The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread - Page 173

PostModernPrometheus · #**3441** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 3:35 PM**

Quote:

nwalbert

Cool picture of the crane. I heard on the radio this week that construction on Princess is going to start shortly to revamp the sidewalk areas and move all wiring, etc.. underground. Should be a nice face lift for the area.

odd time of year for them to be starting, especially with the phone and power lines being put underground, what with frost starting to set in on cold nights...that being said, it's LONG overdue to see the western end of Princess street renewed, right down to the waterfront....there's been more renovations and restorations done on Princess in the last 3-5 years than the 15 that preceeded those....

PostModernPrometheus · #**3442** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 3:39 PM**

UNBSJ enrolment will bounce back By: TimRoszell - News 88.9Staff

SAINT JOHN - An official with the Saint John campus of UNB believes the school's enrolment will bounce back after a slight drop this year.

Over twenty-six-hundred students call UNBSJ home - down slightly from last year.

But Registrar Tom Buckley says first-year enrolment is actually up in Saint John for the first time in a couple of years.

And that's not all.

"We've seen an increase in the total number of part time students this year as well, many of our classes are offered in the evenings and we're exploring the possibility of some weekend offerings this winter."

A recent survey of university students suggested the country's smaller schools got top marks from undergrads for overall satisfaction and quality of education.

Buckley says he not surprised.

He believes the intimacy offered by the smaller campus creates a positive learning environment.

link: http://www.news889.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20081024_182412_23288

PostModernPrometheus · #**3443** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 3:45 PM**

^ the small university comment is bang on....and we are lucky in the maritimes to be home to a number of farily diverse small schools in such a small geographic area...enrolment numbers of new students has been declining in many places the past few years (memorial in NL is an exception, and has seen a fair bit of growth that way, largely due to it's much lower tuition costs)...good to see numbers going up a little ... Mt.A's numbers have started increasing again, i can't speak for any others

, but it does suggest we're competing fairly well as a region

PostModernPrometheus · #**3444** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 3:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

It could be the case that the provincial numbers were simply below what they could have been because for so many years, SJ had lower construction rates.

Also, as you've discussed over hte past few months, the average price of a home in SJ has increased significantly since last year.

very true...my only point really was that things need to be looked at in both absolute and relative manners....the SJ housing market is inflating in terms of prices in a relative sense faster than anywhere else in the province, and if memory serves, the average house price in SJ is now also the highest in the Province (which is a double edged sword, of course, and very interesting given that most places in the country are seeing housing prices plummet, with some parts of the praires, saint john and st. john's being notable exceptions)

eg: 150 new executive single homes built at 300,000 a piece vs. 450 new mult-iunit homes at 100,000 a piece help to better put the numbers / total constuction $ generated into perspective....though the total dollar values are the same, the underlying trends could be very different in those cases...as would trends in population growth, property tax revenue, etc, etc

(the housing market and what drives inflated prices is a pet peeve of mine....anyone who has been following the st john's thread knows this :S )

Joe · #**3445** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 4:09 PM**

I thought the Princess Street reconstruction wasn't going to start until the spring of /09 and would take almost up to Dec. to finish. I belive there was an article in the TJ about it and how some Prince William Street business owners weren't happy about it, thinking their part of Prince William was next on the list to be reconstructed.

Helladog · #**3446** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 8:00 PM**

Quote:

hey helladog....can't place this...where is this, and what kind of infill project is necessitating that kind of crane????

It's just one house on an empty lot on Exmouth Street near the Phoenix Dinner Theatre. The concrete was poured last week, and a "Prestige" home was delivered a few days ago.

Helladog · #**3447** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 8:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe

I thought the Princess Street reconstruction wasn't going to start until the spring of /09 and would take almost up to Dec. to finish. I belive there was an article in the TJ about it and how some Prince William Street business owners weren't happy about it, thinking their part of Prince William was next on the list to be reconstructed.

Yeah, I read that too...they both need to be done.

PostModernPrometheus · #**3448** Posted **Oct 26, 2008, 10:01 PM**

found a link on the saint john waterfront development site that looks like it's an article from the TG earlier this month...helps shed a few more numbers on the housing market situation

http://www.sjwaterfront.com/saint_john_w...ost_largest_gains_in_housing_markets.htm

PostModernPrometheus · #**3449** Posted **Oct 27, 2008, 9:52 PM**

Development in Saint John is on pace to break last year's numbers

headline today from the news889.com site....keep in mind, last year was a huge year overall for construction in the area....

link: http://www.news889.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20081027_123142_14968

nwalbert · #**3450** Posted **Oct 28, 2008, 1:02 PM**

Some interesting news from Prince William Street. I have a friend who is currently looking for a new apartment who discovered that the top floor above the old 'Pillars' building on Prince William has been converted to loft apartments. They are available for $3500 per month!! Another sign that things are really heating up in this market.

kwajo · #**3451** Posted **Oct 28, 2008, 1:34 PM**

I had heard that they were renovated, but $3500 a month? You could buy half the buildings Uptown for a mortgage smaller than that.

I'm loving the look of the housing in-fill on Queen Street, the windows are going in and they look great with the piece of heritage facade that they kept. I can't wait to see that project completed and work beginning on The Abbey, they'll both give a huge boost to that portion of the Uptown.

Helladog · #**3452** Posted **Oct 28, 2008, 6:32 PM**

CINDY WILSON / Telegraph Journal
A golden sunset is reflected in the windows of uptown buildings with the cruise ship Carnival Victory at Long Wharf. The sun sets on the city’s 2008 cruise ship season today.

SJNB · #**3453** Posted **Oct 28, 2008, 9:20 PM**

from: country94.ca
[More Development Could be Coming to the West-Side]
11:43:23:

The West side could have a new retail and restaurant development on Fairville Blvd. Common council last night passed the first and second readings of a re-zoning necessary for the develop to construct a 57 hundred square metre building on the former Saint John Transit site.

The proposal by Plazacorp Property Holdings is the second phase of a larger retail “power centre” that began with the new Sobeys. The specific tenants for the retail and restaurant have not yet been confirmed but CHSJ News has learned they include Staple's - Reitman's - the Dollar Store - and - Bulk Barn.

nwalbert · #**3454** Posted **Oct 29, 2008, 1:05 AM**

Great news on the additional west side development, I know that a lot of folks over that way are excited about all of the things that are happening. Would be great to see a new movie theatre as well if there is any truth to those rumours. It certainly seems like it would make sense.

Helladog · #**3455** Posted **Oct 29, 2008, 10:03 PM**

Peter Walsh / Telegraph-Journal
The Constellation at Long Wharf on Tuesday evening, shortly before she became the last cruise ship to leave the harbour this season.

PostModernPrometheus · #**3456** Posted **Oct 29, 2008, 11:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helladog

CINDY WILSON / Telegraph Journal
A golden sunset is reflected in the windows of uptown buildings with the cruise ship Carnival Victory at Long Wharf. The sun sets on the city’s 2008 cruise ship season today.

very surreal...,,thought it was a painting on first glance...

PostModernPrometheus · #**3457** Posted **Oct 29, 2008, 11:10 PM**

New Story on a US think tank's endorsement of Lepreau Expansion & selling surplus electricity to the Northeast US

http://www.news889.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20081028_175903_21216

PostModernPrometheus · #**3458** Posted **Oct 29, 2008, 11:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwajo

I had heard that they were renovated, but $3500 a month? You could buy half the buildings Uptown for a mortgage smaller than that.
.

$3500 a month for a high end, tastefully furnished large open loft does seem a little high, but then again there are plenty of people coming in for 2-6 month stints for various energy related projects who would probably be willing to pay for hassle free high end accomodations...

if you had told me 5 years ago we'd be at the point where rental properties were going for 3 and a half grand in uptown SJ i would have laughed....now, it doesnt seem so far fetched...

PostModernPrometheus · #**3459** Posted **Oct 29, 2008, 11:35 PM**

on a related note, my sister is currently apartment hunting in the uptown core, and she is finding a number of very recently refurbished / renovated choices . . . you'd never guess, looking from the outside at many of these places that there's some really classy places to be found...new propane fireplaces, wireless integrated internet, etc all ready to go....

PostModernPrometheus · #**3460** Posted **Oct 29, 2008, 11:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwalbert

Great news on the additional west side development, I know that a lot of folks over that way are excited about all of the things that are happening. Would be great to see a new movie theatre as well if there is any truth to those rumours. It certainly seems like it would make sense.

it is exciting, and i agree...the city badly needs another multiplex...i haven't heard any recent rumours on that front, though....