The Official PEI Project Thread

[pei guy]

Originally Posted by apollo

Here is a rendering of the Charlotte Court Project.

http://picasaweb.google.ca/lh/photo/oQAwT1OTUOuWHoUpo7ROXg?feat=directlink

Nice! Much better than what's there now. I like the colors, and it will be good in that area.

I agree that the concert venue would be better as a sports field, but like you said there is probably too much contamination... maybe they can call it "Toxic Hill" to compete with Moncton's Magnetic one.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by pei guy

I think that concert venue idea is growing on me. It might give us some edge on Moncton and Halifax for concerts, and it's closer to downtown than the venues in those cities.

Both Magnetic Hill and the Commons would be able to handle a lot more people than this new concert site in Charlottetown. Magnetic Hill is rated for upwards of 100,000 and is a natural amphitheatre.

Moncton is also raising the ante for mid-sized concerts. The new athletic stadium will be able to handle up to 25,000 in relative comfort (10,000 permanent seats, another 10,000 "temporary" bleachers and 5,000 on the field. The plan is to use this facility for outdoor shows than don't require the expansiveness of Magnetic Hill.

[pei guy]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Both Magnetic Hill and the Commons would be able to handle a lot more people than this new concert site in Charlottetown. Magnetic Hill is rated for upwards of 100,000 and is a natural amphitheatre.

Moncton is also raising the ante for mid-sized concerts. The new athletic stadium will be able to handle up to 25,000 in relative comfort (10,000 permanent seats, another 10,000 "temporary" bleachers and 5,000 on the field. The plan is to use this facility for outdoor shows than don't require the expansiveness of Magnetic Hill.

Oh I understand, I just meant that this will help provide competition considering Charlottetown's size. We will never compete directly with those two venues, but this will definitely help for the city, and all of PEI to have bigger better concerts. It's great that Moncton has Magnetic Hill and the new stadium, but I think you would agree that it's good to see that kind of growth elsewhere too.

[MonctonRad]

Absolutely! (I'm an ex-Islander so I don't begrudge seeing all this neat stuff going on over there).

[pei guy]

New Farmers Market Comes to Downtown Charlottetown



"Opening a new Downtown Farmers Market on July 4th will offer Islanders and visitors one more way to Buy PEI in the Capital City" says Dawn Alan, Executive Director of Downtown Charlottetown Inc.

Farmers’ Markets are expanding and multiplying across Canada. This trend is the result of more people wanting to support local producers and the growing desire to know where food is coming from. In addition, farmers’ markets are great social gathering that bring communities together in a festive atmosphere. The Downtown Farmer’s Market will bring these great farmers’ market characteristic to the streets of Charlottetown.

Planned to be a one day per week, Sunday open air market the Downtown Farmers Market will be held on Lower Queen Street on the blocks between Richmond Street and Dorchester. The sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians and the street will remain open to vehicles. The downtown farmers market will operate in the parking spaces along these two blocks of Queen Street.

"A downtown farmer’s market will increase pedestrian traffic in the downtown, improve sales for nearby retailers and expand Sunday shopping options," says Dawn Alan.

The Downtown market will operate on Sunday’s from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Downtown Charlottetown Inc. has set a goal of having a minimum of 20 vendors take part in the market for 12 Sundays between July 4th and September 19th. Farmers’ market vendors will be a mixture of primary producers selling locally grown food produce, food service vendors and local artisans. In addition to vendors DCI wants to attract local musicians and artisans to provide sidewalk performances and artistic demonstration. The goal is to produce an attraction that brings consumers to the downtown.

[pei guy]

I saw in the Guardian today that someone is looking for an investor to build a Boston Pizza in Summerside.
I assume it would be in the new APM development. Good to hear! S'side is becoming quite a retail hotspot lately.

[pei guy]

Roundabout opening to traffic next week

DAVE STEWART
The Guardian



Coun. Terry Bernard, chair of the public works committee, says the roundabout at Mount Edward Road and Allen Street is scheduled to open to traffic by June 22 or 23.
“The construction has been going very well,’’ Bernard says. “The cement is being poured and traffic should be going through there next week.’’
The $3-million project (half the money was spent on upgrading the storm sewer system) is slightly ahead of schedule.
“It’s ahead of schedule by about a week. The intersection was closed down just so that (work crews) could move along a little bit quicker without too many interruptions.’’
As of next week, all the paving will be done and traffic will be able to move through the intersection.
“We will still have landscaping (to do) and we still have the sidewalks to pour so the whole project will be completed by the first week of July.’’
It will be Charlottetown’s first roundabout and, with that in mind, the city is going to provide motorists with a roundabout clinic.
A mock roundabout will be set up in the Charlottetown Mall parking lot on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until at least 11 a.m. beside Empire Theatres.
“The timing on that is what we’re looking for,’’ Bernard says. “For anyone who feels they want to get the experience under a controlled environment they’re welcome to come.’’
Work on the city’s next roundabout, at the Belvedere Avenue-UPEI intersection, is expected to begin as soon as traffic begins moving through the first roundabout.
Preliminary work has already begun on the Belvedere Avenue roundabout.
Unlike the project at Mount Edward-Allen, in which the intersection was actually shut down, the city will not be closing Belvedere Avenue (between Mount Edward and University) off to traffic.
“We’ve just been doing some perimeter work and putting in some catch basins. But there will always be two-way traffic (during construction of the roundabout).’’
As for the major University Avenue expansion, Bernard says it’s about 50 per cent complete.
“There have been minimal delays on University Avenue and hopefully that will continue.’’

[pei guy]

This is APM's feature from their website on the Welsh-Owen Hotel. I didn't realise that it was an L-shaped building! It makes for a very cool effect.

http://www.apm.ca/Development/Welsh_Owen/welsh_owen_hotel.html

[MonctonRad]

This is a very impressive proposal........I like it tremendously. I just can't believe all that is going on in Charlottetown at present.

The shape and colours of the sign for the "branded hotel' on top of the building are very reminiscent for Courtyard by Marriott. I presume that is what this will be.

[pei guy]

I really like it too. The sign is the exact shape and colours of the Courtyard by Marriott, and that would be a good brand to have.

I was driving through Charlottetown on Saturday (to get to Summerside for soccer) and I noticed just how much construction there is. It's crazy! This is a list of projects that I saw just on the highway.

Stratford

-New liquor store and parking lot expansion at the Sobeys (liquor store is going to be connected to Sobeys on the right side)

-Something big going on in the business park

-New 3-storey condo by the town hall (very nice)

-TCH widening

-New school

Charlottetown

-Homburg hotel, new HC buildings, waterfront condos (in the distance)

-Riverside Dr widening

-Oak Dr overpass expansion

-New 4-storey apartment building at the end of Oak Dr

-Bypass widening from St Peters Rd to Brackley Point Rd

-QEH expansion

That's just what I saw, but I'm sure there's more. So great to see all this construction. And, to put the icing on the cake, I will be back in Ch'town tomorrow and I'll get some pictures!

[MontagueHill]

Dominion Building Offer Accepted
JIM DAY
The Guardian

The idle Dominion Building has a buyer.
Canada Lands Company has accepted an offer from a Halifax developer to purchase the 53,645-square-metre building in Charlottetown, says Bob Mussett of CB Richard Ellis Company — a commercial real estate company hired to sell the towering structure.
Mussett says due diligence is underway and within a month it should be known if the transaction will proceed.
He says the company, which he would not name, is looking at mixed-use development but did not offer any specifics.
He noted, though, that some developers who showed interest in the building were looking at converting this former home to a post office and hundreds of public servants into a hotel, residential property and other specialized uses.
“Lots of different ideas,’’ he said.
“We had a fair amount of interest ... we had a good amount of activity.’’
In 2002, Public Works Canada announced the building as surplus to their needs, and in 2007 the property was transferred to the Canada Lands Company, a Crown corporation that buys and disposes of surplus federal property.
Heritage advocate Catherine Hennessey is urging care in the development of the building that consumes an entire block in the capital city’s downtown core.
“We don’t need too much more commercial space and we don’t need much more hotel space, I would suggest,’’ she said.
“So I think we have to be very, very watchful.’’
Some, including Hennessey, are pushing for a provincial museum to go in a portion of the building.
She adds that while the old Dominion Building may look somewhat dreary, the structure still holds architectural value.
“I never much liked the building in my day but as I look at it more ... it’s not the most attractive building but it represents a time in the federal government architecture,’’ she said. “I think we should respect it and move on from there.’’

[MontagueHill]

Site of Holland College's West Prince Campus Unveiled

EDITORIAL STAFF
The Guardian

ALBERTON — The location of Holland College West Prince campus — at the corner of Main and Church streets in Alberton — will allow area residents to further their education within their home communities, says Premier Robert Ghiz.
“We have consulted extensively with local residents, with area businesses and with students at Westisle High School,” the premier said.
“The West Prince campus in Alberton — with satellite locations in O’Leary and Tignish — will reflect the needs of the local economy and the interests of learners in the West Prince region.
“I’m pleased to announce a campus that will not only be an addition to the education and training options for West Prince, but also a landmark for this community.”
Ghiz joined Mike O’Grady, Holland College’s vice-president of innovation, enterprise and strategic development, and Neil LeClair, minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development, to announce the new college location and to unveil concept drawings for the campus.
“As the community college of Prince Edward Island, Holland College is excited to be able to work with the West Prince community to provide the best in post-secondary opportunities for residents of the region,” said O’Grady.
LeClair said the new campus helps further government’s goals of promoting rural development.
“Our Rural Action Plan recognizes that economic development and educational opportunities are important components of healthy rural communities,” he said.
“The West Prince campus of Holland College serves both of these aims.”
The approximately 22,000-square-foot building will house two large trade shops, several classrooms and multi-purpose rooms, which will be available for use by the West Prince community.
The West Prince campus of Holland College will begin accepting students in the fall of 2011. An open house is planned for later this summer to offer a detailed look at construction plans and to give the public and potential students an advance look at the programs that will be offered at the new campus.

[MontagueHill]

Dominion Building




Holland College West Prince

[MTLskyline]

I always liked the Dominion Building. My grandfather used to work there (for Revenue Canada).

[MonctonRad]

I spent the first 21 years of my existence in Charlottetown. I know the Dominion Building well. I always thought it looked out of place in comparison with the rest of the architecture downtown (but so does the Confederation centre ). Despite this, I think they should try and preserve the overall look of the building..........after all, it's a fair representation of mid 20th century brutalist federal government architecture. It's worth preserving. It would be hard to imagine Queen St. without it.

[pei guy]

Thanks for the info, MontagueHill!
Yeah, the Dominion building is a very important building downtown, and they need a way to preserve it while putting it to good use. Hopefully a mix of ground-floor retail, apartments or condos, and office space.

I really like the look of the Alberton Holland College campus. It will fit in well in Alberton, and I always like seeing development in smaller communities. Plus, it will be great for residents of that area.



PS- I was in town today and got some pictures of HC, Homburg hotel, tunnel etc. but I don't really have the energy to upload them right now(I'll get them on tomorrow). It's been a long day, and I need to climb the wooden hill!

[MontagueHill]

Yeah, I was glad to read that the potential developer is thinking mixed-use as well. The more activity downtown, the better.

[pei guy]

As promised, here are the construction pictures:

New Shoppers Drug Mart, with new signage for Urban Eatery and Wicker Emporium (I really like how this fits with the streetscape):



Holland College:



Homburg hotel - looking good!:





The tunnel, now being covered back up:



And the new siding on National Bank Tower, which will look way better than the current stuff:

[pei guy]

On the City of Charlottetown website, three notable building permits were approved in the last week:

-Signage on the Fitzroy St office building, hopefully to give it a real name

-An 18-unit apartment building on Nicholas Ln (not sure where that is, though)

-And a 15-unit apartment building at 315 University (where that red building is now across from the RBC) , the request was for a variance, so it might be taller than usual

Good news!

[MontagueHill]

(CBC News)



The University of Prince Edward Island has put forward a proposal to build a $4 million addition on the Robertson Library that would hold the university's archival material.

The 8,000 square foot, three-storey structure would include special meeting and exhibit space, in addition to being a storage facility for the university's print and art collections. Storage and preservation facilities would go on the lower level. The main floor would have exhibit spaces, including a giant screen.

"It's a physical gathering place for people who want to create, discuss and build on top of the cultural heritage that would be part of the Island Archives digital online component," said university librarian Mark Leggott.

The upper level would have space for workshops and smaller gatherings, as well as workstations where individual and community groups can go to digitize material for inclusion in the archives.

UPEI is hoping the federal and provincial governments will contribute about $2 million of the $4 million cost.

The province already has promised one major historical project, and is now saying it could be five years before it builds a provincial museum, which a report says could cost close to $40 million.

Leggott believes the two projects could work together.

"From our perspective it's a synergy with, an enhancement to, beneficial to, any kind of physical, provincial museum facility that might happen," he said.

Leggott is meeting with interested groups of people to outline UPEI's plans for the Island Archives Centre. He's hoping to have construction underway by next year.