[Moncton] Downtown Developments

[ElevatorGuy]

The tendering process is currently taking place so I think they are forming up plans and it should go.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by ElevatorGuy

The rendering process is currently taking place so I think they are forming up plans and it should go.

That's good to know, but it sounds like shovels in the ground in the springtime, with a probable opening in early 2020.

[Scarface]

Found out from a few sources, and then seen in the Times & Transcript that the water, and sewer pipes under St George Street are up to 100 years old, and may be older, and have yet to be replaced. The city is planning on doing a mass replacing from what has been said, and written.

This might actually get developers to jump on board the St George Street revamp.

[MonctonianSentinel01]

Originally Posted by Scarface

Found out from a few sources, and then seen in the Times & Transcript that the water, and sewer pipes under St George Street are up to 100 years old, and may be older, and have yet to be replaced. The city is planning on doing a mass replacing from what has been said, and written.

This might actually get developers to jump on board the St George Street revamp.

Agreed. This is a good project to get others going and might give it the bump it needs.

[gehrhardt]

Originally Posted by MonctonianSentinel01

Agreed. This is a good project to get others going and might give it the bump it needs.

I may be a good opportunity to bury some utility lines as well, depending on the orientation of the sewer lines.

[MonctonDowntown]

Originally Posted by gehrhardt

I may be a good opportunity to bury some utility lines as well, depending on the orientation of the sewer lines.

The TT article has already ruled out burying the lines as it would cost an extra $7M.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by MonctonDowntown

The TT article has already ruled out burying the lines as it would cost an extra $7M.

I predict the lines will eventually get buried anyway, as that part of downtown gentrifies. Might as well do it now.........

[MonctonianSentinel01]

Originally Posted by MonctonDowntown

The TT article has already ruled out burying the lines as it would cost an extra $7M.

I was going to say that it would be awesome to bury the lines but I think it would cost more, however I think it still should be done. I think that all redevelopments and new developments should have everything buried to see the eventual extinction of poles. But if it cost an arm and a leg then maybe we should reconsider? We don't really want our taxes going up or having less development going on because of the extra costs. Too bad though.

[Scarface]

It would be nice for all the utility lines to be buried underground, and I had actually seen a system that consist of all Utilities in one giant precast concrete box that would work well. But I get from the cities point of view. This would be another Damned if you do, and damned if you don't scenario.

If you don't do it the people who want it done Usually for a few reasons ex: Unsightly, Animals, and storm damage.

and then there are the people who don't think about it, or don't really care bringing up the cost, and only the cost.

$7M is a big price tag but the benefits might make it a worthy investment.

[Taeolas]

Not sure how long a distance we're talking about, but if the street is going to be torn up anyways, an extra 7M now to bury (and the implied infrastructure upgrade that replacing overhead with underground will provide) may be worth it.

I doubt it will cost as low as 7M to do it at a later date once the street is complete and you have to dig it all up again to do the burying.

[MonctonRad]

Proposal for a new five storey mixed use (primarily residential) building at 356 St. George Street:









Highlights:

- SW corner of St. George & Weldon.
- Ground level retail facing St. George Street (enclosed parking in behind)
- No vinyl siding!!! (brick on ground floor, "fibre concrete" cladding on upper floors}

[pierremoncton]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Proposal for a new five storey mixed use (primarily residential) building at 356 St. George Street:

Good! Hoping this one comes through. I was worried that this lot was going to stay vacant a long time after I was told that there were water capacity issues, and the recently-announced pipe revamp for this section of St George is only scheduled for 2022-23.

[pierremoncton]

Interesting comments from councillor Boudreau:

"If you can increase the tax base by three or four hundred million over the next five years, it will certainly add to our efforts to maintain the tax rate where it is," he said, adding that the recent purchase of the "Crowne Plaza block ... by a multi-billionaire from British Columbia and a huge real estate development on that block will most likely occur sooner rather than later."

Service New Brunswick shows the three properties bounded by Highfield, Campbell, Sangster and Gordon streets sold for a total of $1.55 million on Dec. 22, 2017 but nothing else has been announced publicly.

Boudreau declined to elaborate further on the plans for that development.

Source: https://www.telegraphjournal.com/times-t...ufc-city-of-moncton?source=story-rotator

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by pierremoncton

Interesting comments from councillor Boudreau:

"If you can increase the tax base by three or four hundred million over the next five years"

Source: https://www.telegraphjournal.com/times-t...ufc-city-of-moncton?source=story-rotator

So a $60 to $80-million-dollar-a-year tax bill? Sure seems like a lot... I wonder what scale project would this suggest?

[MonctonRad]

That's extremely interesting pierre.

- The reference to the Crowne Plaza block and the multi-billionaires from BC no doubt is about the Aquillini Group, but to hear Councillor Boudreau make mention of a "huge real estate development on that block sooner than later" is the closest anyone from city hall has come to admitting that there is something afoot!!! It has been speculated here on SSP for about the last 3-4 years that this consolidation of land by the Aquillini's could mean something big, and now it would seem this speculation may bear fruit!

- The other mention about the three properties on the adjacent block to the north is entirely new, but I checked on the SNB site, and all three properties indeed sold on the same date (December 22nd, 2017) for a combined total of $1.55M. Who purchased this? Was this block purchased by the Aquillini's too?
If so, there could be something truly huge afoot.........

Here are all the consolidated properties near the Avenir Centre that we know about (including the V Hotel, which despite the rumours, still is not listed as being recently sold on the SNB website)



Highfield Street may be about to become a very interesting street........

[MonctonRad]

So, St. Pat's Family Centre is going to be sold to Heritage Developments for $2M. Heritage in turn will lease the building back to the St. Pat's board for $1 per year. Interest from the $2M purchase price will be used as an endowment to assist in ongoing operating costs of the centre.

Good news. The family centre should be able to continue operating in it's current form, on it's current site for the time being.

Heritage Developments however is not being entirely altruistic. The nearby Dumont Hospital, fresh off an expansion costing north of $200M, is likely going to continue to grow, and at some point this francophone institution will likely be casting eyes on the St. Pat's site. Heritage Developments assumes that at some point in the future (5,10,20 years), St. Pat's will be relocated elsewhere in the east end by the government to allow for Dumont expansion. When this happens, there will be a profit to be made on the current sale..........

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Proposal for a new five storey mixed use (primarily residential) building at 356 St. George Street:

I'm not convinced by the street frontage onto St. George but I can't really argue against increased height and density in this area.

As for the Crowne Plaza block I can only assume there will be some sort of mixed-use development. With the arena now across the street they would be foolish not to build something with bars and restaurants, office space, and residential atop. Only questions remaining are just how big they're willing to go.

[Scarface]

Originally Posted by JHikka

I'm not convinced by the street frontage onto St. George but I can't really argue against increased height and density in this area.

As for the Crowne Plaza block I can only assume there will be some sort of mixed-use development. With the arena now across the street they would be foolish not to build something with bars and restaurants, office space, and residential atop. Only questions remaining are just how big they're willing to go.

Looking at the previous issues Aquilini Company has had in there Hotel Construction in Fredericton. I think they might be taking a little more time to plan any development plan, and get all plans Agreed with no changes to be made during the construction. Since Fredericton's Hotel was a Year later then planned.

Also I love the Height of the project planned for the old Lyle's Gas Station/Garage. I wonder if the plans will be for shop fronts on St George, and Weldon with Residential being the 4 floors above that. Or potentially Commercial, Offices, then 3 levels of residential.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Scarface

Also I love the Height of the project planned for the old Lyle's Gas Station/Garage. I wonder if the plans will be for shop fronts on St George, and Weldon with Residential being the 4 floors above that. Or potentially Commercial, Offices, then 3 levels of residential.

Ground floor retail on St. George (with enclosed tenant parking in behind), with four floors of residential above this

[MonctonRad]

Here's a link to the CBC article regarding St. Pat's Family Centre.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/st-pats-family-centre-sale-meeting-1.4856001

A good read. There were two other bids on the table aside from Heritage Developments.

Patenaire Dumont, described at the meeting as a group related to the nearby Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre, offered $2.4 million plus HST and an eight-year lease of the building back to St. Pat's.

Bernard Cyr, CEO of Dooly's, offered $2.4 million, a three-year lease plus what was described as a $100,000 "gift."

I imagine both those offers envisaged eventually tearing down the facility for future development at the Dumont too (especially Patenaire Dumont). What sets the Heritage bid apart from the other two is that Heritage proposed a 20 year lease agreement, considerably longer than the other two bids.

So, all things being equal, St. Pat's may be able to operate in it's current location for another 20 years if it wanted to, but if the government really wanted to get it's hands on the property for further expansion of francophone health care in the city, I'm sure they could bribe St. Pat's and Heritage with a promise of a brand new location for the recreational centre elsewhere in the east end of the city............