Newfoundland & Labrador Projects

[Architype]

Here's a link to a flattering article about the Fogo Island Inn and life on the island; beware that it's full of intrusive ads, and is a bit vague on some terminology and details, but otherwise is a good descriptive article.

Canada: The Fogo Island Inn Puts Newfoundland On The Luxury Travel Map


. . . In less than a year, Fogo Island Inn (below) has put Newfoundland—accent on the last syllable, please—on the luxury travel map. It has deftly leveraged all of the ingredients mentioned above to turn a middle-of-nowhere place, the austerely beautiful Fogo Island, off Newfoundland’s northeast coast, into a destination that’s worth two flights (to Gander via St. John’s) and a few hours drive. THD will bet his salary that no hotel in Newfoundland has ever charged $850 in summer for its lowest level room.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/garywalt...ry-travel-map/

[RRoome]

Under historical imagery in Google Earth, areas in the Humber Valley have new imagery.

Corner Brook seems to have recent winter imagery showing new progress in all city and Massey Dr. subdivisions. Pasadena has summer imagery showing its new subdivisions as well. Thanks to new imagery in St. George's and Stephenville Crossing, I've added two new housing developments in either town to my map.

In regular google maps, Happy Valley-Goose Bay has new imagery showing last year's housing progress and at least some activity in the town centre.

Also, from a leisurely drive around St. John's yesterday, the new Southlands, Westgate and Bristolwood phases are paved and ready to sell. Diamond Marsh is mostly paved as well. They move quickly.

[Trevor3]

For St. George's there is another on Court House Road called Blueberry Hill, but it may not be on the updated imagery since it is fairly new. This may be the first year for it. Not sure about the two in the Crossing since it's been a while since I was out there.

For Stephenville & Kippens, the Orchard Lane development has an additional two phases laid out with a couple of houses on each, one arm extends west just south of the loop, the other is a "dog leg" that just continues Orchard northward. There is another new subdivision openning this year on Simon's Drive in Kippens, between Orchard and Forsey, and it looks quite large. Oceanview Estates is moving ahead across from Zenzville campground. The street is on google maps but isn't named, there are 2 homes built there right now. And the unnamed one in Stephenville between Queen St and Hansen Hwy is called the Benoit Subdivision. There's also a really nice one on Crimson/Fir Lane in Kippens which is almost built up except for the last few lots which back onto a pond and cost a lot more.

And a Photo update, rather large too...

Stephenville - Town and Country Estates (Should have just called it Pieroway Park)
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Ridgeview Estates
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The house on the left recently sold for over $400,000 despite being beside a cement plant, seen below
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This plant is why it is a slow area to develop.

Kippens - Orchard Lane
This sign is wrong, it should say 2014. I guess they were delayed getting the land ready or something
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On the new street south of the loop:
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Simon's Drive
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From the north end looking south
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Looking north, apparently they haven't finished cutting yet
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Southward where it meets the mature street
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Fir Lane/Crimson Ave
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Oceanview Estates
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The ocean view from someone's future backyard looking toward the Port au Port Peninsula
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From Kippens Road, what a spot.
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[Trevor3]

2 new residential developments in Stephenville that I found over the weekend:

1: Ficzere Drive - mini-home development which was proposed several years ago. The sign is up to sell lots and ground work is underway, this is off of Whalen Cresent on the east side of Queen Street Ext.

2: Green Meadows - normal subdivision, directly across from Fizcere and being done by a different company. Looks like 2 streets that will eventually connect Queen and Gallant north of the Hansen Highway and open up more land in between. One of the streets is named Simon Drive, despite the fact Kippens also has a Simon Drive being developed which I posted a photo of in the previous post. Street curbs, water and sewer lines are installed and the first homes should start going up later this summer.

[Trevor3]

Discovery Ridge - Corner Brook:

New development’s mosaic design helping reshape the city

This contractor will develop the 55-lot subdivision off Wheeler’s Road and Corporal Pinksen Memorial Drive, to be known as Discovery Ridge. It will be a new venture for Brook Construction, the first time it will delve into residential development.
...
That was the attraction for Burden — the mixed density formula. The 20-acre lot has the capacity for 75 units in homes, semi-detached, and townhouses and another 94 units with condominium and apartment buildings. It is a five-year development plan..

http://www.thewesternstar.com/News/L...ape-the-city/1

The comment on the bottom is precisely why Corner Brook is the worst place to live in Newfoundland and Labrador. Close minded, negative, automatically assuming the worst - the tripartite attitude of many city residents It ruins what would otherwise be one of the most attractive locations in the country.

[RRoome]

I drove through Gander today.

Eastgate subdivision is moving fast - at least 10-20 houses up so far this year.

The new airport industrial park is selling lots, and there's a new road for it between Roe and James Blvd.

[RRoome]

From the July 2 council minutes from GFW:

"Zoning Change Request – Paul Enterprises Ltd.
The Committee discussed a request from Paul Enterprises requesting a zoning change for property on Scott Avenue between Grenfell Heights and the Trans Canada Highway.
The Committee recommends that a proposed development plan be submitted for review before any decision is considered."

This is a property that has been sale for a while by Royal Lepage and is bordered by the TCH, Grenfell Heights and Scott Ave. This, in addition to Amber Estates, will make 5 active subdivisions in GFW.

As there is amble industrial & commercial space, and a new industrial park being built, it seems to me that the re-zoning is going to be residential.

[Trevor3]

And we're off!!

Activity at site for prosposed new regional hospital in Corner Brook

After a few years of no activity some could be seen at the site of the proposed new regional hospital for Corner Brook Wednesday. Heavy equipment was seen digging out a small mound of dirt and trucks were bringing it to another area of the site where it was dumped and used for fill. Two of three contracts, valued at just over $17 million, announced for the new regional hospital earlier this month will result in activity there this summer.

http://www.thewesternstar.com/News/R...Corner-Brook/1

[Trevor3]

Stephenville

Council recently approved a new development on Hillview Avenue consisting of 2 fourplex buildings and 1 duplex on a lot that used to be 1 rundown house and a massive yard. This should raise property values on about 4 streets surrounding the lot and obviously, new development on an old street is always great.

A proposed 10-unit building on West street was denied because the lot was deemed unsuitable. The building would have officially fronted on West Street but been inaccessible from it and require an access road from another street. Probably a good call.

Bell Mobility received permission to construct a new 39.2 metre tall monopole cellphone tower on Missouri Drive. This is awful. It will be, by far the tallest structure in town and will be situated on a hill to boot, directly behind the college HQ building, in an area that consists mostly of office buildings and apartments. We'll get rid of the eyesore downtown but this could have been located elsewhere. Terrible decision to approve this.

Kippens

I drove through Kippens last week and noticed a site where 2 fourplexes are being constructed just off the main road not far from the Stephenville border.

[Trevor3]

Corner Brook

- Renovations to the Civic Centre (formerly Pepsi Centre) are nearing completion for this year. The former annex is undergoing conversion to a space for the Saltos Gymnastics Club, which will give them appx 8500 sq.ft. in the building as a long term tenant.

- 3 national corporations submitted expressions of interest to buy the naming rights of the stadium (formerly Pepsi Centre) with a Memorandum of Understanding now in place and being worked on by that company's legal team. Rumored new name: Subway Place

- The city fired their manager in the spring and has since been without one, but will now hire a temporary "Town Manager" as advised in a consultant report they comissioned on the position. So it will become a contract position.

- Work is underway to punch through the first street for Discovery Ridge, which I posted about earlier this summer. Looks like a neat concept neighbourhood that I'll be really interested to see when it's built.

- Back on the stadium: the city has resumed operating the facility due to the expiration of the agreement with MUN to oversee operations. The city plans on updating the exterior of the building which was completed in 1999 for the Canada Winter Games. Work on that should begin next year.

[Trevor3]

Thought about using the Atlantic Canada Rural Thread but instead decided to revive this one, especially since it started out as Corner Brook's thread.

I heard on the CBC last week (interview with the head of this group) that a new company is purchasing the Valley Mall in Corner Brook from Crombie properties and intends to redevelop the mall as a retail centre again. Currently it's anchored by Sobey's and Dollarama with a large Rossy store inside. It was chopped up several times and the upper level was particularly butchered for a call centre which has since closed. The new owner also intends on rebuilding the food court.

That same developer is also looking at Fortis' properties in the city, particularly Fortis Tower and the Millbrook Mall with an eye to using the two neighbouring mall's to bring retail back into downtown Corner Brook, since they are both right in the middle of the city. They would also considering buying the Greenwood Inn and Suites if Fortis insisted on it being included in the deal but would likely only look to flip the hotel in a sale to another operation.

Valley Mall

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/...MA000101bf.jpg

Millbrook Mall - this was one of, if not the first, mall in the province

http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/...MA000101be.jpg

The deceivingly named Fortis "Tower"
https://www.google.ca/maps/@48.95204...t2jx6rCeRQ!2e0

[Trevor3]

Corner Brook

Former post office to include medical centre

It was a vision of what the large building in the downtown core of the city could be that attracted Penney to the prime piece of real estate. Thursday, he said the rental interest in the property has been tremendous, and agreements have been in place to nearly fill it already.

http://www.thewesternstar.com/News/L...dical-centre/1

Apparently there was a ton of interest in this building, including from restaurant chains such as Boston Pizza and Swiss Chalet. Corner Brook has 0 presence in terms restaurant chains, and little selection in terms of going out for a meal at all. Instead, another medical centre. The old Canadian Tire, located between the Valley Mall and Millbrook Mall, is also a medical centre and doctors office building, as is the PharmaChoice building on West Street - just around the corner from the old post office. The Western Regional Waste Authority is also leasing 3500 sq ft for office space.

A great opportunity to actually put something worthwhile in the downtown is squandered again...

[Trevor3]

Corner Brook
- Both Nissan and Ford have completed and opened new dealerships in the city.
- The former Target location in the mall has been totally gutted. Boston Pizza was interested in a portion of the space but wouldn't commit unless the mall extended the hallway through the old Target to meet the restaurant. The mall refuses to extend the hallway unless they can get enough tenants in the Target section to make it worthwhile, and they doesn't seem to be happening. So, the age old BP to CB rumours are on hold again.
- The Hospital project is still stalled. They have a real beautiful $10 million field though.
- The housing development off Corporal Pinksen Drive is taking shape and looks nice. Fantastic vistas of the mountains and the Bay of Islands from up there!

Stephenville
- Provincial/Federal Government announced a combined $18.5 million in infrastructure upgrades for the Bay St. George campus to accommodate their new "Heavy Equipment Centre of Excellence" concept. Basically the plan is to consolidate Heavy Equipment training and research at the BSG site, reno and construct new labs and facilities, add new equipment, etc... One of the interesting tidbits mentioned at the release this morning was in relation to cold climate research for heavy equipment - sounds like a bit more than the typical trades programming, which is good to see. This campus was never a trade school, it would be a shame to see it reduced to one in the 21st century after nearly 50 years as an actual community college.