Northern Ontario developments!

[vid]

Wow. You would never know that that building is over 110 years old! The one beside it is about 125 years old.

[TbayON]

I did say it is something different and new for Thunder Bay. The more I look at it, the more I like it. When I looked at the building before, and now, it makes it all that much better. I believe the same guy that bought the Western Grocers building has taken this project on. Holsum Bakery and I think one moving company always have trucks at Western Grocers now. They have only occupied part of the building though, and there is more to come there yet from what I understand.

[vid]

Holsum Bakery grew pretty fast, I don't see them staying on Hardisty for long.

547 Simpson (the building at the corner of Simpson and Ogden that formerly housed Teen Challenge) has been demolished by its new owner, NorWest Community Health Centres, for parking. The new clinic will be built on the existing parking lot between the clinic and the Shoe Repair shop. If NWCHC is the new owner of the warehouse across the street, I imagine that will be removed soon as well.


Back in 2009, just before a gift shop opened; they lasted a few months.


Spring 2012. The parking lot beside the clinic will mostly be taken up by a new building.


Premier Van Lines in 2009

[TbayON]

That will help clean up that area more. Does the NorWest Health Ctr. own the Famous Shoe Repair shop yet? I suppose they are anxious to get their hands on that building as soon as possible if not. Simpson St. will sure be different when compared to a few years ago very soon. Huge redevelopment opportunity for developers and the city coming up soon, in a central location close to everything.

=======

The Club Condos project is not in jeopardy. The job was shut down around a week ago, and workers were sent home. It was unclear what was happening at that time, or what the impact on the project was going to be. It appears now there was some sort of issue that had to be sorted out, and that issue has now been resolved. Work has probably already resumed.

Apparently there are issues with the Marriott hotel already, and it has not even opened yet. Impacts to the floor are supposedly causing breaks in the thin fibre-cement subflooring (which is the only material separating the different stories other than insulation and drywall). The building was soaked through during this spring's late snowfalls, which I believe has compromised some of the materials in the building, including the subfloor. I smell a massive repair bill coming soon. I did find out that the waterfront buildings are being built with a similar system (which I had already posted about), but not the same system. The waterfront buildings will have a different floor construction, which will be much stronger than that at the Marriott. A large crew is also in place at the waterfront, so those buildings should start flying up pretty fast.

[vid]

NWCHC also owns 600 Simpson now, so that will likely be coming down soon.

I don't know if they've approached Famous Shoe Repair or not, I imagine they have. The guy is pretty old. I figure he just wants more than they think it's worth.

[greyraven8]

MEMO (donates older medical equipment to Cuba and elsewhere), the organization that donates bikes to Africa, and some other organization were using the warehouse at 600 Simpson until this summer when they were told they would have to vacate. MEMO is now storing things somewhere at the LPH. I am pretty sure 600 Simpson is now empty; so vid's prediction of it coming down soon wouldn't surprise me.

Famous Shoe repair seems to keep irregular hours and now there is a new repair place that will do some of things he won't or isn't able to with his equipment (like hockey skate repair).
http://thunderbay.kijiji.ca/c-servic...AdIdZ519951266
Who knows though, he's hung in there this long he may still be around for a while if he can afford to and still enjoys his work.

[vid]

I've heard he doesn't enjoy his work, but I've never been in there myself. His home above it, and the yard behind, are very well maintained though. Even if he closes the shop, that building is his home. He's not going to give it up for nothing.

The other organization in 600 Simpson was Teen Challenge, they had their residential portion in 547 Simpson and they used the yard at 600 Simpson to store cars. Part of their reintegration programme was having participants repair the cars for resale. They still do that at their new location.

Another building to keep an eye on is 201 Simpson, formerly Simpson Variety. It's owned by Lacy's Taxi/Ace Auto and they've been working on tearing down the cinderblock extension behind it; what that means for the building itself (which has become the largest decrepit structure on our street) is unknown. If it gets renovated or demolished, the only decrepit buildings left on the street will be a handful of single-story structures near Charry's Corner.

Despite the empty storefronts, the second level of virtually every building on this street is occupied.

[TbayON]

The strip mall next to the new Marriott hotel is starting imminently. Fencing has already gone up around the site. Apparently a second tenant in the four unit building will be another Subway, in addition to an A&W. Carrick at Harbour appears on the company's website as a future location, so I guess its a for sure thing. The remaining two units are still available. The second building in the development (rumoured to be an Outback Steakhouse) will not be going up until at least next year.

The former Colosimo's Music store on Algoma is undergoing some renovations. I am not sure if the work is being done because a new tenant has be found, or if it is being done to better attract a tenant. Regardless, I think the building will rent out fast given the up-and-coming nature of the Algoma street business district. The Fox on the Run is moving into the former Hutch's Variety store at the corner of Oliver/John and Memorial/Algoma as well (can't remember if that was posted here or not).

[Conker]

Originally Posted by TbayON

The strip mall next to the new Marriott hotel is starting imminently. Fencing has already gone up around the site. Apparently a second tenant in the four unit building will be another Subway, in addition to an A&W. Carrick at Harbour appears on the company's website as a future location, so I guess its a for sure thing. The remaining two units are still available. The second building in the development (rumoured to be an Outback Steakhouse) will not be going up until at least next year.

Subway is not part of this strip mall, they are going to be in a new building across the expressway. The new location will share the parking lot with the new Holiday Inn hotel. I got this from the Site Plan for the new Hotel. This site plan shows the building will face both the Harbour and Carrick and will be inline with the other buildings on Carrick.

This intersection will get busier and busier over the next couple of years considering the property west of superstore has now been sold.

[TbayON]

Originally Posted by Conker

Subway is not part of this strip mall, they are going to be in a new building across the expressway. The new location will share the parking lot with the new Holiday Inn hotel. I got this from the Site Plan for the new Hotel. This site plan shows the building will face both the Harbour and Carrick and will be inline with the other buildings on Carrick.

This intersection will get busier and busier over the next couple of years considering the property west of superstore has now been sold.

This is what I thought was going to happen too. I was under the impression that Subway was going to be located immediately adjacent to the Holiday Inn. An employee with one of the contractors involved in putting up the strip mall next to the Marriott stated that a Subway was occupying one of the units though, in addition to the A&W. I was a bit surprised when he said that. Regardless, there will be a Subway somewhere at Carrick and the Harbour.

=====

The city is looking for interest from the private sector to either purchase, lease and enter some kind of partnership with the city to re-purpose the Royal Edward Arms in downtown Fort William. The city is taking applications until the 25th of November. It will be interesting to see if, and what kind of proposals the city gets.

[Loco101]

Back to taco fast food restaurants.

Timmins also had a Taco Bell that miserably failed. It later became an Arby's which lasted a couple of years.

We have a Taco Time in our shopping centre but a Taco Del Mar opened less than a year ago with Subway in a former Tim Hortons location. The Subway is doing well but you barely every see anybody at the Taco Del Mar side. Timmins and T-Bay may be far from each other but we seem to have similarities when it comes to fast food restaurants.

[vid]

Your Arby's didn't last?

I wish we had one in Fort William. And Port Arthur could use a Burger King and a Boston Pizza. Winnipeggers don't consider a neighbourhood worth living in if it doesn't have a Boston Pizza nearby.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by vid

Your Arby's didn't last?

I wish we had one in Fort William. And Port Arthur could use a Burger King and a Boston Pizza. Winnipeggers don't consider a neighbourhood worth living in if it doesn't have a Boston Pizza nearby.

No the Arby's only lasted 2 years. It lost money the whole time it was open. The main reasons were likely because it was in a bad location and the franchise owner has so many other businesses (Timmins Honda, Pizza Hut, etc.) and it seemed that the Arby's was on the bottom of his list for importance.

We did have a Burger King for 8 or 9 years that closed a couple of years ago. It was very badly managed and they could never find good employees. It would have done well if properly run.

Timmins has a Boston Pizza which is doing decently well.

But the most popular place and opened within the last year is Wacky Wings. Link: http://www.wackywings.ca/

The chain started in Northern Ontario in Sault Ste. Marie and now has locations in Timmins, North Bay and Sudbury as well as a few places in Southern Ontario. I'm quite sure that T-Bay will have one soon. In my opinion, the food is okay but it's the atmosphere that is amazing!

[TbayON]

Major breaking news in Thunder Bay this evening. Apparently the James St. Swing bridge was the scene of a significant fire. There is no word on the extent of the damage yet or how long it will be closed. It is likely this will spur further debate on the merits of replacing the aged structure. This could be really bad for a number of reasons if the damage is major.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/305841/Bridge-blaze

I have heard a pretty strong rumour that the investors behind the Superior Lofts Condos at the former Kilroys bar have purchased a second building in Thunder Bay. I am not sure what building or where in the city, but they are planning more condos similar to what they have underway at the moment. Work is apparently going to ramp up on Superior Lofts for next summer completion.

The former Colosimo's music building on Algoma is becoming 3 store fronts. Still no word on who exactly will be occupying the building, but apparently one is a some sort of chain or franchise business. Work is also underway on the exterior of the building now.

[Conker]

Work appears to be starting on a new restaurant on Red River next to the former St. James Stereo. The new restaurant is in the Tomlinson building, and is likely the new location for the Sovereign's founding head chef. I believe the name of the restaurant will be Tomlinson, named after the historical building. This part of Thunder Bay hasn't seen this kind of activity in over 20 years and hopefully the pattern of growth will continue.

[tjernobyl]

Originally Posted by Conker

Work appears to be starting on a new restaurant on Red River next to the former St. James Stereo. The new restaurant is in the Tomlinson building, and is likely the new location for the Sovereign's founding head chef. I believe the name of the restaurant will be Tomlinson, named after the historical building. This part of Thunder Bay hasn't seen this kind of activity in over 20 years and hopefully the pattern of growth will continue.

The Tomlin.

http://everydaywerehustling.wordpres...n-thunder-bay/
http://everydaywerehustling.wordpres...n-thunder-bay/

Definitely Superior's Halloween event brought 4000+ people to the North Core last weekend; there were lineups at the 7 participating venues almost continuously, and often at the others as well. With at least 4 new bars/restaurants in the works in the area, next year's should be even larger. I'd say the area has been recovering well.

[TbayON]

Everything is starting to snowball in the downtown north core right now. Renovations and new businesses are breeding further renos and new businesses moving into the area. Hopefully the city responds, and starts to invest into the area more heavily with a much better chance at a good return on investment. Even modest improvements to sidewalks and beatification alone will only help build the momentum.

======

A few things coming down the pipeline right now:
-The city has a tender out for renovations to the interior of the central transit facility on Fort William Rd. It isn't a complete overhaul of the building, but there is still a decent amount of work involved.

-The Lakehead District School Board has a request for proposal out for consulting and design services for day care renovations at McKellar, St. James and Vance Chapman schools. Physical work on the buildings probably won't commence until summer 2014.

Flying J has scheduled an early December opening date for the new Pass Lake Truck stop. Work is well underway at the moment. The company that owns the truck stop is also looking for entrepreneurs interested in operating businesses within the building, including a restaurant.

[Dwils01]

SAULT STE. MARIE - There’s something new brewing downtown in Sault Ste Marie.

You may have noticed it if you have seen the keg display in the windows beside Ernie’s on Queen Street.

A craft brewery, Union Jack Brewing Company, is being launched early in the new year.

The recent Naturallia conference, hosted by the Sault Ste Marie Economic Development Corporation and the Sault Ste Marie Innovation Centre, helped the brewery with its testing.

Head brewer, Jeff Jack, a local emergency room RN by day and night, had produced seven different prototypes, and the conference attendees were asked to help work out a flagship product.

“In talks with the LCBO and The Beer Store, they’ve suggested that we concentrate on one flagship product to launch in their stores, and this conference was the perfect venue to focus our attention,” said Union Jack Brewing President and local pharmacist, Jordan Jack.

Read More Here: http://www.local2.ca/ssm/viewarticle.php?id=13328

[TbayON]

A few already established local businesses (single owner for all of them) are moving into the former Mattress King store at Carrick and 11th Ave. Some renovations are being undertaken on the existing building currently. An addition is being planned for spring time. The Mattress King closed when the owners decided it was time to retire.

A lot of excavation work is underway at the new strip mall out front of Superstore. The rush is on to get the pad poured before the really cold weather arrives.

Construction is in full swing at the Rentech pellet facility in Atikokan. The former Fibretech mill is being retrofitted to produce pellets for the OPG power plant outside Atikokan. Local contractors will be getting at least some of the work there.

A former idled Viterra grain elevator is back in business again in Thunder Bay. Richardson acquired the elevator as part of a Swiss company's takeover of Viterra around a year or two ago. There aren't a huge number of new jobs associated with the re-opening, but I suppose it is pretty symbolic for a port where closures are more the norm. This is Richardson's second operating elevator locally. An emerging African market (similar to what is happening in Asia currently) a few decades from now at the most will likely take Thunder Bay back to its glory days as a massive mover of grains.

[tjernobyl]

Speaking of breweries, I can't remember if it was mentioned, but Lake of the Woods Brewing Company opened up in Kenora this summer.

No Frills in Northwood Mall is due to open on the 15th, and the County Fair location is due to open on the 29th.