The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[CdnEh]

Originally Posted by DreDay

I was thinking the same thing for both Aberdeen and Saint John VW. It's nice to see them both upgrade. Looks like SJVW moved into the old KIA building.. or was it Hyundai? I was also hoping that Aberdeen would be a Subaru/Volvo like in Freddy, but that might be asking too much..

The old SJVW building is a massive upgrade for Aberdeen though, even though it wasn't up to Volkswagen's standards.

Their current facility is quite literally a small bungalow with a detached garage. There is hardly room for even one vehicle in their "showroom".

Was it a house before it was a dealership, or does it just look that way?



As for where SJVW moved to, they're now located in the old Hyundai building - however the building was gutted, and the entire front half of the building was torn down and rebuilt.

[DreDay]

Originally Posted by CdnEh

The old SJVW building is a massive upgrade for Aberdeen though, even though it wasn't up to Volkswagen's standards.

Their current facility is quite literally a small bungalow with a detached garage. There is hardly room for even one vehicle in their "showroom".

Was it a house before it was a dealership, or does it just look that way?



As for where SJVW moved to, they're now located in the old Hyundai building - however the building was gutted, and the entire front half of the building was torn down and rebuilt.

Absolutely huge upgrade.. That looks like an old gas station

@ Michael_d40 - Right! I totally forgot about the Hyundai dealer moving to Westmorland.. The Kia dealer is down by Nissan..

[JHikka]

What will happen to the former Subaru/Suzuki lot? That's a heavy traffic area.

[kwajo]

In the short term I think 'the RV Place' will expand to park their wares in the old Aberdeen vehicle lot, after that however I'm not sure. You're right, it is a high traffic area, but it is a tough site to develop from a traffic standpoint because of its proximity to the on/off-ramps. Car dealerships don't have massive volumes of cars turning in and out, if it turns out to be something like a restaurant or higher volume retail, some major traffic considerations will have to be made.

That's also good news about NBLCC moving into the old Zellers and the addition of another store (whether Giant Tiger or otherwise). Landsdown has huge potential, given it is surrounded on all sides by residential of one form or another, and seeing that building vacant for the past few years has been a real shame. With the new Y down the street and this redevelopment, it could be a nice shot in the arm for the area.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by kwajo

That's also good news about NBLCC moving into the old Zellers and the addition of another store (whether Giant Tiger or otherwise). Landsdown has huge potential, given it is surrounded on all sides by residential of one form or another, and seeing that building vacant for the past few years has been a real shame. With the new Y down the street and this redevelopment, it could be a nice shot in the arm for the area.

It'll be nice but filling the old Zellers with a Giant Tiger wouldn't really be a big shot in the arm. It's not as if Giant Tiger has transformed Prince Edward Square into a shopping destination, it would also be a far cry from what used to be there back in the day (Sears). I'm honestly not sure what store Alcohol NB would move into a store with. Like I said, they've had an ongoing partnership with Sobey's, and there's a Sobey's just next door...we'll see what happens.

IIRC the Liquor store at Lansdowne is the most profitable in NB per square foot, although i'd need numbers to back that up. The Giant Tiger at Prince Edward Square pulls in good profits as well.

[kwajo]

Well it wouldn't be a game changer, but it can't hurt IMO. Good question about what store it might be, although it seems likely to me that the building owner woudl simply subdivide the existing space into [at least] two, and lease them to separate entities.

Anyone know who currently owns that building?

[ErickMontreal]

Originally Posted by kwajo

Well it wouldn't be a game changer, but it can't hurt IMO. Good question about what store it might be, although it seems likely to me that the building owner woudl simply subdivide the existing space into [at least] two, and lease them to separate entities.

Anyone know who currently owns that building?

As far as I know, the owner is Retrocom REIT (they also own the Lancaster Mall) which is a subdivision of SmartCenter.

The third party manager is Arcturus Realty Corporation

[ricker]

The new liquor store will have more sq footage and better parking.
As far as the other Giant Tiger type store, it would carry discount clothing and other items for the people of the north end.
It is great to see something happening to this building!

[CdnEh]

I think a Nofrills would do great in that location, however it could cannibalize sales from the nearby Millidgeville Superstore.

Also, I doubt Sobeys would appreciate sharing a parking lot with a competitor.

[JHikka]

Lansdowne Zellers by Greg Hickman

For those of you who may not know the location. You can see how close the Sobey's is in the background.

[NBNYer]

What's a Zellers Select?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

What's a Zellers Select?

"Zellers Select" stores are designed for smaller markets with populations under 25,000, with stores averaging 45,000 square feet (4,200 m2).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zellers

[kwajo]

I used to love when that place was a Sears in the classic mid-century department store style. The multi-floor layout with escalators, the customer service desks, the little design touches, it was such a different place. In hindsight it is quite sad that they moved to the East Side, but the markets were changing and I guess it just didn't make sense to stay where they were.

[ricker]

Harbour Station

I have noticed the the roof and sides of Harbour Station getting more dirty looking every year?
It is becomeing a eyesore from the beutiful sky blue it was when the building was built.
Does anyone know why can they not pressure wash it every few years to improve the look?

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by ricker

Harbour Station

I have noticed the the roof and sides of Harbour Station getting more dirty looking every year?
It is becomeing a eyesore from the beutiful sky blue it was when the building was built.
Does anyone know why can they not pressure wash it every few years to improve the look?

They do pressure wash it every few years. I've seen it get dirty and then cleaned a few times.

[dhottawa729]

Originally Posted by GregHickman

They do pressure wash it every few years. I've seen it get dirty and then cleaned a few times.

They should just colour-match the dirt and then paint it that colour

[kwajo]

Yeah I've never been a fan of the sky blue roof, it shows dirt too easily. The rest of Harbour Station is fantastic inside and out (although it could use a bar or restaurant space somewhere along the street level).

[JHikka]

Harbour Station is arguably the best QMJHL arena east of Quebec. When it was hosting games Mile One in St. John's was the only facility that really challenged it. Frankly you're going to have a hard time finding a rink in the Q that is as nice and well-equipped as Harbour Station, as well as being suitable for different kinds of events.

[CdnEh]

Yes the blue shows dirt way too easily and makes the building look like it isn't being maintained.

They should just paint the roof brown or grey or something.

I'm sure the many weeds that have sprung up on the roof don't help matters either.

What is the lifespan of those type of roofs? That building is nearing 20 years old so I'm
sure there is exterior maintenance in the cards for the future.

[john_sj]

Originally Posted by kwajo

In the short term I think 'the RV Place' will expand to park their wares in the old Aberdeen vehicle lot, after that however I'm not sure. You're right, it is a high traffic area, but it is a tough site to develop from a traffic standpoint because of its proximity to the on/off-ramps. Car dealerships don't have massive volumes of cars turning in and out, if it turns out to be something like a restaurant or higher volume retail, some major traffic considerations will have to be made.

That's also good news about NBLCC moving into the old Zellers and the addition of another store (whether Giant Tiger or otherwise). Landsdown has huge potential, given it is surrounded on all sides by residential of one form or another, and seeing that building vacant for the past few years has been a real shame. With the new Y down the street and this redevelopment, it could be a nice shot in the arm for the area.

I don't think that NBLCC is moving into the Zellers anylonger based what I've seen.