[Moncton] Centre Avenir Centre | 26.65m |~6 Fl | Completed

[Unlearn Relearn]

Unfortunately downtown Moncton is stagnant, decaying and no one with money is coming to its rescue. Most buildings are older than 75 years, some covered with plastic siding, other are covered with re-painted old wood, all in all it is not attractive and probably never will be. Building an expensive Events Center downtown will never happen. Simply because the money people who take investment risks will never agree to put so much money in a property (Highfield Square) that is more than half cut-off by the rail tracks. Worst of all it has no on-site parking for 3,500 vehicles, and no place to expand in the eventuality that some day new buildings need to be added. I think that the guy/gal in the other forum is quite right, INVESTORS want to build a stunning complex with lots of space, lots of green, lots of on-site parking, lots of eventual expansion for new ideas that don't yet exist in 2013. Highfield square location is really a BAD choice, the proof is simply that the financing for the new Center has not come and will not come to heavily contaminated Highfield Square.

[Unlearn Relearn]

A few months ago, when some of the architectural designs were revealed to the public, most designs appeared to portray ultra-modern oversized and squeezed-in buildings. I heard someone say that one design looked as if the new events center was an out-of-town whore wearing a tight black blouse, a push-up bra, a leopard print mini-skirt, knee-high laced-up boots with hooker heels, covered in an inch of make-up, sporting a multi-colored wig, displaying an unusual amount of testosterone while patiently waiting by the train station to pick up her next trick. Someone else said that another design resembled an elaborate inter-galactic spacecraft that landed on earth exactly on Highfield Square. Ultra-modern styles have been done and redone for the past forty years, they’re all out of date, at some point they all look the same, a déjà-vu feeling. An ultra-modern events center in downtown Moncton will totally depreciate and age the existing buildings and contrast with the rest of Main Street and downtown and suggest that all these older buildings need to be modernized.

[BlackYear]

Here's one reason why the Carrie Underwood show didn't make it to Moncton. Tony Smith from XL96 radio posted this on Instagram. http://instagram.com/p/Xn4VfELMSP/#

[Nashe]

Funny... just the other day I was thinking that Lower Coverdale really looks terrible without a 4,000 car parking lot.

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

I heard someone say that one design looked as if the new events center was an out-of-town whore wearing a tight black blouse, a push-up bra, a leopard print mini-skirt, knee-high laced-up boots with hooker heels, covered in an inch of make-up, sporting a multi-colored wig, displaying an unusual amount of testosterone while patiently waiting by the train station to pick up her next trick.

LOL, admit it... you came up with that just now.

Edit: After reading the site... nope, I guess not!

[Unlearn Relearn]

GREAT SUPPORT. City of Moncton clearly states that it will not offer financial guarantees nor would it offer any financial support for the construction and the upkeep of the Center, the financial risk of operating losses will have to be borne solely on the builder and his partners. It is the preference of the City of Moncton to not have any involvement in the ongoing operation of the multi-use sports and entertainment facility, but remain a partner in the project by virtue of the contribution of land and capital costs. The City of Moncton prefers to minimize its capital investments and business risks associated with the project. The City of Moncton does not wish to underwrite any operating losses associated with the facility. As part of the agreement with the City of Moncton, the successful Proponent will be required to keep the facility in a good state of repair on a continual basis, and meet all required standards of the City of Moncton with respect to operation of a major community facility.

[pierremoncton]

The Lower Coverdale proposal is a very short-term plan aimed at seniors. In 20 years when those seniors are all dead and gas has tripled in price, that building would rot away empty.

Now I'll await more posts from Mr. Totot copy-pasting paragraphs from his website.

[Unlearn Relearn]

The Highfield Square's ULTRA-BAD location will not even live one second. It is DEAD before it even begins simply because investors will not risk money if there is no space to eventually expand, no on-site parking for 3,500 vehicles. Now how hard is that to understand? Lower Coverdale site is the only such large property which is available for a mega project, mainly because it is located so close to central downtown Moncton. Senior condo-apartments will never go empty, people age everyday, the dead are quickly replaced by other seniors who will enjoy the facilities.
I feel sorry for those who cannot unlearn the old no-longer-truths of a past era. The Eaton's Catalog building has closed and gas is no longer 39 cents a gallon. Investors want to invest in a vibrant expansionary future where there is lots of space and greenery. Highfield Square is a stinking little hell hole filled with cancerous land fill. If you lived in a normal city like Toronto, people are happy to drive an hour or more to get home at night. Here you complain about a 5 minute car drive across, yes across (that terrible word) the river.

[Nashe]

Just to pick ONE point out of the entire site:

How much will it cost to widen the road from 2 lanes to 4 from Gunningsville Bridge to the proposed site? You can say that all transportation will be via shuttle buses but at the same time you say there is lots of room for 3,500 cars... which is it? Two lanes just won't cut it. Or did I miss the price of that on the site?

[Unlearn Relearn]

The new location is located only 8 km from Highfield Square, that’s the same distance as Moncton City Hall is from the current Moncton Coliseum. There are three different routes the traffic can flow after an event: Riverview residents can use Route 114 south to Niagara road and then Pine Glen Road to Riverview. Downtown and Dieppe residents can use the Gunningsville Bridge. Out of Town visitors, Shediac and Dieppe residents can use the causeway and Wheeler Boulevard Highway 15, to get to the TCH, Dieppe turn-off, or straight to Shediac.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

An ultra-modern events center in downtown Moncton will totally depreciate and age the existing buildings and contrast with the rest of Main Street and downtown and suggest that all these older buildings need to be modernized.

I just spent the weekend in Cambridge MA and found it quite interesting how modern designs and older buildings coexist and complement each other there.

[Unlearn Relearn]

Talk about planning mistakes It's the CASINO that should have been located at Highfield Square, that would have brought tourists downtown at all hours. Imagine your plan, after an event ends and 3.500 drivers all walk back to their cars and all start driving down Main Street at the same time? Nice.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

The new location is located only 8 km from Highfield Square, that’s the same distance as Moncton City Hall is from the current Moncton Coliseum. There are three different routes the traffic can flow after an event: Riverview residents can use Route 114 south to Niagara road and then Pine Glen Road to Riverview. Downtown and Dieppe residents can use the Gunningsville Bridge. Out of Town visitors, Shediac and Dieppe residents can use the causeway and Wheeler Boulevard Highway 15, to get to the TCH, Dieppe turn-off, or straight to Shediac.

So you DON'T see route 114 as having to expand to four lanes, at least as far as the bridge?

[Unlearn Relearn]

And you think that downtown Moncton has the same class as downtown Cambridge Mass.?

[pierremoncton]

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

The Highfield Square's ULTRA-BAD location will not even live one second. It is DEAD before it even begins simply because investors will not risk money if there is no space to eventually expand, no on-site parking for 3,500 vehicles. Now how hard is that to understand? Lower Coverdale site is the only such large property which is available for a mega project, mainly because it is located so close to central downtown Moncton. Senior condo-apartments will never go empty, people age everyday, the dead are quickly replaced by other seniors who will enjoy the facilities.

1. Investors are waiting for the events centre. The Aquilini Group just purchased land north of HS recently.

2. Yes, people age and die all the time. But ever heard of the baby boom? That generation will be essentially gone in 20 years.

3. Have you thought that if the development succeeded, people might start clamoring for a third crossing from Dieppe to Lower Coverdale? Have you considered that into your costs?

I don't think the events centre has to be located at Highfield Square or has to be built at all, but I don't see the advantage of replacing the Coliseum with something in Lower Coverdale -- might as well just upgrade the Coliseum instead and prevent further sprawl.

Go ahead and pitch it to the city. Bourgeois seems to have issues with the HS site (which I'm not criticizing him for) -- maybe he'll listen.

[Unlearn Relearn]

Route 114 is fine, a great road.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

Imagine your plan, after an event ends and 3.500 people all walk down Main Street to eat/drink at the same time? Nice.

Fixed. And yes... that's the plan.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

Talk about planning mistakes It's the CASINO that should have been located at Highfield Square, that would have brought tourists downtown at all hours. Imagine your plan, after an event ends and 3.500 drivers all walk back to their cars and all start driving down Main Street at the same time? Nice.

You are ignoring a ton of really obvious factors:

- Some event attendees would be staying in downtown hotels and thus have no need to drive anywhere.
- Some event attendees would live within walking distance of the event centre.
- Shuttle services can be provided for people who park their cars outside of the downtown core.
- Transit could be expanded with additional runs to bus people to and from the event centre.

[OliverD]

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

And you think that downtown Moncton has the same class as downtown Cambridge Mass.?

No but it certainly could with the right developments.

[Unlearn Relearn]

"" Investors are waiting for the events centre. The Aquilini Group just purchased land north of HS recently."" WRONG!!!! Investors will only invest when all the logical conditions will be regrouped in one parcel. Lower Coverdale land is such a parcel because it has enormous potential for future expansion and has on-site parking for over 3,500 vehicles and is located only a few minutes away from central downtown Moncton, or downtown Riverview. About the Aquilini Group, why is it that about two years ago they were amassing all properties on Main Street the other side of the Highfield Square and since about six months they are now offering some of these FOR SALE? They had bought the CIBC building corner of Weldon and Main, now there is a big FOR SALE sign on it??????
And how do we know that everything they once bought isn't now for sale??? And why is it if they are so rich that they couldn't invest $50Million in the Events Center?? Them being astute land developers in Vancouver BC.??? They'll come back when the Lower Coverdale site is chosen and they'll buy land (cheaply) and put up a mega shopping Center. If you take a pencil and circle all around Montreal or Toronto you will notice that all around the circle there are shopping Centers, big ones, new ones. Why not here in a few years time? They have to buy the land cheap a few years in advance.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by Unlearn Relearn

Route 114 is fine, a great road.

Have you seen Gorge Road after a concert on the hill? That will be 114 after a game.