Official Fredericton, NB projects thread

[cj6286]

In regards to the Needs on Douglas ave, my friend works there and he says that ever since the fast fuel opened, sales have decreased by almost half. Their boss hasn't even told them that the store is closing yet. Which, ya know. It's important to know since they will have to find a new job. As far as they know, the store may be closing by November. They've already decreased their hours. Used to be 6am to midnight, now it's 6am to 11pm.
You're right, the convenience store business is dying.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by jimtriscuit

Start with going to Scholtens on the Hanwell in their restaurant, a bunch of Newspaper articles on the situation. the court case is regarding the leaking of private personal information to third parties.

I can also guarantee that convenience store would not be in the middle of being built not knowing if they would get a liquor agency or not. They know its theirs.

I do have proof, that this has gone down as Ive said. But you will have to take a wait and see approach because I cannot state the various information on a public message board in respect to Chris Scholten and others involved in a potential lawsuit situation

Im not just a person making an outside observation I've been on the inside for different steps along the way.

bottom line is NB Liquor knew from the start they want an outlet on the highway there, and I certainly don't blame them at all. The application process giving businesses a false hope for other purposes is the issue going forward.

The store was going to be built before there was even the possibility of there being a liquor outlet in Hanwell at all.

I think you are exaggerating the certainty of the outlet being placed on the highway from the beginning. Obviously, it seems like the ideal location simply because Route 640 is the only link between Fredericton and most of Hanwell. So regardless of where on that road it is placed, the vast majority of residents will pass by it. As you point out, having it right by the highway logically increases the customer base as well.

Having said that, NB Liquor still needs to follow the tender process that they established. If the application by this company had not been suitable, do you really think they would have been awarded the contract? Furthermore, was NB Liquor even aware that this new gas station/convenience store/restaurant was being planned?

I'm not disagreeing that NB Liquor may have preferred this location from the start but that doesn't mean it was a foregone conclusion. Everyone involved had a kick at the can and this is simply a case of people being sore losers IMO.

By the way, I was just commenting to a friend earlier today how this is yet another example of the anti-development practices that seems to run rampant in this province. Here we have a small business owner who intends to employ a good number of people but the matter is before the courts so he delays construction of his business because the outcome obviously impacts his building plans. Yet it doesn't seem like any progress is being made on the file and thus he is financially penalized. This is very irresponsible behaviour on the part of the province.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by cj6286

In regards to the Needs on Douglas ave, my friend works there and he says that ever since the fast fuel opened, sales have decreased by almost half. Their boss hasn't even told them that the store is closing yet. Which, ya know. It's important to know since they will have to find a new job. As far as they know, the store may be closing by November. They've already decreased their hours. Used to be 6am to midnight, now it's 6am to 11pm.
You're right, the convenience store business is dying.

Why would the boss give employees notice that the store was closing? The employees would leave and it would be tough to hire replacements. It sucks for the current employees but obviously the writing is on the wall and they should probably be looking for new jobs anyways.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by jimtriscuit

FYI Their is absolutely nothing to be won in court Mr Scholten knows this, its him vs NB Liquor which is Government Owned, its to prove a point and the moral of it all. NB Liquor can and will do want they want, because of it being the Government. Which is also why they aren't too concerned about leaking personal information to the New Irvings Owner, because well that was the intent.

Ive ranted enough about it, its just frustrating, and in the end, The Liquor store is in the new Irving, always was and that won't change, or it would not have been built.

Missed this in my previous response. Like I said, this store was planned before the RFP was released. It was going to be built regardless of whether it had a liquor store or not.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

This area has great potential. I just hope it doesn't become a land of codos. There should be retail there as well so people want to be there and give it a aura of life all day not just morning and evening when people are going to work/school and coming home.

Unfortunately I think that area is just a bit too far out of the downtown business core to really attract retail unless we were to see huge population growth there.

I don't see a downside to it being mainly residential though. It's close enough to downtown that any population gains there will help downtown businesses. Would be great to see some new denser developments on the land around the train station.

By the way as far as I'm aware there are no condos in that area to begin with. All of the newer buildings are rentals.

[Freddypop]

Originally Posted by OliverD

Unfortunately I think that area is just a bit too far out of the downtown business core to really attract retail unless we were to see huge population growth there.

I don't see a downside to it being mainly residential though. It's close enough to downtown that any population gains there will help downtown businesses. Would be great to see some new denser developments on the land around the train station.

By the way as far as I'm aware there are no condos in that area to begin with. All of the newer buildings are rentals.

Isn't this essentially across the street from the NBLC train station location? I seem to recall that council had been hoping for additional retail to coexist with the NBLC outlet and Sobeys so perhaps the increased density will see some retail activity pop up...

[Taeolas]

Originally Posted by OliverD

Why would the boss give employees notice that the store was closing? The employees would leave and it would be tough to hire replacements. It sucks for the current employees but obviously the writing is on the wall and they should probably be looking for new jobs anyways.

It would be respectful to the employees for one thing; but that's increasingly rare in this day and age as far as businesses go.

Are the stores all owned by the same person/same group? If they did tell the employees and did lose too many to keep it open, might they be able to bring in workers from Sobeys and the other Needs to cover the remaining time? (More likely they'd just shift the stock to the other Needs and close early if that actually happened)

[KnoxfordGuy]

I see tourism in Fredericton generated 228 million in revenue for 2013. Up 1.6% over 2012. The highest numbers ever. Good news!

Edit: Also I see that MoneySense says that Fredericton's CA population in 2013 was 99,066. I'd say we will hit 100,000 by spring 2015. Pretty sweet.

[cj6286]

Needs on Douglas Ave is closing April 21. I wonder what they will be doing with that spot after?

[Freddypop]

Saw in paper today that plans for terminal expansion at YFC beginning in 2015

[Steeple Shanks]

Noticed that the old YMCA in the exhibition grounds has a new occupant. Noticed news signs up. The business, of which at present the name escapes me, appears to have taken over the whole building.

[Taeolas]

Yup, it's been there since the new year I think. It's an International Support company or something like that. I don't know the details of what they do, but I've noticed an uptick in the number of middle eastern and Asian people getting on the bus from there lately; usually with a lot of kids.

As for YFC's expansion, any details on what they have in mind? More gates? A jetway even?

[cl812]

I think it said in the article that they plan to add 2 new gates and the expansion will increase the size of the terminal by a third.

[CdnEh]

Originally Posted by Taeolas

As for YFC's expansion, any details on what they have in mind? More gates? A jetway even?

Woah woah woah lets not get ahead of ourselves here.

[Blue Blazer]

Originally Posted by cj6286

Needs on Douglas Ave is closing April 21. I wonder what they will be doing with that spot after?

Rumor has it Old Navy

[Justin6463]

There is no way that space is big enough for an Old Navy.

[cl812]

I think it was a joke.

----

Couldnt imagine they would put in a jetway, the arrivals and departures area would need to be on the second floor, which I doubt will happen.

[trev71]

Originally Posted by Blue Blazer

Rumor has it Old Navy

oh Blue you crack me up sometimes. No plans of anything coming in there from what my sources tell me

[KnoxfordGuy]

This is so crude that it's not even funny, but I was wondering what Wilmont United would look like on King Street if the spire had not been removed some 40 years ago. It would have given the street a little "Je ne sais pas". Agreed?

[cl812]

Looks like it would have been close to the height of the Cathedral.

On another note, came across this the other day:

http://www.partnersglobal.com/wp-con...rossing_PG.pdf

Wonder if this means there will be some activity at the SmartCentres site in the near future? According to this doc one of the proposed buildings is already mostly leased.