The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[adamuptownsj]

I actually sketched up a street grid extension south of Lower Cove Loop recently, let me dig it up this evening. It would be an incredible idea to plat it the same way as the skinny uptown blocks, and sell lot by lot to small/midsized developers, making them build wall to wall with all parking underground or in the middle of the blocks.

I don't know if the feds, who own all the port land, would agree: the conditions for them parting with land are complex and residential is a no-no apparently. Commercial or mixed only.

The Tin Can area land below Lower Cove Loop is NOT federally owned like the port is. The issue here is it's brownfield from the double whammy of a sugar refinery and tank storage. Anyone buying it has a lot to do before a single foundation is poured, including probably digging up some old Loyalist graves. Unless it will be developed as parkland or by a single developer with deep pockets, it will be fairly complex to remediate.

For an aquaculture company, an HQ right on the bay is aesthetically perfect, and not too inconvenient. I walk from this area for lunch 2-3 times a week and it takes like eight minutes to hit the top of the market. Is that too long for people? Maybe.

All the land on King Square North is privately owned, and by different entities. Frustrating. It's also a little worrying to walk past the Loyalist Burial Ground and see it ringed by parking garages, a vacant home, and an (empty?) Golden Ball. What a nice view, totally wasted. You'd think the Irvings would jump into the redevelopment game and sell or convert the Golden Ball to condos, and put executive office suites or something in 111 King. Kind of a weird stain on Irvingland, what with 300 Union, the new garages, and the new IOL headquarters surrounding an emptied core. I'm not particularly pro or anti Irving, I'm just curious why they have no tentacles in the development industry. They have lots of capital and, as far as anyone knows, it's quite liquid.

[adamuptownsj]

Hidden at the bottom of last week's Council agenda is progress on a deal between the city and Westmorland Homes regarding realigning Retail Dr and Ashburn Lake Rd, which will eliminate that miserable double lighted intersection/berm mess. No mention in the agenda of the vaunted magical overpass to nowhere... good!

[bridgeoftea]

I definitely agree that it would be much nicer if the core of Uptown started to move down towards the water. Keeping the same walkable feel as Prince William, Canterbury. Especially if it had shops/restaurants on the street and apartments above would be ideal.

For me the more restaurants, and places to see, shop, the more I'm willing to walk around. Which I'd rather do than drive to a surface parking lot to every place.

[ColSJ]

A couple of updates from the Millidgeville Area:

Seabird suites have poured the foundation for the second building that will be attached to other via pedway.

Stakes in the ground for the apartment building going up behind Tipsy Tomato.

Baxter plant on Millidge Ave has fencing around it with an excavator on site. Clearly heading for demolition but will someone — it for residential?

They’ve done a lot of digging for Arlington Place and I suspect construction will ramp up in the next couple of months.

[bridgeoftea]

Originally Posted by ColSJ

A couple of updates from the Millidgeville Area:

Seabird suites have poured the foundation for the second building that will be attached to other via pedway.

Stakes in the ground for the apartment building going up behind Tipsy Tomato.

Baxter plant on Millidge Ave has fencing around it with an excavator on site. Clearly heading for demolition but will someone — it for residential?

They’ve done a lot of digging for Arlington Place and I suspect construction will ramp up in the next couple of months.

Also the Technology Dr. new residential building has started with it's excavators digging and moving around soil. Not sure if it's "officially started" but I can see them from my office working the past few weeks now.

[ColSJ]

Originally Posted by ColSJ

A couple of updates from the Millidgeville Area:

Seabird suites have poured the foundation for the second building that will be attached to other via pedway.

Stakes in the ground for the apartment building going up behind Tipsy Tomato.

Baxter plant on Millidge Ave has fencing around it with an excavator on site. Clearly heading for demolition but will someone — it for residential?

They’ve done a lot of digging for Arlington Place and I suspect construction will ramp up in the next couple of months.

Just to add on it looks like an apartment building is under construction at 453 Boars Head Road. Excavation is underway at the lot behind Tipsy Tomato and there is a lot of clearing going on behind the SJ energy substation with access off of Boars Head. My guess is its Saint John energy related.

[adamuptownsj]

A while back, someone mentioned the big piece of land bisected by transmission lines at the end of Highland Rd in the North End had sold. I see now PAN 06040731 to its north has also sold, as of early February. Looks like someone is consolidating land out there. Now, a connection from Highland to Boars Head via Cambridge is possible, as is a connection to Forbes to the east. But if I remember correctly, this is rough and somewhat hilly terrain. It will take a lot of cash and effort to extend infrastructure through the site.

Regardless, if someone wants to build a new subdivision, this seems like a way better place to do it than off Ashburn Rd in a swamp, off Loch Lomond, etc. Central location, multiple connection points, and wouldn't require much upgrading of connecting roads beyond upgrading Highland and adding a sidewalk (1.25 km or so).

[JHikka]

It's possible to drive up to the end of Forbes Drive to get a good idea of the terrain that any sort of development up that way would face. Lots of rock. It's possible, and definitely likely some of the last open land left in Central SJ, but it won't be easy to develop. I'd be surprised if this area gets developed before Arlington Crescent or even the full Anchorage Avenue buildout.

I don't know if the developer, or even the City, would consider any sort of connector between Highland and Boars Head via Cambridge. Highland is not designed for a heavy traffic load and i'd imagine any through-traffic should be kept to Millidge.

[adamuptownsj]

Originally Posted by JHikka

It's possible to drive up to the end of Forbes Drive to get a good idea of the terrain that any sort of development up that way would face. Lots of rock. It's possible, and definitely likely some of the last open land left in Central SJ, but it won't be easy to develop. I'd be surprised if this area gets developed before Arlington Crescent or even the full Anchorage Avenue buildout.

I don't know if the developer, or even the City, would consider any sort of connector between Highland and Boars Head via Cambridge. Highland is not designed for a heavy traffic load and i'd imagine any through-traffic should be kept to Millidge.

I can't imagine Forbes -> Millidge alone could handle a whole new subdivision's traffic, without a second connection somewhere (in addition to whatever gets built on Forbes of course. There does seem to be a an aborted future road visible from satellite imagery from the Belleview/Spar Cove intersection to just north of 215 Highland, mostly on the property of the church on Forbes. Whatever they do I hope they plan connections carefully. The waterfront portion of this area alone is really cool and one of the last few spots near the city center where large homes on big lots would be in demand.

[cdnguys]

Mixed commercial residential development proposed for 990 Fairville BLVD - applicant is Comeau McKenzie. Be interesting to see what that is.

[cdnguys]

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[cdnguys]

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[RaginRonic]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

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That view is one of the most under-rated as hell hilltop views in Saint John, and is a gem. I've been there before, and it's just as breath-taking as the view from the former Saint John Regional Centre property, Fort Howe, the former General Hospital property, the back of Loch Lomond Place, and the top of Retail Drive.

And Technology Drive, when it has residents, will finally get it's acknowledgement in that respect.

X-)

[adamuptownsj]

Originally Posted by RaginRonic

That view is one of the most under-rated as hell hilltop views in Saint John, and is a gem. I've been there before, and it's just as breath-taking as the view from the former Saint John Regional Centre property, Fort Howe, the former General Hospital property, the back of Loch Lomond Place, and the top of Retail Drive.

And Technology Drive, when it has residents, will finally get it's acknowledgement in that respect.

X-)

Speaking of the back of Loch Lomond, hasn't something residential come up there in the past?

[adamuptownsj]

TJ editorial calling on the NB Museum to restore the Douglas Avenue site as its main display and research facility. I don't really care where they locate the museum, but we cannot afford to have the province fritter away this beautiful building's lifespan any longer. It could be beautiful condos, office space, anything but another hole in the ground, which I fear will be its fate.

[ColSJ]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

TJ editorial calling on the NB Museum to restore the Douglas Avenue site as its main display and research facility. I don't really care where they locate the museum, but we cannot afford to have the province fritter away this beautiful building's lifespan any longer. It could be beautiful condos, office space, anything but another hole in the ground, which I fear will be its fate.

I'm guessing this editorial is in response to the premier's comments at the SOTP saying there will be a NB museum in Saint John. It seems as though no matter how many times the folks at the museum reiterate the fact that the Douglas Ave facility cannot hold, let alone display all the artifacts it's always brought up as a possible solution.

If the museum is to stay in SJ (which it should) there is no doubt it should be in a prominent location uptown. The longer the province holds out the less likely we can achieve that. Judging by the drawings for the coast guard site proposal a few years back the footprint of the facility is massive. So realistically that leaves us with the space between the container village & fundy quay or they build up like the new courthouse in Fredericton.

When Fundy Quay went to council councilor Hickey brought up the public use building as a potential space for the museum to use. Obviously, it is not big enough for everything but it could house the history of market slip.

I know a proposal was put out a little while ago from Hardman group to expand the market square space. I don't like the existing setup in market square. To be completely honest putting our province's history in the back of a mall is just embarrassing.

Anyways thats my two cents

[adamuptownsj]

I agree- I am way more interested in the Douglas Ave building, though. It clearly has outlived its usefulness as a public structure and is a cost sink for the government. Why not put the objects within in proper, safe storage and sell the building? I will be enraged it its razed or left to rot. We've lost enough already, and this is one of few large stone buildings still standing outside of Uptown.

Presumably the Museum could lease space between the two cruise terminals from the Port, or build at Tin Can Beach if the city can ever consolidate ownership of different things down there. Maybe the Smythe St substation/parking lot?

[darkharbour]

I feel like we’ve been having the same back and forth about the museum for years now and the hold up is the ridiculous inactivity of the provincial government on the issue. Their own department, DTI, owns a crumbling building on Douglas Avenue which has well documented structural issues that has resulted in a completely condemned top floor, a facade that is leaning forward, no fire suppression system, woeful ventilation, a leaking roof, and is also far, far too small for the country’s oldest museum collection. We hear argument after argument about how the building should be saved, yet they have let it get worse and worse instead of fixing their own asset.

Meanwhile the Market Square exhibition space also has a leaking roof, poor ventilation, and an expired lease. The NBM is never returning to Market Square, and both buildings are entirely inadequate by museum or preservation standards, and cannot get travelling exhibitions or artifact loans from other institutions for display because of that. The fact that this is a provincial institution and they have let it get this bad is embarrassing, not just for the current government but for the last several who all passed the buck on finding a solution.

Even a refurbished Douglas Avenue building would not be big enough for both their collections and public exhibition space, as even today the museum is storing collection items in at least two other buildings in the city as well as the above two buildings. My point is that this is a golden opportunity to invest in a beautiful new facility (or two if they want to keep collections and exhibitions separate) that will truly make our province proud and do justice to the artifacts held by the institution.

[ColSJ]

Looks like the minister of tourism has hinted at funding for the museum next year. I don’t have a subscription to the TJ but there is an article in there if anyone wants to share the info.

[bridgeoftea]

I would love something like the Liverpool Museum right down by the Jubilee cruise ship center.