[Moncton] Downtown Developments

[MonctonRad]

Thanks lrdevlop, I'm glad to hear that there is so much interest in 55 Queen, and that the developers might be doing other projects in the core in the future.

In fact, what the downtown really needs is a cluster of perhaps three buildings of similar quality to 55 Queen in the same neighbourhood (behind city hall) in order to build momentum.



The east end of downtown is reviving, with the city hall complex, Blue Cross, the Marriott Hotel and the small residential buildings on the east end of Assomption, but if you added in several condo buildings like 55 Queen into the mix, that could be a game changer for the area, and could really serve as a catalyst for even more residential and commercial development.

Perception is everything. If people think the east end in booming then it will indeed boom. I wish the developers well and look forward to shovels in the ground next year!

And, oh by the way, the wood framing for this little bit of infill on the corner of Botsford and Victoria (also in the east end and only about a block away) is starting to go up......

[pierremoncton]

Originally Posted by Lrdevlop

That's a whole other story. It's impossible to compare this project to FiveFive - as you've seen, construction stopped and stalled on this project since a while. Bad planning too.

Speaking of that St George condo project: it's surely dead; a 'for sale' sign appeared on the building a few weeks ago.

Thanks for the other info. I still doubt that we'll see many of these of projects succeed over the next few years, but I don't mind being proven wrong.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by Lrdevlop

Don't worry about that, in the maritimes we are geared towards thinking small and a lot of people will think this won't work. I understand your concerns as it's the first project of it's kind, but I can confirm that the interest is huge. In fact, as for the penthouses, they're the most popular unit; they will probably sell faster than some of the less expensive units.

Maritimers are not geared toward thinking small.

Skepticism is warranted when the residential market hasn't a foundation upon which to sell expensive condos. If there truly was such a huge demand, the private sector would have stepped in a long time ago. The proof will be in the sale of units, once the apparently super complicated paper work is figured out.

[Monctoncore]

I think people are forgetting that LrDevlop is close with the developers of these projects, so he probably has a lot more information about, who is interested and who is not. This is not a he said she said but, one person relaying information straight from the source to us. As for the paperwork at the condo's on Dominion, I think that is settled, I have driven past there in the morning and seen people sitting on the balconies and again at night and seen tv's on in windows.

[MonctonRad]

Something may be afoot for the empty lot on the southwest corner of the Main Street/Vaughan Harvey Blvd intersection.

The September meeting of the Moncton PAC is coming up, and one of the items on the agenda appears to be about this proposal, to be called the Junction Subdivision



I have no information about this proposed development, but I'm sure that it wouldn't be a subdivision in it's traditional sense around here. Given it's location, I presume it would be a mixed use development of some form. I imagine the entrance (which will be off Vaughan Harvey), will be directly across from the driveway leading into the Sobeys, Shoppers Drug Mart and the VIA station......

It will be interesting to see what this is all about.

Here is the link for the pdf for the PAC meeting.
http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Government+...English/PAC+Agendas/September+Agenda.pdf

[KnoxfordGuy]

Interview done by CBC about the preserving Highfield Square façade. They interviewed John Leroux and he knows a thing or two about this stuff lol. I enjoy his work.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunsw...rving-moncton-mall-fa%C3%A7ade-1.1860685

[MonctonRad]

It seems that the only person who has some love for the old Highfield Square facade is this one unnamed councillor. Maybe he has fond memories of the old restaurant in former Eaton's store.

I agree with everyone else, tear the damn thing down and start anew.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, I was downtown this evening taking a stroll (and sampling the wares at the new downtown Starbucks). The new Starbucks is very nice on the inside and tastefully decorated. A great addition to the core.

Also, I walked by the old City Grill and the lights were on in the inside. It looked as if a new ceiling had been installed so I think renovations may have started for the new restaurants that are to replace the City Grill.....

Let's hope these two restaurants will open sometime this fall..

[mylesmalley]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Something may be afoot for the empty lot on the southwest corner of the Main Street/Vaughan Harvey Blvd intersection.

The September meeting of the Moncton PAC is coming up, and one of the items on the agenda appears to be about this proposal, to be called the Junction Subdivision



I have no information about this proposed development, but I'm sure that it wouldn't be a subdivision in it's traditional sense around here. Given it's location, I presume it would be a mixed use development of some form. I imagine the entrance (which will be off Vaughan Harvey), will be directly across from the driveway leading into the Sobeys, Shoppers Drug Mart and the VIA station......

It will be interesting to see what this is all about.

Here is the link for the pdf for the PAC meeting.
http://www.moncton.ca/Assets/Government+...English/PAC+Agendas/September+Agenda.pdf

I wouldn't expect an awful lot. Low density residential to the north, and box-stores on the other side of Vaughan Harvey... Mind you it's a prominent location and there has been a lot of new residential going up along VH. Might be some apartment buildings...

I find the name Ivan Rand East interesting. Guess you can infer that there will eventually be a connection through to the other end by the car dealerships and opening on to Main.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

I wouldn't expect an awful lot. Low density residential to the north, and box-stores on the other side of Vaughan Harvey... Mind you it's a prominent location and there has been a lot of new residential going up along VH. Might be some apartment buildings...

I find the name Ivan Rand East interesting. Guess you can infer that there will eventually be a connection through to the other end by the car dealerships and opening on to Main.

I have a sneaking suspicion you are probably right.

Lots 13-4 and 13-1 (which back on Vaughan Harvey Blvd) seem destined for retail/commercial development and I would not be surprised if it is suburban big box type stuff that will be going in there. On the other hand, Lot 13-2 (on the corner of Main & Vaughan Harvey) I'm a little more hopeful for. It's an oblong lot on a prominent corner and I would hope for some height here, possibly a mixed use building with some ground floor office or commercial space and apartments or condos above. Something at least 6-8 stories would be nice here.

As for the other lots at the back end of the development, and on the west side of Ivan Rand Blvd, I would guess they will be marketed as medium density residential.

As for Ivan Rand Blvd itself, I'm sure that you are correct. The site plan shows a right-of-way heading west paralleling the CNR main line and I think the ultimate fate of this street is to connect to that little stub off of West Main St next to the Honda dealership........

[monctonian]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

I wouldn't expect an awful lot. Low density residential to the north, and box-stores on the other side of Vaughan Harvey... Mind you it's a prominent location and there has been a lot of new residential going up along VH. Might be some apartment buildings...

I find the name Ivan Rand East interesting. Guess you can infer that there will eventually be a connection through to the other end by the car dealerships and opening on to Main.

Current zoning of the all lands referred to is Central Business District.

The current public street off Main Street by the dealerships is named Ivan Rand on the Moncton zoning map.

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by monctonian

Current zoning of the all lands referred to is Central Business District.

I assume that's also the case across the street? If so, it hasn't stopped Shoppers or Sobeys from building suburban type box retail right downtown with acres of parking between the street and the store. Even the storefronts facing Main are separated from the sidewalk by a grassy strip. Sobeys even has a smaller urban format used in other Canadian downtowns that would have been a great addition to Main street... Is anyone trying at least in Moncton to strive for some form of planning or is any development anywhere a go? Doubtful this will be anything of interest based on what's already in the neighborhood. I would love to be proven wrong.

Sobeys urban format

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

Is anyone trying at least in Moncton to strive for some form of planning

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by NBNYer

I assume that's also the case across the street? If so, it hasn't stopped Shoppers or Sobeys from building suburban type box retail right downtown with acres of parking between the street and the store. Even the storefronts facing Main are separated from the sidewalk by a grassy strip.

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I don't really mind the Sobeys/Shoppers/NBLC development on the southeast corner of Main and Vaughan Harvey. It may be zoned as CBD, but in reality this is a transitional area on the edge of the downtown core and doesn't seem obscenely out of place. In addition, it serves the downtown west end quite well, and I'm sure is an important resource for the apartment dwellers in the nearby area. It certainly is in easy walking distance to many residents in the immediate area.

It is no different than the Superstore near the VIA station in south end Halifax, and in fact seems much less out of place than the Superstore does. The area around the Superstore is much more dense.

I appreciate the "urban format" stores which are being developed by the grocery retail chains, but I don't think the density in the west end of downtown Moncton is sufficient enough to justify the adoption of this format here (at least not yet).

[MonctonRad]

from today's T&T:
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=11892

Lewis Street plan has pros and cons
Friday, September 20, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: Brent Mazerolle

It was a small purchase, just 14 square metres of land, but it promises to improve traffic flow on Lewis Street between Main and Queen Street. However, at least one businessman in the area says the planned widening and realignment of Lewis will make it more difficult for various businesses to flow customer traffic to their doors.

Council voted to buy the small strip of land at this week's regular meeting of Moncton city council, part of assembling land for a plan to upgrade Lewis and Queen.

Today, two stretches of Queen intersect Lewis at two T-intersections offset just a few metres apart. The narrow but busy foot of Lewis Street north of Main also intersects awkwardly with the divided Assomption Boulevard south of Main Street.

The widening will however require a portion of the parking lot that today stands at the corner of Lewis and Main to be used for a widened, reconfigured roadway.

Prior to voting on the land purchase, Mayor George LeBlanc asked city staff whether or not adjacent businesses had been consulted and what the parking impacts would be.

City engineer Jack MacDonald said so far they're only buying, 'very small pieces of land,' to ensure any curbs they erect will be on city land.

As for the lot, 'we're definitely taking away some parking space, but we are also creating some parking space,' in the realignment, he said. MacDonald also noted there is now also some on-street parking on Main to provide for some of the demand.

However, Steve Clerke, owner of Gifts Galore gift shop, said yesterday the parking lot is critical for serving his customers and those of several restaurants, businesses and the YMCA ReConnect program, all of which are in the immediate vicinity.

'I can't believe city council is thinking about taking away one of the prime downtown parking spaces,' Clerke said, noting it is the only public parking lot visible from Main Street.

It's also where the drivers of tour buses stopping at his shop and the area restaurants like to get passengers on and off their buses safely.

'A lot of the businesses are here because of the lot.'

personal note - I sympathize with Steve Clerke, this is actually about my favourite parking spot in the downtown, but I think you have to look at the larger picture here.

They are going to be aligning Lewis St with Assomption, which will improve traffic flow and improve access to the Queen St area. They are also realigning the Queen St intersection with Lewis, which I think is very important with the construction of 55 Queen slated to begin next year. If 55 Queen becomes a catalyst for development of the lands in behind city hall, then this street reconfiguration will be very important. It's best to do this now before 55 Queen comes on line.

This is a very necessary project.........

[BlackYear]

As someone from council said, parking has been increased on both side on Main street right in front Steve Clerke's store.

You win some, you lose some.

Plus, Mr. Clerke will most like see an increase in walk in traffic from the folks who will afford the luxury condos at 55 Queen.

It's win win for everyone!

[mylesmalley]

Regarding Sobeys, it's not so much that they built it there, it's just the worst way that it could have been built.

Rotating the store 90 degrees and having it fit squarely in the corner of Main and Vaughan Harvey (admittedly this would mean changing the floor plan to accommodate delivery trucks) would have dramatically improved the streetscape on Main and would have largely hidden the massive parking lot from view.

Putting a couple of floors of apartments on top of it would have made a lot of sense too. Considering the number of units Killam has picked up in town in recent years, for example, something could have been worked out. If nothing else, it would mean a pile of captive customers for the grocery store downstairs!


Regarding Lewis St...

That's a terrible intersection in just about every way. It's in awful shape, it's way too narrow, it doesn't line up at all with the street opposite, and from an active transportation point of view, it's a short but dangerous trip. Anything that can be done to improve flow there would be a huge improvement.

[Mattyyy]

It's great to see so much publicity around the project at 55 Queen, and to also see a start date on the project.

Excerpt from today's T & T.

Five Five Queen was officially launched at Moncton’s Capitol Theatre Thursday, with a celebration and talk about how such a project will serve the community in many ways.

Successful downtowns have people living in them, period, and the Queen Street project promises to be the flagship for downtown residential growth. A packed lobby of potential buyers and community supports heard both the city’s mayor George LeBlanc and Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Inc.’s Anne Poirier Basque talk about how a building like Five Five Queen can be a catalyst for growth of all kinds.

“If you don’t have a prosperous and vibrant downtown, you don’t have a heart as a city,” LeBlanc said.

The family expects to have Acadian Construction break ground for them in the spring of 2014, with a 16-month construction schedule.

Acadian Construction’s Andrée Savoie said the project represents an $18-$20 million investment in downtown, and would provide both employment and valuable experience for local tradespeople. The top four floors of the 78-unit building will be condominiums, including penthouses with extraordinary views. The three floors below that will hold apartments, and the main floor will be commercial space.

[MonctonRad]

The wood framing for this new seniors assisted care facility on the old CFB Moncton lands is starting to go up......

[MonctonRad]

Some further progress to report on this little bit of infill......

[MonctonRad]

Just got this e-mail:



October 10, 2013

The Brooklyn Deli is now open!
506-857-8325

You know food that makes your mouth water and your belly rumble just by looking at it, succulent, freshly cooked and piled high, saucy and extravagant?

WELL THAT'S WHAT WE DO!

We have taken a few very simple ideas and come up with a fun new approach to home cooked and classic deli food. We have our wide variety of juicy meatballs to be paired with your choice of sauces and sides. We have our creative street-cart inspired sandwiches showcasing our house slow- cooked brisket and classic smoked meat. We take burgers to a new place using grass-fed ground beef.
If you are looking for a more traditional supper we have classic deli comfort food as well--from slow roasted porchetta to pan fried tilapia or traditional fried chicken. Of course we have a fully stocked bar and a carefully chosen selection of wine and beer to enjoy with lunch, dinner or happy hour. One look at our display case filled with delicious homemade cheesecakes and cookies will have you thinking about dessert before you have even sat down.

And best of all, most of our menu is under $10!


We have an exciting menu and a concept that is very new to Moncton so we are hoping you will come out and try!

They didn't say anything about Angelina's Italian Grill. Maybe that's yet to come........