Quote:
Originally Posted by Pugsley
I don't think that is a fair assessment. There are lots of high-value developments happening everywhere in Saint John that are much bigger than Moncton's without the need for cranes. The new plaza is a massive undertaking, as is nearby Fundy Quay, which is progressing. There is the massive expansion of the port, the soon to be started museum, the expansion at UNB, plus the many mid-rise apartment and townhome developments we are seeing dotted around the region. This week alone was the announcement of JDI's expansion of the pulp mill along with some of the first new tenants joining the new city market.
Added to that are the multitude of smaller restoration and modernization efforts of the broader heritage stock on the peninsula and other nearby districts. Each of these smaller yet still important restorations are making the central core of the city more active and vibrant than ever, which is just making Uptown more and more attractive to live, work, and play. I'd argue Downtown Saint John is gentrifying and growing more than any other community in the Maritimes, outside.
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I didn’t say there’s nothing going on in Saint John or anything like that, I specifically mentioned the lack of high rises being built here compared to Moncton. “Percy’s hole” doesn’t bother me at all, if anything it could be a blessing in disguise if we end up getting something built there that’s more impressive than the 12 storey building that was originally planned.
Whether you think my assessment was fair or not doesn’t change the fact that Saint John hasn’t seen anything 19 storeys or higher built in almost 50 years. While I agree high rises aren’t the only metric to judge a city’s success by any means, I sometimes do wonder if people forget the name of this forum that they post on so often
All of what you said I pretty much agree with… I think Saint John has come a long way and is continuing to improve, but I still feel like we lack the vision and strategy to build some more impressive buildings that actually add to the skyline and really change the built environment of the city in a positive, progressive way.
Simply put, people like a view of the water. Our city and region is bounded by the Bay of Fundy, and some pretty spectacular river valleys. Very few apartments and condos in Saint John and surrounding areas are actually tall enough to take advantage of the ocean views or river valley views that surround them, and I think we should devise a strategy to change that.
There’s all kinds of room and potential for mid rises and high rises to go up around the city to take advantage of the ocean views, river valley views, and enhance our skyline… not only to improve the image of our city, but give far more of our residents incredible views from their homes.
Again, we haven’t built anything 19 storeys or taller in over 48 years, while urban sprawl exploded in that same time period. Moncton has recently started building “up” in a major way, and I don’t think it would be unfair or biased to say that similarly tall projects built here in Saint John would have far more spectacular views to behold. Moncton clearly has a better strategy than we do on this front.
Fundy Quay will be a good start, I just hope we can build upon it and really fill out the skyline, including areas outside the central peninsula in the coming decades with more mid rises and high rises going up around the city. I think we can all agree there’s all kinds of room for improvement, and all kinds of room to build taller buildings around Saint John.
If you or anyone else has some ideas or thoughts on how to devise such a strategy to get taller buildings built in Saint John, I’d sure love to hear them!
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