[Moncton] East (Harrisville, Lewisville, Tankville, Irishtown) Developments

[MonctonRad]

From today's T&T
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=10512

Dam to go
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Times & Transcript

Modern Construction has been awarded the contract to remove the old Humphrey Brook dam and bridge near Mill Road. Moncton city council awarded the $728,172 tender at its meeting last night.

The environmental remediation project is expected to cost the city about $1 million when tax and engineering costs are added in.

The City of Moncton is taking on the work of restoring fish passage in the brook for the first time in a century or more as a 'make good' project.

The work will be done between June and the end of September, the period allowed under the watercourse alteration permit.

Pierremoncton posted something similar in the main Moncton thread earlier today, but I thought I would put this in the neighbourhood Moncton East thread as well. I am not disappointed to see the old bridge go, but I am a little sad to see the old dam and spillway go. I understand the reasons for it's demise, but the spillway is an interesting visual feature on the Humphrey Brook Trail.

[MonctonRad]

It's in the T&T today that the old Elmwood Plaza on Elmwood Drive has been purchased by CBC Moncton's investment guru Dan Noel and will be completely refurbished. He will be moving the Moncton office of Manulife Financial out there and occupying the entire second floor of the old Lawton's pharmacy portion of the plaza.

Good news for that section of Elmwood Drive, but a loss for the downtown as this is where Manulife currently has it's Moncton office......

Noel apparently has his eye on several other properties on Elmwood Drive to invest in and repurpose. He lives in Irishtown and is familiar with the neighbourhood.

[odonymist]

Anyone know whats up with Sterling Meadows? Hasn't had anything going on there in years I think.

[MonctonRad]

For better or worse.....

From CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-br...nder-1045.html

Moncton high school construction tender awarded

High school is expected to open in 2014
CBC News Posted: Feb 20, 2013 10:57 AM AT
Last Updated: Feb 20, 2013 10:55 AM AT

Caraquet's Foulem Construction has won a $27.4-million contract to build a new Moncton high school, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure announced on Wednesday.

The new school is being built on the outskirts of the city near the Royal Oaks golf course, which has caused a significant controversy in the city since the plan was announced.

The 16,500-square-metre school is being built on a 13.2-hectare plot and will hold roughly 1,250 students.

The school will have 27 classrooms, a double gymnasium, two sports fields, science and technology laboratories, arts and music rooms, family studies rooms, an industrial arts area, two multi-purpose rooms, fitness room, library, stage, cafeteria, kitchen, and two elevators.

"The school will offer a dynamic learning and working environment in state-of-the-art facilities while stimulating the local economy during construction,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claude Williams in a statement.

The department said eight bids were received to construct the new high school.

The tender was issued in November 2012 and was closed in January.

Williams said in his statement that all the bids were "very competitive” and he claimed $11 million in savings for the provincial government.

The new high school will replace the historic Moncton High School, which is located in the city’s downtown.

The Gothic-style stone building, included a 1,200-seat theatre, had to be closed temporarily in 2010 after a series of health and safety problems at the school.

The provincial government invested $2 million in repairs to make Moncton High safe as the new school is being constructed.

The New Brunswick government announced in December that it was again seeking proposals from developers who want to purchase and find a new use for the 77-year-old Moncton High School. The original request only bid did not meet the province's criteria, Williams said in December.

While the school is being built, the department has also been working with Moncton on upgrading infrastructure leading to the new school.

A left-hand turn has been built to act as a main entrance to the school, according to the department.

Personal note - the minister's claim that the province saved $11M on the bidding process for a new school is rather specious considering the infrastructure costs necessary to support the new school in a location not already in the municipal services area. The actual costs will be far higher than the minister is willing to admit....

[mylesmalley]

Moncton High has quite a reputation for their drama productions. I wonder what they're going to do now that the new school isn't getting a dedicated theatre?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Moncton High has quite a reputation for their drama productions. I wonder what they're going to do now that the new school isn't getting a dedicated theatre?

Maybe they can take some of the "$11M in savings" and add a new theatre into the school plans....

[RyeJay]

$11 million in apparent savings, versus yet unknown total costs for infrastructure upgrades to connect this distant school to the city sewer/water system, with the addition of long-term maintenance costs that will most certainly be higher compared to having the school more centralised.

It is instances like this when I wish the federal government had more involvement in urban planning, to ensure municipalities are developing sustainably and in a way that fosters future economic growth. Moncton needs a downtown high school, as schools are an important factor in stimulating residential development (which, in turn attract commercial).

This is wishful thinking on my part, but perhaps a responsible provincial government, in the near future, could downsize the teacher, bus driving, and associated staff and student populations at 'Royal Oaks High', closing off portions of the school to access and electricity -- and invest in a downtown high school most students in Moncton would attend.

The relocation of Moncton High School is so depressing, not because it's a loss of heritage for the city, but because it's a self-inflicted economic wound. It's frustrating that the province would harm the municipality, when it's the revenue from the municipality upon which the province depends.

I wonder what kind of traffic congestion this will create?

[mylesmalley]

Preaching to the converted.

Once that school is built though, it won't be replaced. The voters would never stand for more good money being thrown at the problem.

[MonctonRad]

The editor at the T&T seemed to like our suggestion regarding taking some of the $11M in "savings" and plowing it back into adding an amphitheatre into the design of the new high school. He suggested the very same thing in his editorial today....

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Preaching to the converted.

Once that school is built though, it won't be replaced. The voters would never stand for more good money being thrown at the problem.

As I said, it's wishful thinking on my part; however, I don't believe voters will be pleased about the long-term costs for Royal Oaks High. An investment now (or, rather, soon) in a downtown high school would mitigate the wasteful spending to maintain full operations of Royal Oaks High, and help recover the downtown's economy that will likely suffer from the school's relocation.

But I admit: you're correct. Once this school is built, the sprawled city is stuck with it for an extremely long time.

[MonctonRad]

These are a couple of images captured from the agenda for the February meeting of the City of Moncton Planning Advisory Committee.

The first one shows the proposal for subdividing the land on the east side of Harrisville Blvd:



You can see where the Kent store will be built. It will be on the south end of Harrisville Blvd, closest to Route 15. The middle parcel of land is also commercial. They don't indicate what will be built here, but it is widely known that it will be a new Sobeys (probably as part of a larger retail plaza). The parcel to the north, closest to Shediac Rd is listed as being residential. There is a "future street" proposed for between the Sobeys and the residential (presumably apartment) property.

The next image shows a proposal to subdivide a couple of parcels of land on the south side of Babineau Blvd. This street doesn't exist yet, but will be built to the south of the new Kent store and will parallel Route 15. Babineau Blvd will intersect Harrisville Blvd at Marriott Drive. Presumably these lots will be for highway commercial development. Babineau will eventually extend further to the east, and possibly could intersect the (eventual) overpass that will be built at the exit to the GMIA.

[mylesmalley]

Here's something to speculate on.

The 'city', Moncton + Riverview + Dieppe, but excluding all the rural areas in Moncton's CMA has about 120,000 people. We currently have 6 high schools (BMHS, HTHS, MHS, RHS, M-M, and l'Odyssée ) or about 1 per 20,000 people.

The city has been growing at between 2,000 and 2,500 people per year for the past half-decade.

What's going to happen when Moncton needs a 7th high school, hypothetically in 8 to 10 years? If it were to be built anywhere in the city that's closer than the new school U/C now, why would you continue to bus kids from downtown all the way out to the sticks? So who would get stuck going to Royal Oaks High?

Even if our worst fears come true, I can't see that much residential development happening north of the TCH in the next ten years to justify having a high school up there...

[mmmatt]

Nice post MonctonRad...looks like that area is going to (continue to) change dramatically! A Kent, Sobeys, Marriott hotel with proposed retail strip...on top of lots of new housing including apartments nearby...

It will also serve as a better "transition" between Moncton and dieppe in that particular area...further unifying the cities

[NBNYer]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

You can see where the Kent store will be built. It will be on the south end of Harrisville Blvd, closest to Route 15. The middle parcel of land is also commercial. They don't indicate what will be built here, but it is widely known that it will be a new Sobeys (probably as part of a larger retail plaza). The parcel to the north, closest to Shediac Rd is listed as being residential. There is a "future street" proposed for between the Sobeys and the residential (presumably apartment) property.

I thought it had been mentioned at some point that Sobey's property was right at the northeast corner of Harrisville and Hwy-15?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Here's something to speculate on.

The 'city', Moncton + Riverview + Dieppe, but excluding all the rural areas in Moncton's CMA has about 120,000 people. We currently have 6 high schools (BMHS, HTHS, MHS, RHS, M-M, and l'Odyssée ) or about 1 per 20,000 people.

The city has been growing at between 2,000 and 2,500 people per year for the past half-decade.

What's going to happen when Moncton needs a 7th high school, hypothetically in 8 to 10 years? If it were to be built anywhere in the city that's closer than the new school U/C now, why would you continue to bus kids from downtown all the way out to the sticks? So who would get stuck going to Royal Oaks High?

Even if our worst fears come true, I can't see that much residential development happening north of the TCH in the next ten years to justify having a high school up there...

Quite true. Since the year 2000, Moncton has added about 22,000 people. It is reasonable to suspect that by the years 2022-25, a seventh high school will be needed in the metro area.

I'm sure that it will be built south of the TCH. The question is, will it be in the northwest end or will it be in Moncton East, in the Shediac Rd area.

My vote would be Moncton East.

[mylesmalley]

If the city needed a new anglophone school, the east end would be a likely spot. With MHS moving north, all of the English high schools in Moncton would be west of Vaughan Harvey.

[jenike]

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

If the city needed a new anglophone school, the east end would be a likely spot. With MHS moving north, all of the English high schools in Moncton would be west of Vaughan Harvey.

I wouldn't count Riverview out of that equation. Currently there is only 1 High School, and I've been told it is operating at close to capacity. With the new K-8 school opening next year, you are bound to see an increase in student population that will have to be fed into RHS. If Riverview continues to experience growth, they will need more than one high school to accomodate the two feeder schools. It may take a few years to warrant a second high school, but I can see it happening within the next 10 years.

[MonctonRad]

From today's T&T
http://22864.vws.magma.ca/index.php?&article_id=10707

Harrisville development picks up steam
Monday, March 04, 2013
Times & Transcript
By: James Foster

12-acre lot approved for sizeable new Kent Building Supplies store

The Moncton Planning Advisory Committee has approved the creation of a 12-acre lot of land just off Harrisville Boulevard to accommodate a new building supplies store.

While the store is a expected to be a significant sized development just on its own, in the bigger picture it is a sign of the continuing commercial development along Harrisville Boulevard, something that is only expected to pick up steam in the coming months.

Kent Building Supplies is expected to start construction soon on the new retail store and lumber yard to be built on the east side of Harrisville Boulevard, near Highway 15 (Veterans' Memorial Highway).

Conditions of the approval include contributing to the creation of a new east-west street that will run parallel to Highway 15 (on the north side of the four-lane that runs between Moncton and Shediac) to be called Babineau Boulevard.

Babineau Boulevard will, in turn, open up even more tracts of formerly landlocked land along the north side of Highway 15 to future development.

Meanwhile, Kent has also agreed to help pay for a set of traffic lights that will be erected at the intersection of Babineau Boulevard and Marriott Street, where a new hotel development is already underway and expected to open for business later this year.

Kent already received approval to rezone its parcel of land to commercial to accommodate its new store.

A second road will be built behind the businesses that are anticipated to set up shop along that stretch of Harrisville Boulevard, with the new road paid for by the developers as well.

Moncton Urban Planning director Bill Budd has said in the past that a national grocer plans to also set up shop in that area, and while no names have been released, it is widely expected that Sobeys will build a store on Harrisville Boulevard either this year or next.

A significant apartment/condo complex is being developed on the west side of Harrisville north of the Shediac Road, and one significant chunk of land at almost 10 acres just south of Shediac Road on the east side of Harrisville is still zoned residential, giving rise to speculation it will eventually be developed into an apartment complex, though any potential developer could apply to rezone it for other uses.

As well, a strip mall was built two years ago on the northwest corner of Harrisville and Shediac Road.

The great majority of the properties on the east side of Harrisville Boulevard is currently commercial land, already properly zoned to accommodate retailers and services looking to set up in a hightraffic area.

The area hosts thousands of vehicles daily as commuters travel between Dieppe and Moncton.

As well, busy Highway 15 funnels traffic almost to the doors of businesses establishing a presence here, and traffic levels are growing in that area, with Shediac the second-fastest growing town in New Brunswick and Sackville also experiencing growth, with many residents commuting to Moncton daily to work.

The downside to the development is that the area is already subject to rush-hour delays. However, improvements are planned to the road network around Highway 15's off- and on-ramps.

Highway 15 is also the main conduit used by shoppers from other Maritime provinces when they come to Metro Moncton to shop, work or vacation.

[MonctonRad]

These site drawings and renderings have been posted elsewhere, but since the Caledonia Industrial Park is in the Moncton East neighbourhood, I thought I would repost them here so that all future discussions on this development would take place in this thread.

Kent Building Supplies Regional Distribution Centre:


This shows the location of the lot, at the east end of Commerce Street in the Caledonia Industrial Park. The lot lies just to the north of that sharp bend in the TCH not far from the Shediac Road interchange.


This shows how the building will be situated on the lot. There is room for an additional 100,000 sq ft expansion to the building in the future. There will be a rail spur off the CNR main line servicing the building.


this image shows the truly massive scale of this large distribution centre. I believe there will be 40 bays for tractor trailers in the facility.

Between this, and the new Kent store on Harrisville Blvd, also to be built this year, this will be quite a year for JDI and Kent in Moncton East!

[mylesmalley]

Caledonia is the industrial park we seem to hear the least about, but we've seen some truly enormous buildings go up there over the past few years.

Only thing I wonder about this project is why they're putting it in such a visible location. How many guys in F150s are going to be rolling up every day looking for lumber thinking it's just a really big store?