The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[Wrightguy0]

I'd like to see a skyline shot with North of Union, Brunswick Square Phase 2 and the coast guard site all rendered in.

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by kwajo

You know what I was thinking would be really nice, is if Irving Oil built their new headquarters on Long Wharf, a nice mid-rise building of maybe 12-floors or so, and incorporated the YMCA/YWCA into the development. Then maybe find a way to attach this new development to the pedway system via a beautiful glass-enclosed bridge from the Hilton to Long Wharf.

Maybe Irving will reach a deal for Long Wharf soon and get moving on this. The port doesn't want to sell, so maybe a 99-year lease? Maybe an announcement this week or next?

Yeah, that'd be nice...

Maybe they should buy the Loyalist House and add the twelve stories there.

[davehook_729]

Originally Posted by Wrightguy0

I'd like to see a skyline shot with North of Union, Brunswick Square Phase 2 and the coast guard site all rendered in.

I'm going on vacation in to Saint John starting tomorrow, but when I get back I'll do up a sketchup/photoshop rendering of the city with the Coast Guard, North of Union, Brunswick Square P2 and use my imagination for a Irving HQ campus on long wharf. Yeah...summer vacations in progress, so work is slow...

[Helladog]

HISTORIC BARBOURS GENERAL STORE AT NEW PARK

[Helladog]

I noticed a double-bus (accordion style) making the rounds today. Is SJT taking them for a test drive?

[Wrightguy0]

Work Bus, it could be taking workers from town to the LNG terminal.

Thanks Dave.

[michael_d40]

[Water-Front Set to Take on a New Look]

03:49:10:

The waterfront is about to under go even more change -- CHSJ News has learned an agreement has been reached between the Port Authority and Irving Oil clearing the way for the company to build a new corporate office tower on Long Wharf. Details will be spelled out during a news conference later this morning -- but -- sources tell us Irving will buy the former Lantic Sugar site and turn it over to the Port Authority in exchange for a lease on the Long Wharf property.

Irving Oil has long since outgrown its landmark Golden Ball building in the uptown and now has divisions spread around the city.

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by michael_d40

[Water-Front Set to Take on a New Look]

03:49:10:

The waterfront is about to under go even more change -- CHSJ News has learned an agreement has been reached between the Port Authority and Irving Oil clearing the way for the company to build a new corporate office tower on Long Wharf. Details will be spelled out during a news conference later this morning -- but -- sources tell us Irving will buy the former Lantic Sugar site and turn it over to the Port Authority in exchange for a lease on the Long Wharf property.

Irving Oil has long since outgrown its landmark Golden Ball building in the uptown and now has divisions spread around the city.

Oh, look who was right


I'm going to the announcement this morning, so I'll report to the forum if there is anything interesting in the way of renderings or models.

[Wrightguy0]

Knew they were going to look at long wharf

[kwajo]

Of course the downside of all this is that since the Port will have the Sugar Refinery site, it probably won't see re-development into residential/commercial space any time in the foreseeable future.

There go my dreams of increasing population density Uptown by building residential towers down there

[PersonPlaceorThing]

Originally Posted by Wrightguy0

Knew they were going to look at long wharf

It's a little short, but it could work.

[kwajo]

Here are some artist conceptions (sorry for large images):





Some highlights:
-LEED (Gold?) standards
-Green roof over the entire building
-4 large glassed-in atrium gardens (the large glass areas of the building)
-Fort LaTour redevelopment is included in the project
-Cruise ship welcome centre
-public access to the entire wharf, except on cruise ship days
-walking bridge over the slip, creating a tidal garden along Harbour Passage
-public consultation on the green space of the wharf will begin this fall
-Port will re-develop the Sugar refinery site, probably expand the potash terminal, and repair the century-old wharves on the lower West with the lease money from Irving

[kwajo]

June 20, 2008
Saint John Port Authority Announces Exciting Changes on Waterfront
Proposed changes include development at Long Wharf, purchase of Lantic Sugar site
SAINT JOHN, NB – The Saint John Port Authority announced today it has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with Irving Oil Limited that would see development of a new building complex
on the Long Wharf property in Saint John’s inner harbour. The development would provide space for
a new Irving Oil building and would also enhance public access to the city’s waterfront via Harbour
Passage with the addition of new walking trails and park space. Irving Oil would also contribute to the
redevelopment of the Fort La Tour National Historic site as part of the site’s landscaping and public
space.
The Saint John Port Authority would retain ownership of Long Wharf’s water frontage, and both
Irving Oil and the Port Authority would work closely together to develop the site for both cruise ship
passengers and public use. The Long Wharf site would continue to be used as a secondary berth for
cruise ships visiting Saint John.
Under an agreement worth approximately $10 million, Irving Oil would lease the Long Wharf property
from the Saint John Port Authority. Contained within this leased land would be a parcel of land that
would be owned by Irving Oil and would be the location of the new building. This agreement is
dependent on the City of Saint John agreeing to sell the former Lantic Sugar site to Irving Oil, at fair
market value, for the purposes of immediately transferring ownership to the Saint John Port Authority.
“Today, we are securing the future of the working port”, stated Stephen Campbell, Chairman of the
Board for the Saint John Port Authority. “The sugar refinery site will be incorporated into the Lower
Cove terminal and connect this facility with the Potash Terminal, providing contiguous marine facilities
for present and future marine cargo operations in this area. This will protect the integrity of the working
port, now and in the future.”
“The MOU calls for the exchange of the sugar refinery site for a comparable portion of Long Wharf to
accommodate an exciting project, which will enhance both our cruise business and the waterfront area
of the City,” observed Captain Al Soppitt, President and CEO of the Saint John Port Authority. “With this
exchange, we will be retaining the marginal berth area as our secondary cruise terminal, and we know
Irving Oil’s development on Long Wharf would be done to the highest standards, should it proceed.
With approval of this project, cargo operations on the East side will in future be concentrated at Lower
Cove and the newly acquired Lantic Sugar site.”
“Our company has been encouraged by a number of organizations in the community to remain in the
uptown area and consider development on the waterfront,” says Blaine Higgs, Director of Logistics
for Irving Oil. “The Saint John Port Authority has helped make this idea a reality by showing vision
and a willingness to work together on a solution that meets the needs of the whole community. The
community’s encouragement, along with the Port’s vision and Saint John’s continued growth as a
great place to live and work, has led to this exciting announcement. We look forward to receiving the
community’s input and working with them to develop plans for the waterfront that would be enhanced
and made accessible to the public as part of this development.”
The agreement is subject to federal government approvals and is conditional upon the Saint John Port
Authority and Irving Oil reaching a final agreement on property layout and detailed design. Construction
on the Long Wharf property would begin when all approvals are received. The proposed project
would take two to three years to build and would create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs during
construction.
Irving Oil’s proposed development would be constructed under the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, reflecting Irving Oil’s commitment to
environmental responsibility and sustainability. The LEED system is a rigorous standard for the design,
construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
The Port of Saint John, New Brunswick’s largest and most diverse marine gateway, is a bulk and break
bulk port with the capacity to handle containers and is the second busiest port of call for cruise ships
operating in Atlantic Canada.
The Port is a commercially viable, self-sufficient business enterprise and a cornerstone of the local
economy. It is a critical component of the region’s transportation infrastructure essential to many of New
Brunswick’s major industries engaged in international trade and provides deep-water, ice-free access to
shipping year round.

My opinion:
I love the greenspaces and the green roof, as well as the incorporation of a tidal garden and the Fort LaTour redevelopment, but the building itself isn't that exciting, and is only 6 floors tall (probably because the footprint is huge). What happened to my 12 floor office tower?

Oh well, it's a lot better than an empty 10 acre wharf.

[cityguy]

Sorry,but where is long wharf in Saint John?

[PersonPlaceorThing]

Originally Posted by cityguy

Sorry,but where is long wharf in Saint John?

This is the wharf with an entrance at the corner of Station and Smythe Streets. This is near Harbour Station.

[mylesmalley]

Nice conceptual drawings!

What's that going to do to the commercial vacancy rate in the city?

[Wrightguy0]

It may open up good office space for new large companies

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by Wrightguy0

It may open up good office space for new large companies

Well surely BP will eventually want to open an office somewhere Uptown to go with the new refinery. Maybe they'll take up some of the space vacated by Irving Oil?

[random11]

Well, I too would have liked to see some height however, I confess, I am nevertheless impressed. The renderings reflect a very large sprawling building that appears to consume much of Long Warf and that is a sizeable piece of land. Of great value is Irving's intent to improve Harbour Passage and developing the Ft. Latour site. I can see this area becoming more publicly accessible as well where currently, the entire Long Warf area is fenced in. The sheer number of employees that such a building would encompass would be huge and I think we would see some extra positive spin-off's as well such as more restaurants, pubs, etc. in the area. I do have a question though .. I don't see any parking?

[PersonPlaceorThing]

Originally Posted by random11

Well, I too would have liked to see some height however, I confess, I am nevertheless impressed. The renderings reflect a very large sprawling building that appears to consume much of Long Warf and that is a sizeable piece of land. Of great value is Irving's intent to improve Harbour Passage and developing the Ft. Latour site. I can see this area becoming more publicly accessible as well where currently, the entire Long Warf area is fenced in. The sheer number of employees that such a building would encompass would be huge and I think we would see some extra positive spin-off's as well such as more restaurants, pubs, etc. in the area. I do have a question though .. I don't see any parking?

I think the first two floors of the building are parking (with the cruise welcome center and office lobbies being exceptions).