[Moncton] Downtown Developments

[Mattyyy]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

Re 55 Queen: Their website now states that condo owners can expect to move in "early 2017." It's been pushed back at least two years; let's see what this spring brings. http://fivefive.ca/specifications/

Re Dolma: I heard reconstruction may begin as early as next month. Plan would be a two-storey building with a larger footprint (reduced parking): grocery store on first, restaurant & apartments on second, and a licensed summertime rooftop terrace, which AFAIK would be unique in Moncton.

They actually changed it to early 2017 months ago - I think I posted it way back unless I'm confused on dates. What I have noticed is they recently revamped their website which isn't a good sign in my opinion.

Looking forward to what will hopefully be a strong construction season this summer to make up for lack of activity on the downtown forum this winter.

[pierremoncton]

Originally Posted by Mattyyy

They actually changed it to early 2017 months ago - I think I posted it way back unless I'm confused on dates. What I have noticed is they recently revamped their website which isn't a good sign in my opinion.

I think it used to say "Summer 2016" until very recently.

[Mattyyy]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

I think it used to say "Summer 2016" until very recently.

From May 26th

Originally Posted by Mattyyy

Five Five Queen has updated their website and changed the anticipated move in ready date from Summer 2016 to Early 2017 - not much of a surprise. It has already been delayed one year and now another delay of at least 6 months. I wouldn't be surprised if current buyers are bailing at this point. May as well get it over with and just cancel the project!

[MonctonRad]

According to the T&T, the Grotto Kitchen & Bar has opened on Westmorland Street, underneath Gusto Bar & Grill.

It specializes in "small plate" cuisine designed for sharing.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

According to the T&T, the Grotto Kitchen & Bar has opened on Westmorland Street, underneath Gusto Bar & Grill.

It specializes in "small plate" cuisine designed for sharing.

The girl I have been seeing works there, its the same owners as Gusto, she described some of the stuff and it sounds pretty good. By small plate it would be a steak. but you would just get a steak for example, no sides. But they have a large menu from what I've been told.

[MonctonRad]

St. James Gate will apparently be reopening sometime in April.

[riverviewer]

The building at 80 Foundry has been demolished and removed. Wasn't that Bob's Copy Center?

Anyone know if that's just for parking or for something more exciting?

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.0861174,-...kv2LPhneX1MQsOMuKaRvA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by riverviewer

The building at 80 Foundry has been demolished and removed. Wasn't that Bob's Copy Center?

Anyone know if that's just for parking or for something more exciting?

https://www.google.ca/maps/@46.0861174,-...kv2LPhneX1MQsOMuKaRvA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Since that's just across the tracks from the soon-to-be-built events centre, perhaps it will be for something exciting - like a parking garage.

[pierremoncton]

The T&T is reporting that the city is considering moving the public library to MHS. The article states that barring the library moving in, a yearly subsidy from the city or province will be required in order to allow any development at the building to be sustainable.

https://www.telegraphjournal.com/times-transcript/story/45946953/will-public-library-find

Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, a library would fit nicely into this building, and the proximity to to UdeM, le Centre culturel Aberdeen & l'Escaouette could create a 'cultural' neighbourhood and help that area of town bloom. On the other hand, the public and regional libraries have a long-term lease (50 years IIRC) at Blue Cross, so they'd have to sublet... and though Blue Cross is prime space, downtown already has an overabundance of commercial space for lease.

On a side note, I learned the building itself is for sale for only $1MM. Hard to believe this building would go to waste in any other city.

[MonctonRad]

You forgot to include the Moncton Museum and Transportation Discovery Centre as part of your "cultural precinct".

I have mixed feeling about moving the city library to MHS too, but if this is part of a larger plan to include a Museum of Contemporary Art and a multi use cultural space similar to the Vancouver Roundhouse, I think I could go along with it. The greater good would be served by the preservation of MHS. The downtown east end would also get quite a shot in the arm by doing this too.......

[David_99]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I have mixed feeling about moving the city library to MHS too, but if this is part of a larger plan to include a Museum of Contemporary Art and a multi use cultural space similar to the Vancouver Roundhouse, I think I could go along with it. The greater good would be served by the preservation of MHS. The downtown east end would also get quite a shot in the arm by doing this too.......

I also have mixed feelings bout the Library. Like you, I've been wanting a Fine Arts Museum in Moncton forever (Castle Manor & MHS were the obvious location choices). I would have loved the old gym converted to a small Natural History Museum. Imagine going to see a play, viewing some fine art, then walking into the old Gym and seeing a giant T-Rex Skeleton, all under one roof.

[BlackYear]

What a FANTASTIC idea! Moncton Library in MHS is a perfect home. I have no mixed feeling in moving the library here.

- Museum of Contemporary Art
- Fine Arts Museum
- Natural History Museum
- Live Theatre
- Library
- Multi Cultural Shops & Displays
- Eco Centre
- Live walk in butterfly garden
- Astronomy display
- Ad your favorite coffee shop

I'm liking where this is going!

[MonctonRad]

I'm going to move this post from the general Moncton thread to here, since this seems to be where discussion of this potential project is taking place

Here is the link to the pdf of the draft document of the City of Moncton Cultural Plan (2016-26):

https://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Reside...Plan+Draft.pdf

As usual, this draft document is chockerblocks full of platitudes, generalizations and fuzzy feel good "goals and declarations", but stuck deep in the document I found the following quotes quite intriguing:

Guidance can be drawn from a national study of trends in cultural infrastructure in Canada undertaken by the Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communications at Simon Fraser University. The study highlighted that cultural policies and programs at federal and provincial levels are rarely sustained over a long enough period for adequate planning at the municipal, regional, or community levels.

The same study identified a growing trend across Canada away from single-purpose cultural facilities (e.g., a performing arts centre, a museum or art gallery) toward multi-purpose cultural infrastructure. One of the most admired and a successful multi-purpose cultural facility in the country is the Vancouver Roundhouse. The Roundhouse has a twofold mandate: first, to be a centre for community cultural development and secondly, a community source for cultural/recreational activities for all ages. Features of facility include a performance centre, an exhibition hall, woodworking, pottery and dance studios, a full size gymnasium, a café area, and various multi-purpose spaces. The facility serves as a community connector for the needs of Vancouver’s widely divergent and diverse communities. Other examples include the development restructuring of multi-use hubs that integrate arts, culture, heritage, and library facilities to share resources and operation costs; artist live/work space or studio complexes that focus on live/work studios, artists living spaces, and a variety space uses including rehearsal spaces, art gallery space, retail and cafes; and multi-sector convergence centres that are designed to maximize socialization and networking and thus become major connecting hubs and economic engines in communities.

Important to the conversation is the ongoing study on the establishment of a contemporary art museum in Moncton. The conversations steam from the need for professional exhibition space at a high level of standard. Preliminary discussions on the matter suggest that the contemporary art museum would have space allocated for multi-purpose functions that the community and artists can use for networking and business development.

When I read this, it really screamed to me that this might be what they are planning to do with Moncton High School. It's obvious. MHS has a first rate auditorium which could be used as a performance space. There is also a relatively new gymnasium (which the Vancouver Roundhouse has), and oodles of other space that could be occupied by various studios, galleries, exhibition spaces, craft shops and small cafes. A Museum of Contemporary Art could also easily be included in any MHS redevelopment.

Yup, my spidey senses are tingling right now, and I have a very strong suspicion that this is the way forward for MHS, and that the announcement that is expected later in the spring on the future of the old MHS might confirm this.

If so, this is potentially a very exciting development for the city.....

If there seems to be significant movement on this file over the next several months, I could see this discussion developing into a thread of it's own.......

[MonctonRad]

Vancouver Roundhouse website:

http://roundhouse.ca

[Scarface]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

The T&T is reporting that the city is considering moving the public library to MHS. The article states that barring the library moving in, a yearly subsidy from the city or province will be required in order to allow any development at the building to be sustainable.

https://www.telegraphjournal.com/times-transcript/story/45946953/will-public-library-find

Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, a library would fit nicely into this building, and the proximity to to UdeM, le Centre culturel Aberdeen & l'Escaouette could create a 'cultural' neighbourhood and help that area of town bloom. On the other hand, the public and regional libraries have a long-term lease (50 years IIRC) at Blue Cross, so they'd have to sublet... and though Blue Cross is prime space, downtown already has an overabundance of commercial space for lease.

On a side note, I learned the building itself is for sale for only $1MM. Hard to believe this building would go to waste in any other city.

I have mixed feeling about the building itself, and everything that groups who (Don't seem to be planning to purchase it) are trying to do. Since the first potential purchasing of the Old Moncton High School after the new school was open there have been groups of people saying what it should, and should not be, and claiming they should be the ones to decide. It's putting off potential purchasers, and I doubt the province wants to keep it for any purpose since it's been posted as "Surplus property".


On a separate note:
Has anyone seen or heard anything new about Castle Manor it seems like the project might have stopped in it's tracks, and checking the site is no longer up.

[David_99]

Just saw these Architects4 renders:

[MonctonRad]

Very interesting.

I get the impression that we're going to hear a lot about the MHS project over the next month or so.

Lots of potential here. I wonder what MH35 refers to? The MH is obvious, the "35" is less so. Any thoughts anyone???

[Taeolas]

Moncton Public Library possible move questioned by Dawn Arnold

A Moncton councillor and member of the Moncton Public Library's board of directors is concerned about a proposal to move the library into the former Moncton High School building.

...

But Coun. Dawn Arnold, who is a library board member, questioned the idea. She said the "beautiful" library brings about 200,000 people into the city's downtown every year.

"We pay $1 a month rent," she said.

"It's hard for me to think about building a brand new beautiful building, something like the one in Halifax which was $56 million. Something doesn't quite work out for me in the equations here."

I do wonder if it might be worthwhile to do both? Have the main library where it is now, and have an annex/second library out in MH. I admit I'm not all that familiar with the area/set up so I don't know how feasible it might be; but that seems like it could be a good compromise.

[Patapouf26]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

Moncton Public Library possible move questioned by Dawn Arnold


I do wonder if it might be worthwhile to do both? Have the main library where it is now, and have an annex/second library out in MH. I admit I'm not all that familiar with the area/set up so I don't know how feasible it might be; but that seems like it could be a good compromise.

Well, I suppose it's tough to argue against a $1/month rent and the fact that the library would be staying downtown.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I wonder what MH35 refers to? The MH is obvious, the "35" is less so. Any thoughts anyone???

I can now hazard a guess. Moncton High was built in 1935, hence MH35 Centre

The big sticking point in this proposal will be relocating the library. Dawn Arnold doesn't want to move it and she's odds on to be the next mayor.

There are good reasons for keeping the library in the Blue Cross Centre anyway:
1) - bright modern facility, recently renovated
2) - rent is only $1 per month
3) - it's currently located right downtown and fronts on the Downing Street redevelopment area. It will be an anchor for Downing Street, and it's loss could compromise this development project somewhat.

I wonder if there is another anchor tenant out there? Apparently the Atlantic Ballet Theatre is all for this. They have plans to develop the largest theatre space east of Montreal at MHS, including usage of the current auditorium for performances, and the gymnasium as a rehearsal space. I could see this being ideal for them. The ballet theatre therefore will be one anchor. We just need another one. A Museum of Contemporary Art perhaps???

This is a good time to get this done. Justin & Dominic are looking for good infrastructure projects to support. I imagine this could be one of them........