[Moncton] Downtown Developments - Page 265

MonctonRad · #**5281** Posted **Feb 25, 2021, 1:06 PM**

Good news.

According to the CBC article, it sounds like the variances requested (and approved by PAC) do not require additional city council approval, therefore this project is now a go.

Since approval has been given, I will create a project specific thread later today. I do not expect it to be very active for the next several months, but shovels will be in the ground by September or October. The size of this building and the impact of this building on the east end of the downtown core justifies a new thread.

The new six storey Ashford apartment building on 51 Highfield Street was also approved by PAC last night.

adamuptownsj · #**5282** Posted **Feb 25, 2021, 1:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

I have a solution! What if you tear the whole thing down and start from scratch. You realign with Foundry, Lutz south of Main then becomes Eaton Street after the Eaton catalogue centre. Then you redevelop the whole area.

Two 6-10 storey residential buildings, a restaurant on the prominent corner of Main Street, a 6+ storey parking structure and the re-integration of Robinson as a through street. Fill all of this in with ground floor retail, and upper floor residential, set back from the street to meet the 30m restriction.

The more I think about it, the more I like it. Maybe a good addition would be extending your Heritage St up over the tracks to connect to Canada St and the Avenir Center.

MonctonRad · #**5283** Posted **Feb 25, 2021, 1:15 PM**

The "Heritage Street" on Josh's inspired diagram is actually part of the city's long term plan for redeveloping the area south of Main Street. I really like Josh's suggestion to call it Heritage Street.

It will connect Foundry to Downing behind Assumption Place. It has never been intended to extend westward beyond the railway tracks, and in any event, the new Hyatt Place Hotel is now in the way.

adamuptownsj · #**5284** Posted **Feb 25, 2021, 5:25 PM**

Man Google Maps needs to update Moncton badly.

mylesmalley · #**5285** Posted **Feb 25, 2021, 9:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamuptownsj

Man Google Maps needs to update Moncton badly.

Head on over to Mapquest (seriously). They have much more current aerial photos.

jonny golden · #**5286** Posted **Feb 26, 2021, 8:25 PM**

I wonder what ever happened with the plans for the old CN Marine building at 100 Cameron Street. They had gone before the planning advisory committee to get approval to convert the building into residential units. I remember it was a $10 million project. Haven't heard anything on this file for a long time. I thought it would be a nice addition to the area.

MonctonRad · #**5287** Posted **Feb 26, 2021, 10:20 PM**

It was supposed to be seniors apartments I believe. Maybe they got cold feet during the pandemic.

jonny golden · #**5288** Posted **Feb 26, 2021, 10:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

It was supposed to be seniors apartments I believe. Maybe they got cold feet during the pandemic.

Yes, and they were going to build a 2nd tower on the lot as well. Could be the pandemic changed things. The developer was an American company, maybe they just didn't know the Moncton market very well. I have no doubt it would have been successful. It's a great location for active seniors. Hopefully it will proceed at some point.

jonny golden · #**5289** Posted **Feb 27, 2021, 6:04 PM**

There was a 1/4 page advertisement in today's paper from Lafford Realty for the currently under construction Birch Meadows seniors apartments. What caught my eye was a move in date of August.

Mr. Lafford had stated in an earlier article that they intend to start another major development project in downtown Moncton once Birch Meadows opens it's doors. So with a construction trailer having been dropped on the old Co-op property on Record Street, maybe we'll see yet another downtown project this year. And if so, let's hope that it is indeed a major project.

Philbilly · #**5290** Posted **Feb 27, 2021, 7:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonny golden

There was a 1/4 page advertisement in today's paper from Lafford Realty for the currently under construction Birch Meadows seniors apartments. What caught my eye was a move in date of August.

Mr. Lafford had stated in an earlier article that they intend to start another major development project in downtown Moncton once Birch Meadows opens it's doors. So with a construction trailer having been dropped on the old Co-op property on Record Street, maybe we'll see yet another downtown project this year. And if so, let's hope that it is indeed a major project.

What the address of the current lafford project?

jonny golden · #**5291** Posted **Feb 27, 2021, 8:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philbilly

What the address of the current lafford project?

It's a major project at a whopping $30 million. It's on Highlandview Road. So I think Lafford is more than capable of doing something substantial on the old Co-op property.

http://laffordrealty.com/birch-meadows/

https://huddle.today/30m-residential...birch-meadows/

Philbilly · #**5292** Posted **Feb 27, 2021, 8:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonny golden

It's a major project at a whopping $30 million. It's on Highlandview Road. So I think Lafford is more than capable of doing something substantial on the old Co-op property.

http://laffordrealty.com/birch-meadows/

https://huddle.today/30m-residential...birch-meadows/

Very nice building, if they can do something similar with a few extra floor for the presumably new project, it will be a nice infill for downtown. That area look so bleak from assumptions blv.

jonny golden · #**5293** Posted **Feb 27, 2021, 8:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philbilly

Very nice building, if they can do something similar with a few extra floor for the presumably new project, it will be a nice infill for downtown. That area look so bleak from assumptions blv.

Yeah I was driving there yesterday and what really stood out to me was the massive sea of asphalt across from Heritage Court. Such a huge block of untapped potential.

jonny golden · #**5294** Posted **Feb 28, 2021, 8:52 PM**

There's been a picture posted on Retail Talk and Share. It shows the construction trailer that has been dropped on the old Co-op property on Record Street. They wouldn't move a trailer onto the lot unless they were intending to start something, right?

MonctonRad · #**5295** Posted **Mar 1, 2021, 4:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonny golden

There's been a picture posted on Retail Talk and Share. It shows the construction trailer that has been dropped on the old Co-op property on Record Street. They wouldn't move a trailer onto the lot unless they were intending to start something, right?

Probably too soon to get excited yet.

We know that:

1) - Lafford Realty has purchased the property.
2) - They have an intention for residential construction (rumour is brownstones or a townhome neighbourhood).
3) - There are well placed rumours out there for another "big" announcement regarding downtown development sometime soon.

Now, you can try to connect the dots, but if you do so, you might get burned. There might be some smoke on the horizon, but it might take some time to find the fire. That single lonely construction trailer on site might not mean anything in particular, and there is certainly no evidence of meaningful activity on this property.

We should know more within a few months............

MonctonRad · #**5296** Posted **Mar 3, 2021, 3:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonny golden

There's been a picture posted on Retail Talk and Share. It shows the construction trailer that has been dropped on the old Co-op property on Record Street. They wouldn't move a trailer onto the lot unless they were intending to start something, right?

The T&T must have read your question here on SSP and decided to check it out.

Quote:

Developer looking at former Co-op lot: "We're excited"

https://tj.news/story/101498444?ref=...=1614683401602

The article of course is behind a paywall, and since I don't currently have an online subscription, I can't elaborate on the headline, but this is obviously another case of the local conventional media mining social media sites for story ideas. I might have to buy the newspaper tomorrow to see if there is anything of interest here.........

habs33 · #**5297** Posted **Mar 3, 2021, 12:47 PM**

Here's a clip from the story

Quote:

The new owner of the former Co-op property in downtown Moncton hopes to build a multi-residential building with retail space on the main floor.

"We're really excited about it," said John Lafford, who operates Lafford Properties of Sackville.

The company has been in business since 2000 and has several apartment buildings, including Birch Meadows, now under construction on Highlandview Road in Moncton.

Lafford declined to share details about the development until plans are more complete.

The development of the property comes less than two years after city council voted down a plan to turn it into a parking lot.

Isabelle LeBlanc, director of communications for the City of Moncton, said a permit was recently issued for a construction trailer to be set up on the site, but no other permits have yet been issued.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

The T&T must have read your question here on SSP and decided to check it out.

https://tj.news/story/101498444?ref=...=1614683401602

The article of course is behind a paywall, and since I don't currently have an online subscription, I can't elaborate on the headline, but this is obviously another case of the local conventional media mining social media sites for story ideas. I might have to buy the newspaper tomorrow to see if there is anything of interest here.........

MonctonRad · #**5298** Posted **Mar 3, 2021, 2:04 PM**

Interesting.

So it sounds as if Lafford is looking at a mixed use building with a commercial podium and residential units on the upper floors. This is different than the rumoured townhome neighbourhood and, perhaps in some way, more appropriate. A townhome community plunked down in the middle of a wasteland of surface parking lots would have looked somewhat incongruous (unless the surrounding blocks were quickly redeveloped too).

I am interested in the height of this building. It doesn't have to be a skyscraper, and Lafford has a large footprint to play around with. Even something four storeys tall, if it occupies the majority of the block would make a substantial difference, and would stimulate development in the surrounding blocks.

In many ways I would prefer to see any new residential high rises in the core built in the city hall/Downing Street neighbourhood just to create a true beating heart of the downtown - a downtown anchored to the east by the city hall/Downing Street district, and to the west by the Avenir Centre district. Infill should then organically occur between these two neighbourhoods, especially along the Main Street and Queen Street corridors.

benvui · #**5299** Posted **Mar 3, 2021, 2:16 PM**

Noticed this the other day when driving down Queen st. The former rectory is for sale again.

jonny golden · #**5300** Posted **Mar 3, 2021, 3:10 PM**

Birch Meadows is a $30 million project, so Lafford Properties is very capable of doing something substantial with the Record Street property.

There was a story about the Birch Meadows development published last July. Here's a quote: "Mr. Lafford hinted at another major development project in Downtown Moncton coming once Birch Meadows opens its doors to the world".

We'll find out in due course, but wouldn't it be great to see another major project being built in downtown Moncton? Six floors seems to be a very popular model for new builds in the city, maybe that's what Lafford will go with.