So I heard from a reliable source that there's a proposal in the works for a 6-unit residential building at the former site of the Torch for Truth Tabernacle on Church Avenue, which (rather ironically) burned down last August. I think the added density can only be good for this area.
This proposal is in the environs of Main Street West, one of the only intact 'urban' commercial streets we have remaining outside of the Uptown. Straddling the ridge between Reversing Falls and the Fairville Boulevard retail area, it's a neighbourhood that's been designated as a "mixed-use centre" in PlanSJ:
I was over there Wednesday while running errands (I'm a loyal patron of Steen's for haircuts), and decided to snap a few photos to illustrate the area's current state and future potential. Apologies for the quality: they're taken with my phone, and it was typical SJ spring weather, so they are rather grey. The smell of wood chips from the pulp mill below was also in the air as I walked around.
Main Street West Bird's Eye View
Main Street West in Google Streetview
Looking east toward Simms Corner and the former Centracare site:
The Moosehead Brewery dominates the eastern stretches of the street:
Looking west from the same intersection:
The head office section of the Moosehead plant was renovated a few years back to look a bit less industrial:
It's not just the imposing plant itself that impacts this stretch of the street, but also spillover of worker parking into vacant lots. Derek Oland's parking space is two spaces off frame to the left:
The former site of the Moosehead Country Store (demolished). The large number of vacant lots are currently a major blight on the street, but in the long run will offer great opportunities for infill and densification of the neighbourhood:
Residential sidestreets, both to the north and south, likewise offer opportunities to increase density in the immediate area and bring vibrancy back to the street:
So what exactly is left on Main Street West? A handful of local businesses and several banks, serving as reminders of this area's role as 'downtown' for the former city of Lancaster:
The Old Post office, renovated into a Deluxe French Fries location:
The most intact commercial section of the street is between Walnut Street and Church Avenue:
Vacant lot next door to the Scotiabank. Any mid/high rise developments along the street would have commanding views of the Saint John River on one side and Fairville Boulevard on the other:
Looking down Church Avenue, which includes the former fire station (now a hairdresser IIRC) and the former 'new' Post Office (now abandoned):
Looking down Manawagonish Road toward the Church of the Good Shepherd and Lancaster Plaza. This strip mall housed Lawtons Drugstore until their new location opened down the hill on Catherwood Street. It's still home to a Tim Hortons and some other shops, clinics and restaurants:
Main Street West today is rather sleepy, but the businesses are still frequented by locals and there is constant turnover of the on-street parking spaces. It's one of the few areas outside of the Uptown I can see commanding a trendy urban commercial vibe in the future, without the radical transformations necessary on some of our corridors that fell to urban renewal. Just imagine a couple hundred more residential units in the surrounding blocks, a few strategic mixed-use infill developments along the street, and a couple trendy cafes to spice up the street life: the only thing left would be to brand it 'Lancaster Village'!
Prev
Linear Mode
