Official Fredericton, NB projects thread - Page 592

OliverD · #**11821** Posted **Jul 25, 2020, 2:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealEstateGuy

The property on York Street was bought buy a holding company of Colpitts Develpoments.

Oh great, the most generic developer in town.

jonny golden · #**11822** Posted **Jul 25, 2020, 3:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OliverD

Oh great, the most generic developer in town.

Let's hope they don't do their typical 4 floor vinyl clad apartment buildings with a bit of faux stone on the ground floor. There's an opportunity to do a significant development project here which would have a substantial effect on downtown Fredericton.

RealEstateGuy · #**11823** Posted **Jul 25, 2020, 7:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OliverD

Oh great, the most generic developer in town.

Couldn't agree more, I am hoping that even though Station Point is not the most appealing building it certianly isn't the worst building I have saw them or other developers put up. It would be a shame not to see a few buildings that would be similar to the size as the one on Victoria Street.

Freddypop · #**11824** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 12:57 AM**

NBEX land development update:

https://www.fredericton.ca/en/news/c...bition-grounds

Taeolas · #**11825** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 12:00 PM**

J's Asian Kitchen new Northside location

People mentioned this a few weeks ago, and it was confirmed when the sign went up.

What's a bit interesting is that they signed the lease on the new place before the COVID shut down, so they were eyeing the Main Street location right after Zio's announced their closure apparently.

They seem to be a popular place all around; I'm sure they'll do fine there.

OliverD · #**11826** Posted **Jul 28, 2020, 4:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freddypop

NBEX land development update:

https://www.fredericton.ca/en/news/c...bition-grounds

Great to see progress made on this file.

OliverD · #**11827** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 10:54 AM**

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-b...cton-1.5665914

shazapple · #**11828** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 11:56 AM**

I hope they err on the side of more green space and more exhibition space rather than more housing. It's not every day you get 31 acres of 'empty' land in a downtown area and to fill it with houses would be a waste of potential.

Taeolas · #**11829** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 12:40 PM**

They want housing, to fit the 25k people they want to squeeze into the downtown area.

So the race track area is going to see some apartment blocks, probably as big as the one proposed for Wagoneers (which hasn't broke ground yet; I'm thinking they'll not start until next year now.

). I suspect their ultimate goal for the bottom of Wilmot Park and the Ex grounds is a cluster of higher density housing, on the 6-10 story scale.

The front part of the complex will likely stay intact, though they may move the buildings around and change the layout a bit if they come up with a better plan.

OliverD · #**11830** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 12:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by shazapple

I hope they err on the side of more green space and more exhibition space rather than more housing. It's not every day you get 31 acres of 'empty' land in a downtown area and to fill it with houses would be a waste of potential.

Housing is a fundamental need and to call it a "waste of potential" is problematic on lots of levels.

Undoubtedly this project will include some level of green space. I was told by a city councillor that much of the existing racetrack can't be redeveloped due to it being part of the city's wellfield area. But calling for more green space is odd to me considering the property's proximity to both Odell and Wilmot parks. I think the natural path here is to create a green corridor that connects both parks, which would be hugely beneficial not just to the new residents that will be living in that area but also to the rest of the users of those parks.

I think it's also safe to say that we will see some level of mixed use development in this area. Most of the newer, larger developments within the core of the city have ground floor commercial or offices with apartments above and I don't expect this to be any different.

There's a strong need for housing downtown and without developing properties like this and the old rail yards between York and Regent the natural path is to replace older housing stock with larger apartment buildings. This of course takes away from the city's character and it also displaces people who are currently living in more affordable housing. I think incremental infill development is important, and we've seen some great examples of it downtown over the last 10 years or so, but it's not enough to keep up with the demand.

It's also important to maximize the use of properties that already have strong infrastructure on site. Not just water and sewer but also transit options, trail connections, and amenities that are nearby. This makes the city more sustainable for everyone and it helps to pay for the very spread out infrastructure that we have thanks to 75 years of suburbanization and sprawl.

Taeolas · #**11831** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 2:18 PM**

By the way, there was a bit of discussion on FB about the new work going on near the PetroCan on Royal Road/Main street.

Quote:

From Sarah Smith-Stewart
Right at the stone bridge? They are building another building like ours (we have Rock Paper Scissors Craft Studios & Supplies at 27 Main St beside it) but it's another developer. So L-shaped like ours with businesses on bottom and apartments on top.

JHikka · #**11832** Posted **Jul 29, 2020, 4:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OliverD

I think the natural path here is to create a green corridor that connects both parks, which would be hugely beneficial not just to the new residents that will be living in that area but also to the rest of the users of those parks.

I think this would be wise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OliverD

I think it's also safe to say that we will see some level of mixed use development in this area. Most of the newer, larger developments within the core of the city have ground floor commercial or offices with apartments above and I don't expect this to be any different.

Agreed. This location is a good chance to implement mixed-use developments and really provide more in both density and servicing for the downtown core.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OliverD

It's also important to maximize the use of properties that already have strong infrastructure on site. Not just water and sewer but also transit options, trail connections, and amenities that are nearby. This makes the city more sustainable for everyone and it helps to pay for the very spread out infrastructure that we have thanks to 75 years of suburbanization and sprawl.

This should be common sense for most but adding hundreds/thousands of new rentals and spaces for residents in the core has a number of benefits. They'll use transit options already in place nearby, they'll add disposable income for nearby businesses already built, and new infrastructure build would be much smaller than something built further out in the suburbs. Basically, you're adding many people onto a grid of services that already exist, so you're further intensifying the effectiveness of services already in operation. Imagine having a block of houses where 50 people currently live (or nobody, in the case of the racegrounds) and upping that number to 250 or 300. That's a fivefold increase in the number of residents directly nearby to use services and amenities, likely without having to drive to access them.

shazapple · #**11833** Posted **Jul 30, 2020, 11:24 AM**

Housing is one of many fundamental needs, some of which aren't pressing right now but need to be planned for regardless.

My concern is that housing is going to take priority over all the other needs (current or future) that a city operates on. Replacing existing housing with new housing is a lot easier than removing existing housing for another need.

Like I said before, this is the only opportunity the city will have for this much space right downtown. To pour all it's potential into one immediate term need would be a waste. When the need arises for something else (events centre, exhibition grounds, green space, something awesome I've never even heard of, etc...) I don't want see the city sprawl further to meet that need. We can't all have an old useless mall to tear down like Moncton.

If it were up to me, I'd split it equally between housing/retail, exhibition space, green space, and a reserve for future use (maybe a good design/plan can overlap these somewhat for efficient land use). The green corridor, mixed use development, and infrastructure integration are great ideas and I hope that is the type of planning we see on this.

KnoxfordGuy · #**11834** Posted **Jul 30, 2020, 5:27 PM**

David's Tea is reopening only 18 store across the country and 1 of them will be in New Brunswick according to their press release. It doesn't say where though but my bet is Moncton.

Here is the release:
http://ir.davidstea.com/news-release...usiness-update

DyAm00394 · #**11835** Posted **Jul 30, 2020, 5:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KnoxfordGuy

David's Tea is reopening only 18 store across the country and 1 of them will be in New Brunswick according to their press release. It doesn't say where though but my bet is Moncton.

Here is the release:
http://ir.davidstea.com/news-release...usiness-update

It was confirmed by an employee over on Facebook that it is Moncton (CF Champlain) that's reopening here in NB. All other locations in Atlantic Canada are closed for good (including Fredericton and Saint John). Also Regent Mall has already removed them from their tenant listing a while back, so that adds further confirmation. So it appears that Moncton will now be the only location here in Atlantic Canada. DavidsTea is now primarily focusing on being an online retailer, while keeping these select 18 most profitable stores located in major shopping malls.

Also, apparently the proposed new lease terms are expected to give DAVIDsTEA termination rights at the end of 2020, and the flexibility of an option to extend the leases.

Freddypop · #**11836** Posted **Aug 1, 2020, 3:32 PM**

Looks like now is the time to put your house up for sale!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-b...d-19-1.5669213

Bishop2047 · #**11837** Posted **Aug 2, 2020, 10:35 PM**

https://www.dcc-cdc.gc.ca/english/dc...2006_article4/

Nice looking project on CFB Gagetown.

McKay · #**11838** Posted **Aug 3, 2020, 2:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bishop2047

Nice looking project on CFB Gagetown.

Nice enough rendering, but a very poor choice of flag on the part of the artist!

Bishop2047 · #**11839** Posted **Aug 3, 2020, 10:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by McKay

Nice enough rendering, but a very poor choice of flag on the part of the artist!

Oof nice catch.

OliverD · #**11840** Posted **Aug 3, 2020, 11:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freddypop

Looks like now is the time to put your house up for sale!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-b...d-19-1.5669213

Sure but buying another one might be tough unless you're upgrading to the $400k+ range.