allaby, a project manager at Exp Services Inc., said by the end of the speech, he was convinced Norton was on the right track.

"He pointed out some of the challenges that are realistic challenges, but he also let us know there's lots of wins," he told CBC News Tuesday night.

"It's our job now to go out and promote those."

Norton, who moved up to the mayor's chair after just a year and a half of being a councillor, has spent his political career as part of a council mired in a financial crisis.

All the while, Saint John's economy has also struggled.

The mayor tried to inspire the business audience listening to his speech by pointing out Saint John's population was on the rise for the first time in 30 years.

"Believe we are the next big thing. The belief is going to lead to action," said Norton.

"When is Saint John going to be the next big thing? When is it going to be the renaissance city? It's going to be that when every single person in this room believes we are truly that, we are the next big thing."

Norton said his council is already moving on transit, economic development, upgrading the city's water system and resolving the underfunded pension fund — their top priority.

"We're going to deal with that, we're going to get that finished," he told CBC News.

"The mission is to get that finished by the end of this year so that everyone can focus a little more easily on the wins."

[JHikka]

I'd like to make the recommendation that if a Fourplex gets built on Long Wharf that it's called the Fort Latour Fourplex so we can call it the Fortplex.

[kwajo]

Why not make it more appealing to New Brunswick's rural mentality? Add another 3 stories of offices or residences on top of the arenas, so we can call it the 4X4.