The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[JHikka]

The lack of windows on the North and West walls of the Falls Restaurant likely has something to do with the lease-holder not liking the pulp mill very much.

[UptownJeff]

Originally Posted by JHikka

The lack of windows on the North and West walls of the Falls Restaurant likely has something to do with the lease-holder not liking the pulp mill very much.

The same fellow who wanted JDI to move the mill up river out of view!

[Scarface]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

I'm wondering if it had to do with the sharp turn - concern of vehicle going through glass window and striking people ?

Originally Posted by JHikka

The lack of windows on the North and West walls of the Falls Restaurant likely has something to do with the lease-holder not liking the pulp mill very much.

I think both of these reasons could be valid Someone going east could loose control, and crash right into any windows that would have been on that side, and could be a real concern for business owners because of the damage to there restaurant, and harm to there patrons. Also the Pulp mill is, and train tracks are not the best things to look out onto.


But Seeing as all the windows that are there are in original locations I think cost might have been a factor of cutting holes to add windows where none where located prior. The unsightly site of the Pulp Mill, and road just gave extra reasons.

[kwajo]

Would you even want windows on the road side? There is a sharp 'S' turn there, having big glass panes would mean that a) headlights would be constantly shining into the buildings unless you use expensive glass or window coverings inside, and b) you would have significant reflections on the outside of the building and causing visibility hazards.

[Franco401]

There's also not already any windows there. The renovation is just keeping with what exists.

[Taeolas]

What is the layout of the building? Is there anything in there to have windows anyways? If that's the kitchen area or storage or something, then there wouldn't be a point to have windows there anyway (other than to make the road side more attractive).

There will probably be signage on some of the bigger walls facing the road anyway, to break up the walls and to draw people in.

[Ire Narissis]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

What is the layout of the building? Is there anything in there to have windows anyways? If that's the kitchen area or storage or something, then there wouldn't be a point to have windows there anyway (other than to make the road side more attractive).

There will probably be signage on some of the bigger walls facing the road anyway, to break up the walls and to draw people in.

That is indeed the side that the kitchen and other "back" rooms are on.

[WharfRat]

A sneak peak into the Bustin's re-development….more great additions into SJ's ever-evolving social scene. Where are all the patrons coming from?? Cask & Kettle Gastropub, Eighty Three Arcade bar, a Whiskey bar, Picaroons all within that last 6 or so months, not to mention what was already there and now a vinyl bar and a new comedy club opening soon. It really does boggle the mind a bit.

http://www.historicadevelopments.com/blog_14.html

[MonctonRad]

It certainly seems like the uptown area (at least the better parts of it) are entering a new golden age - it's good to see.

I wonder how much of this is driven by tourism (cruise ships and anticipation regarding the soon to be opened Fundy Trail)?

I personally have very high hopes for the Fundy Trail experience, all the way through from Saint Andrews to Hopewell Cape and on to Moncton. Properly marketed, the Fundy trail could blow the Cabot Trail out of the water, especially with a couple of urban experiences (SJ & Moncton) along the way........

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by WharfRat

A sneak peak into the Bustin's re-development….more great additions into SJ's ever-evolving social scene. Where are all the patrons coming from?? Cask & Kettle Gastropub, Eighty Three Arcade bar, a Whiskey bar, Picaroons all within that last 6 or so months, not to mention what was already there and now a vinyl bar and a new comedy club opening soon. It really does boggle the mind a bit.

http://www.historicadevelopments.com/blog_14.html

1) Increased residential numbers on the peninsula, with disposable income. If you check out Historica's residential properties, for example, you'll see condos and apartments they're renovating and putting to market. Renovated condos and apartments and new condos and apartments aren't hard to come across in the Uptown right now. Having more residents and potential clients within walking distance makes opening a business and finding that clientele much easier.

2) Cruise ship traffic is pretty substantial in the summer/fall. Tourism numbers are certainly incentive for companies like Moosehead et. al. to get more exposure with that increased traffic.

The Uptown is doing better right now than i've ever seen and its been continually progressing more and more each year. It's great to see.

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by JHikka

1) Increased residential numbers on the peninsula, with disposable income. If you check out Historica's residential properties, for example, you'll see condos and apartments they're renovating and putting to market. Renovated condos and apartments and new condos and apartments aren't hard to come across in the Uptown right now. Having more residents and potential clients within walking distance makes opening a business and finding that clientele much easier.

2) Cruise ship traffic is pretty substantial in the summer/fall. Tourism numbers are certainly incentive for companies like Moosehead et. al. to get more exposure with that increased traffic.

The Uptown is doing better right now than i've ever seen and its been continually progressing more and more each year. It's great to see.

I agree with the above points, especially the increases in both number of residents, and also those with more disposable income. I have lived Uptown for ~11 years and the difference is noticeable. I have always said, the only way to get businesses to stick in the core is to see an increase in population, because relying on commuters can be a very tenuous business model. Luckily, the central peninsula is one of the only parts of the city that has seen positive population growth recently, and it looks like the trend is continuing in the right direction.

It should also be noted that not all of those bars/restaurants are new, some are replacing past establishments, which is part of the normal [and healthy] turnover one sees in the hospitality industry everywhere.

[kwajo]

Fantastic renovation/restoration of this old corner grocery location on Prince William is nearly complete

As of this weekend:



[from @boyceonteck on Twitter]

Before:

[Google Street View]

This is an amazing example of how a good street corner in Uptown should look, rather than a cold, faceless monolith of a wall - I'm looking at you new NB Liquor store...

[Ire Narissis]

When I saw those photos, I actually said aloud "wow, what an improvement!"

Even as a teenager going to school next door, I found that corner ugly as sin.

[KnoxfordGuy]

What's going in there?

[JHikka]

Completely unrecognizable from what was there before. Awesome stuff.

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

What's going in there?

I haven't heard (aside from residential for the upper floors), anyone know? It would make a phenomenal storefront for a third wave coffee shop or small bakery, although it is slightly removed from the commercial core so business margins would be thin.

[phishy]

Originally Posted by kwajo

I haven't heard (aside from residential for the upper floors), anyone know? It would make a phenomenal storefront for a third wave coffee shop or small bakery, although it is slightly removed from the commercial core so business margins would be thin.

According to the zoning letter from City Hall they are changing the zone to whatever allows them to have a small business in there. I believe it mentioned a third of the lower level would be a coffee shop.
I got the notice as I live nearby.
The renovations have been done very well and to high degree of quality. Very motivated and focused owners. Great to see.

[Ire Narissis]

If they want to do well in that location, all they need to do is serve something that high school students will buy. That gives them a built-in clientele right across the street. And cruise ship passengers could pick up the summer slack, in theory.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Ire Narissis

If they want to do well in that location, all they need to do is serve something that high school students will buy. That gives them a built-in clientele right across the street. And cruise ship passengers could pick up the summer slack, in theory.

There's a very fine line between a business that caters mostly to high schoolers and a business that can cater to high schoolers and their other patrons. I know a lot of people that clear out of some locations because they'll be flooded with students at lunch hour, or perhaps alter their schedule so they can get food before or after stores are flooded with students.

When I attended STM the school used to get complaints almost daily about the foot traffic that students would cause in City Market and how it affected (usually elderly) customers.

[JHikka]

CBC reads this forum:

Transformation underway for long-vacant Saint John storefront
Lot of new bars and restaurants have opened in Saint John lately — but no independent cafes
By Julia Wright, CBC News Posted: Dec 15, 2016 6:00 AM AT Last Updated: Dec 15, 2016 7:47 AM AT

Lots of new bars and restaurants have been opening in Saint John — but no independent cafés.

Now, renovations are well underway to transform 240-246 Prince William Street, a 138-year-old storefront a stone's-throw from Saint John's iconic Three Sisters Lamp, into 10-seat café and lunch counter.

Xuemei Tian, a Chinese lawyer and condo developer, purchased the building for $292,000 from real estate agents Gary Vincent and Kathleen McNamara last November.

The previous owners bought the vacant building in 2008 with the hope of renovating it. But the level of investment required was daunting.

The total cost of the renovations is estimated at between $400,000 and $500,000, making the project "not for the faint of heart," according to Vincent.

"Half a million is a lot of money."

Enter Xuemei Tian, a Chinese lawyer and condo developer from Qingdao, in Shandong province, whom Vincent met when she was looking for a property to buy in Saint John.

Vincent sold Tian her home in Millidgeville, where she's lived for the past three years.

Tian, Vincent said, was looking for a project to satisfy the requirements of her immigration business plan.

"I have an appreciation for the local history, and [wish] to continue doing business, and [living] here," Tian said in a translated statement.

She both "fell in love with Saint John," according to Vincent, and had the capital to complete renovations on the building in the Trinity Royal heritage preservation area.

Vincent and McNamara have enlisted the support of two city councillors, Blake Armstrong and Gerry Lowe, as well as a translator from Y Settlement Services, to support Tian in her plans to purchase and renovate the building.

McNamara and project manager Brad Lockhart of Lockhart's Design and Consulting will complete the final design for the space.

Built in 1878, the three-storey Italianate building still bears traces of a century-old painted sign for John Foster's Family Grocery on its Queen Street side.

More recently, the lower floors housed Baytown Hardware and Theriault Antiques.

The office space beside the 800-square-foot, 10-seat restaurant space will be home to real estate offices, according to Vincent. The upper floors will continue to house three apartment units.

The building's overhanging metal cornice and distinctive, decorative street-front pole have already been restored. New windows were installed at a cost of $100,000, and crews have spruced up the century-old brickwork.

A substantial investment was also required, Vincent said, to reinforce the original beams supporting the building.

Once this project is complete, "[Tian's] business plan is to keep this one, then buy some others, and do the same thing," said Vincent, although the businesswoman is "in no hurry."

Given the building sat vacant for so long, it was necessary to reapply to the Saint John Planning Advisory Committee to resume commercial use of the site.

The committee voted unanimously at its Tuesday meeting to grant that application.

"PAC was very pleased with the project," said heritage officer Alice Fudge. "It was clear that the building owner and the people involved here in Saint John really understood that this was a project they could make a difference with on that end of Prince William — one building at a time."

"That building has been given proper care, with a lot of good intention behind it," said Fudge

South End students, office workers, and tenants of the neighbouring Harbourfront Condos may not have long to wait. Vincent is hopeful Tian's café will be ready by the time the snow melts.

"We're hoping for an opening in spring 2017," he said.