The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[adamuptownsj]

Five? I thought it was gonna be three at most. Where are they gonna fit the others up there?

[ColSJ]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

Five? I thought it was gonna be three at most. Where are they gonna fit the others up there?

[cdnguys]

There is an article on CBC about Percy’s hole. Seems like one excuse after another - one of them being can’t find a transformer”. Moncton sure doesn’t have problems finding transformers on a constant basis. He also blames economics, but clearly the issue is with him. If you can’t make it work financially on a high density project in a city with 1.8% vacancy rate in the most desired neighborhood in NB, then he needs to look in the mirror. His hole is holding up funding on two projects the city will lose grants on because they can’t be completed with unstable adjacent roads to property. I say put project on Moncton Facebook marketplace and get some real developers down here.

[Pugsley]

Originally Posted by cdnguys

There is an article on CBC about Percy’s hole. Seems like one excuse after another - one of them being can’t find a transformer”. Moncton sure doesn’t have problems finding transformers on a constant basis. He also blames economics, but clearly the issue is with him. If you can’t make it work financially on a high density project in a city with 1.8% vacancy rate in the most desired neighborhood in NB, then he needs to look in the mirror. His hole is holding up funding on two projects the city will lose grants on because they can’t be completed with unstable adjacent roads to property. I say put project on Moncton Facebook marketplace and get some real developers down here.

Agree 100%.

I read the same article and this sounded like incoherent dribble from someone who simply does not want to admit that they overshot and over-promised on something without doing their proper planning. I'd also blame the city as they should have never approved a project with so many holes in it in terms of "readiness". In the article he talks about not having final designs, supply chain issues, and more. This was a poorly scoped project which the city approved and now it is sitting there as an empty hole. Even the original drawings looked "thrown together" and not fully scoped out. I say the city should take legal action given it is jeopardizing their own initiatives and funding window for projects based on this "developers" poorly planned proposal - while learning a valuable lesson at the same time to prevent this from happening again.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by Pugsley

Agree 100%.

I read the same article and this sounded like incoherent dribble from someone who simply does not want to admit that they overshot and over-promised on something without doing their proper planning. I'd also blame the city as they should have never approved a project with so many holes in it in terms of "readiness". In the article he talks about not having final designs, supply chain issues, and more. This was a poorly scoped project which the city approved and now it is sitting there as an empty hole. Even the original drawings looked "thrown together" and not fully scoped out. I say the city should take legal action given it is jeopardizing their own initiatives and funding window for projects based on this "developers" poorly planned proposal - while learning a valuable lesson at the same time to prevent this from happening again.

I agree. As for all all his excuses, explain how in the same time frame Moncton has taken the Three Sisters project from a proposal in May 2021 to having two of the three buildings up and the third about to start today?
Moncton does three 15 story building in the time it takes Saint John to dig a hole!

[UptownJeff]

Originally Posted by sailor734

I agree. As for all all his excuses, explain how in the same time frame Moncton has taken the Three Sisters project from a proposal in May 2021 to having two of the three buildings up and the third about to start today?
Moncton does three 15 story building in the time it takes Saint John to dig a hole!

Agreed. This is an absolute disgrace and the comments from the mayor are pathetic. Typical though. No performance clauses in the contract, no requirement for him to shore up the north and east sections so the city can do their work. I wonder who paid for the work to close off the turning lane to make a sidewalk? Any guesses? I’m willing to bet everything it was you and me. At the absolute very least he should be forced to camouflage the hole with panels of artificial turf so when you’re eating in Billys patio or just walking by you don’t think you’re in Beirut! Incompetence at the top AND bottom of King.

[adamuptownsj]

I'm surprised to see Hickey, who's transparently ambitious, not try to get in front of this. Does he want to be an MP or not? Half his colleagues want to be MLAs, and seem to be totally tuned out of city business. I can't believe the province unilaterally gave these people an extra year to collect a paycheck and do nothing.

We need either bigger paychecks- an actual salary that could attract good people- and a smaller council- no more than 5-6 plus a mayor- or we need a fully volunteer and truly part-time council. This whole 'we pay you a crappy wage for what isn't really a full time job but has weird midday commitments' freezes out everyone from blue-collar workers to mid-career professionals. We get dregs! Narcissists, incompetents, and worse.

I really hope a lot of them run in the next provincial election so we get a chance to replace them before 2026. Probably the worst council since the Brothers Court. They're fumbling the bag.

[UptownJeff]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

I'm surprised to see Hickey, who's transparently ambitious, not try to get in front of this. Does he want to be an MP or not? Half his colleagues want to be MLAs, and seem to be totally tuned out of city business. I can't believe the province unilaterally gave these people an extra year to collect a paycheck and do nothing.

We need either bigger paychecks- an actual salary that could attract good people- and a smaller council- no more than 5-6 plus a mayor- or we need a fully volunteer and truly part-time council. This whole 'we pay you a crappy wage for what isn't really a full time job but has weird midday commitments' freezes out everyone from blue-collar workers to mid-career professionals. We get dregs! Narcissists, incompetents, and worse.

I really hope a lot of them run in the next provincial election so we get a chance to replace them before 2026. Probably the worst council since the Brothers Court. They're fumbling the bag.

I wish I’d written that! As I’ve said before we ARE Springfield from The Simpsons. Mayor Quimby, Chief Wiggam, Mr Burns etc. Still waiting for that monorail to get built!

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by UptownJeff

I wish I’d written that! As I’ve said before we ARE Springfield from The Simpsons. Mayor Quimby, Chief Wiggam, Mr Burns etc. Still waiting for that monorail to get built!

Great analogy! Meanwhile I see the city has put up hundreds of reflective stakes (about 3" wide by 3' high or so) to divide the bike lane from the travel lane on University Ave. I wonder what that cost to serve the 3 or 4 people who actually use it in the run of a day?

[adamuptownsj]

Remember, if you're building a 24-unit, you have to do a traffic study at your own expense. If you want a bike lane replacing half a major street, you just make a pressure group and never have to provide stats. FYI, the next planned bike lanes are going to be on Charlotte and Sydney for some reason. Completely unnecessary. I don't think I've ever seen a car break 50 on either street. But hey, it 'aligns with GrowSJ and MoveSJ' so it gets a thumbs up from planning.

No regulation on electric scooters, or attempts to keep dirtbikes or quads off city streets, though.

[UptownJeff]

Originally Posted by sailor734

Great analogy! Meanwhile I see the city has put up hundreds of reflective stakes (about 3" wide by 3' high or so) to divide the bike lane from the travel lane on University Ave. I wonder what that cost to serve the 3 or 4 people who actually use it in the run of a day?

Meanwhile we have a giant hole at the top of King, an empty lot at the foot of king. But hey, we have paper straws and no plastic bags so I guess life is good.

[darkharbour]

Museum location announcement coming soon, so I've heard.

[adamuptownsj]

Originally Posted by darkharbour

Museum location announcement coming soon, so I've heard.

Bets, anyone?

I have it re-appearing on Douglas Ave with a display space uptown somewhere.

To be honest, retrofitting the non-Delta of Brunswick Square as the museum would be a great use of the property. I don't think this is going to happen but it's a great location, ample square footage, loading bays that aren't accessible enough for say, a grocery store, but are plenty for a low-freight operation like a museum.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

To be honest, retrofitting the non-Delta of Brunswick Square as the museum would be a great use of the property. I don't think this is going to happen but it's a great location, ample square footage, loading bays that aren't accessible enough for say, a grocery store, but are plenty for a low-freight operation like a museum.

I tend to agree with you, but, didn't they choose a world class architectural firm to get involved in the project? This speaks to me of new construction and not renovation.

[nwalbert]

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

Bets, anyone?

I have it re-appearing on Douglas Ave with a display space uptown somewhere.

To be honest, retrofitting the non-Delta of Brunswick Square as the museum would be a great use of the property. I don't think this is going to happen but it's a great location, ample square footage, loading bays that aren't accessible enough for say, a grocery store, but are plenty for a low-freight operation like a museum.

My bet is uptown, but I am probably being optimistic.

[JakeNB]

Announcement made. Douglas Ave. What a terrible mistake.

[DyAm00394]

NBM Revitalization Project Proceeding

"The New Brunswick Museum (NBM) is pleased to announce that it is moving forward with its facilities renewal project at its current Douglas Avenue location.

A number of factors were considered in the site selection process, through consultation with museum staff, architects and engineers, and experts in museological design. The ability to incorporate a new design with the current historical facility, which will be upgraded and preserved, led the Board of the New Brunswick Museum to conclude this represented an exceptional option for the 181-year-old institution.

“We are very satisfied with the location selection,” says NBM Board Chair Dr. Kathryn Hamer. “It is a location that is rich in historical significance. We have a plan that will avoid any impact to the nearby park, while reinvigorating the traditional home of the New Brunswick Museum on a site it has occupied for almost a century.”

“We are happy to see this important project take such a significant step to move forward,” says Donna Noade Reardon, Mayor of Saint John. “This investment in our City’s North End, the original home of the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, will help spur additional development in the area, while maintaining links to the Uptown and Fort LaTour via Harbour Passage.”

The site has a lot to offer, according to project architects Diamond Schmitt.

“With the incredible geology and topography of Saint John, this site beautifully captures sightlines onto the confluence of the Saint John (Wolastoq) and Kennebecasis Rivers as well as Saint John Harbour and the Bay of Fundy beyond,” says Donald Schmitt, Principal of Diamond Schmitt Architects. “The building will be designed with community input, so it connects not just to the landscape, but to the people – past and present – who use it. The revitalized NBM will aim to reflect the stories and histories of the people of New Brunswick, as told by their descendants.”

Building design, planning and costing will now move forward for this location. A series of public engagement sessions are being planned around the province and will be announced in the near future".

https://www.nbm-mnb.ca/nbm-revitalization-project-proceeding/

[darkharbour]

Originally Posted by JakeNB

Announcement made. Douglas Ave. What a terrible mistake.

I don’t see why, Douglas Avenue is very central and on transit routes, Harbour Passage, etc. it’s hardly outside the core. Plus it’s sensible to have everything in one location, especially for research and storage security reasons.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by darkharbour

I don’t see why, Douglas Avenue is very central and on transit routes, Harbour Passage, etc. it’s hardly outside the core. Plus it’s sensible to have everything in one location, especially for research and storage security reasons.

Douglas Ave is hardly "core" or "central" to my mind. To me that would be somewhere between Union, and the sugar refinery site on one axis and Charlotte and the harbour on the other.

I think this is the biggest missed opportunity in many years or even perhaps decades. I'm hugely disappointed but not surprised. This is Saint John so it should come as no big shock that they screwed it up.

The only thing to hope for now is that they incorporate some sort of large exhibit space to the Fundy Quay site and cycle stuff in and out. That would at least be better than nothing.

As it is now, new Museum?....who really cares?....out of sight, out of mind

[JakeNB]

I agree with the previous comment. Douglas Ave. is not part of the Uptown core. But I highly doubt that there will be a secondary exhibit site. That has never been mentioned by the Museum board and I doubt that there will be any money available after the main project is completed.