The Official Saint John, NB Project Thread

[kwajo]

Originally Posted by thefishingnut

Put yourself into the eyes of a business visitor coming from the airport to Saint John - they're not going to be very impressed, and this will help.

You mean Loch Lomond and Simonds don't impress you?


You are very right though, Strescon should be there, I'm more upset about things like the Customs & Revenue building going out East

[Ottawa]

Here's a link to an update on the local economy.....

http://cbc.ca/informationmorningsain...1009JOBS09.ram

[PersonPlaceorThing]

Originally Posted by kwajo

You mean Loch Lomond and Simonds don't impress you?


You are very right though, Strescon should be there, I'm more upset about things like the Customs & Revenue building going out East

I imagine the new ward system will not in anyway shift development to the central city - the city center ward includes East Point Shopping.

[Downtown Bolivar]

^^^Fascinating. I hope those energy projects come to fruition. If they don't it sounds like the growth could be short lived once constructions crews start catching up. I hope it can be sustained--I'd like to move to St. John someday.

[Helladog]

While I'd like to see the remaining hertiage buildings restored rather than levelled, there are many lots and rotting buildings that would be better off gone altogether in the peninsula. Also, just because a building is one hundred years old, doesn't make it a heritage property. It has to have some styling features left from the era.

This leaves plenty of space for these 12 storey apartment buildings, which I think could potentially fill areas to the South and East. The area including Germain Street and Queen Square should be left alone; most of the ice older architecture is there.

As for commercial, Union Street should be reserved for mid-high rise commercial development, since there is already a mid-high rise presence there and not much to loose in terms of heritage.

Just a thought...

[GUB]

Originally Posted by nero1979

Strescon begins construction on new headquarters
October 09, 2007

Saint John - Saint John will soon be home to new corporate headquarters.

Strescon will be turning the sod on their new office building on Ashburn Lake Road this morning.

The company, which employs close to 250 Saint Johner's, says the building will be an impressive, one-of-a-kind showpiece.

A number of local politicians will be on hand, including M-P Paul Zed, M-L-A Roly Macintyre and Mayor Norm McFarlane.

Construction is expected to be complete next spring.

link to what the building will look like

http://www.fcc-engineering.com/news.aspx

This headline initially caught my attention, until I realized; 1) the construction is taking place in the boonies (no offense to local residents).
2) the architecture and aesthetics of the building are s--t. Is this what is presently passing as "innovative" & "one of a kind" these days? Apparently so.
I'm probably being overly critical, but feel this is just a result of cheap real estate and poor planning. I think the city needs to look at the big picture and make investment in the core a reality.

[michael_d40]

Think big, build big
Growth Majority of council agrees residential high-rises should be part of the city centre's future

John Mazerolle
Telegraph-Journal
Published Thursday October 11th, 2007
Appeared on page C1

SAINT JOHN - Construction in the city centre is looking up, and its residents will be too if common council gets its way.

Jim Baird, the city's commissioner of planning and development, says if council members want to maximize the number of new units built in the city centre during the expected energy boom, they'll need to approve buildings eight stories and above that could potentially change the character of the neighbourhood.

Bring it on, council says.

"It's a great idea for Saint John and we should get on it as soon as possible," said Coun. Jay-Young Chang.

The Telegraph-Journal spoke with nine of the 11 council members about their vision for the city's core, and each said that well-done, carefully placed high-rises could be a benefit. At stake is the growth of the South End, uptown, and the area north of Union Street. Councillors all agree a strong city centre is vital to the success of the entire community.

Coun. Stephen Chase said he'd like to see 1,000 new units in the uptown area, and Baird says for that to happen high-rises would be necessary. Relying entirely on low-level, infill development would likely only result in about 500 new units, Baird has said.

The vast majority of council (councillors Chris Titus and Glen Tait did not return messages) are in no way put off by a city centre with more tall buildings than Saint Johners might be used to. "They can make a very nice cityscape," Coun. John Ferguson said.

Baird said what would likely make sense for the south-central peninsula is smaller developments in the South End, with the potential for larger, taller projects along the water, along City Road and Union Street, and in some areas in between those streets.

One possible exception might be the current site of the Charlotte Street courthouse. When the new police headquarters and justice complex is opened on Union Street, the Charlotte Street building and its parking lot could give way to a large project if the community would allow it, Baird said.

Councillors' first reaction to Baird's opinions was positive, though each was quick to stress that any buildings needed to put an attractive face on the city and be acceptable to the neighbourhood.

Chase in particular has been big on development guidelines for certain neighbourhoods.

"I'd like to think we can do more than mediocre" but mediocre is what the city has normally done, Chase said. He noted that a five-member committee is looking into urban guidelines for development.

Malcolm Boyd, one of two architects on that committee, says its focus has included sight lines in and out of the city.

"What do you see from the water?," he said. "What do you see from the river? What do you see from the throughway?"

He said if everybody is working from the same play sheet it's good for all involved.

"The big thing will be getting other people to support it."

Easier said than done, believes developer John Rocca. Rocca, whose construction resume includes Market Square and luxury apartments going up off Ellerdale Street, says Saint John has become better at demanding high-quality projects but that there are still too many failures such as the old General Hospital site, which was replaced by a Human Resources Development Canada office, a blocky building detractors describe as a characterless box.

Rocca says clarity of rules is a positive, but the true test is sticking with them.

"Written standards are one thing, and they can be valuable," he said. "But it does not say to the developer one of the things they want to know - that this community will stand up and demand quality."

Contrary to critics who say that too many rules will scare off development, Rocca says demands for high quality will spur more respected firms to build in the city because they won't fear their expensive investment being diminished by shoddy buildings around it.

Rocca says building a community that is attractive and doesn't leave behind the poor will take far-sighted developers executing a far-sighted plan.

"We're going to have the challenges of growth instead of the challenges of economic inactivity," he said.

Councillors seem to have a consensus view about how to deal with the uptown: promote infill and upper floors. Make new construction pleasing to the existing streetscape. Don't forget the poor. And don't be afraid to build big.

Beyond that, many of the councillors have their own unique thoughts on the matter:

* Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooton would be concerned if growth disrupted the ocean frontage too much. She says because the uptown can't be suburbia it needs to build on its own natural niches and assets, and uptown's waterside location is one of those assets.

* Chase is big on the new provincial legislation targeting slum landlords, and he hopes the city will be aggressive in tearing down dilapidated buildings.

* Coun. Ivan Court says it's important to remember that the North End needs similar treatment, as a feeder of people to the uptown. (Similarly, Baird notes that if growth happens in Saint John and it's spread too far away from the core, major expansion of the throughway could be needed.)

* Coun. Carl White says the city shouldn't overlook the potential for commercial high rises, as well. "There's a way to mix retail and residential," he said.

* Ferguson says building high can have another consequence besides adding density - it can promote green spaces. A high building on one lot could free up another lot as an outside space, he said. The south-central peninsula only has about five acres of outdoor recreational space, most of which is Chown Field.

And then there's Mayor Norm McFarlane, ever the optimist. He says Union Street will be a "developer's dream" once the police-justice complex is built. But his big concern is that the uptown doesn't get all of the high-rises he believes the city will need in the coming years. "You can't put them all in the uptown area," he said.

[michael_d40]

New exit to connect east bound traffic

October 10, 2007 - 5:55 pm
By: News 88-9's Andrew Cromwell


SAINT JOHN, NB - Good news for people looking to access east side shopping from the central and western parts of the city.

Supply and Services Minister Roly McIntyre said work is getting underway on a new exit which will connect east bound traffic on the throughway to Rothesay Avenue through Ashburn Road.

McIntyre told News 88-9 the work should be finished in time for the busy Christmas shopping season.

"We expect that the first lay of asphalt will be down by the end of October, and then the rest of the work will take another week or so...so we're thinking mid-November it will be open for traffic and ready to go."

There won't be a direct connection from Ashburn Road to Retail Drive. McIntyre said motorists will have to turn left onto Rothesay Avenue to get to Retail Drive and the East Point shopping district.



Saint John hosting Health Summit

October 11, 2007 - 4:25 am
By: Denise Barkhouse-News 88-9 staff


Saint John- The largest health summit ever hosted in this province gets underway today at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre.
Health Minister Mike Murphy tells us the conference is all about self management and that's why Olympian Silken Laumann has been chosen to be the keynote speaker.
"Self management begins every morning when you put your feet on the floor. You know just to stay away from the extra doughnuts, maybe walk to work, not take the elevator. that's part self management all the way into diabetes self management, asthma and of course we go into primary care if necessary and that's nurse practitioners and even doctors as well.
The conference will play host to a number of special guests from around the world

[kwajo]

And then there's Mayor Norm McFarlane, ever the optimist. He says Union Street will be a "developer's dream" once the police-justice complex is built. But his big concern is that the uptown doesn't get all of the high-rises he believes the city will need in the coming years. "You can't put them all in the uptown area," he said.

Why the hell not? Jesus, someone get rid of this guy, he's such a bane on our City.

[Seely32]

I saw today they tore down a house on Garden st. and somerset st. today. In-fills in a lot of places disgust me, the problem being that it's hard to get zoning to reavaluate the property and allow high rise. Our business district is what will bring more people uptown if we concentrate there then proper residential buildings will be built and a lot of these empty lofts will be fixed. Also making the city's landlords a little more responsible for thier property's would help. But I have been suprised this summer at the amount of properties that have had some sort of fix happening.

[PostModernPrometheus]

[QUOTE=Seely32;3105995]I saw today they tore down a house on Garden st. and somerset st. today. QUOTE]



To be fair, the 3 story house on garden street was gutted by fire a few weeks back....looked very unsound after that....i'd imagine that it wont take long before a new residence / house goes up there.....

Your point about the demolished buildings/nothing but vacant filled in lots left behind is well taken though.....my personal favourite is the corner of Union and ? Coburg.....i kept expecting something to go up there.....well, i guess something DID go up, if you include gravel parking lots in the category of progressive development...

[Ottawa]

Looks like the game's on for development in the south end and uptown. I'd stick to my guns on the 'high quality development' requirement and send all the rest packing to the burbs or to M.....n.

High standards will attract good developers and I would expect to see grade A ideas right now. Refitting historic buildings that are structurally sound is an excellent start. Getting good architects to come up with some good new designs is a good idea also. High rises will house the needed population but they need to be done right, especially downtown, and should add to the esthetic appeal of the skyline.

I'd like to see a big residential development right on the old Lantic sugar site. A planned mixture of low to mid rise and/or high rise high quality development would make that a signature area for the city and would spur development all the way to uptown. The first impression to cruise ship passengers wouldn't hurt either. That is a million dollar location given the right surroundings.

I'm really hopeful that the cruise welcome center will be a class act. The design at http://www.bamiami.com/maritime/proj...pId=124&pgId=1 was impressive and would have set a standard. Construction on the new terminal is supposed to start immediately when the cruise season ends later this month I believe, and I don't even know what the building will look like yet.

We haven't seen or heard anything on the new Irving HQ lately. I hope they have hired a good architect and pulled out a few of the stops for this building. A good thing is, Irving has had to team up with Repsol for the LNG terminal. The Irving spokesperson indicated a while ago they were also looking for a partner for the second refinery. With all of these new partnerships being built, and big bucks involved, maybe Irving has to play a bit more of a PR game globally and will look at something other than a big brick for an HQ.

There's enough grade B, C, D, etc. existing already. The city needs to set a high standard for new development right now(if not yesterday).

[Ottawa]

Canadian Transportation & Logistics, 10/11/2007
http://www.ctl.ca/issues/ISArticle.a...issue=10112007

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gateway study first step to creating New Brunswick gateway

Saint John, NB--The Saint John Port Authority in cooperation with the City of Saint John has taken the first steps towards forming the Southern New Brunswick Gateway.

The Gateway initiative arose from a meeting called by Mayor McFarlane to discuss transportation for Greater Saint John, involving transportation stakeholders including MP Paul Zed and representatives from the City, industry, the Saint John Port Authority, the Harbour Bridge Authority, the Saint John Transit Commission, the Saint John Parking Commission, the Saint John Airport Authority, and the New Brunswick Department of Transportation.


The Southern New Brunswick region with its border crossing, strong port, airport and rail systems is ideally situated to benefit from increased international trade, says Saint John Mayor Norm McFarlane.

By creating a Southern New Brunswick Gateway, we are increasing our ability to market this potential to trading partners globally, and make a better case for Federal investment in our infrastructure.

The Port of Saint John is Atlantic Canadas most diverse marine gateway and one of the largest ports for cargo throughout the nation, says Capt. Al Soppitt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Port of Saint John.

While the Ports primary cargo is bulk commodities, it is also a container port and is a major cruise port in Atlantic Canada. The port is poised for future growth with projected increased in bulk cargo, opening of the LNG terminal, expansion of potash and increases in cruise and with partners is positioning itself in the proposed Atlantic Gateway aimed at increasing international trade through Canadas East Coast.

Consultant Paul Ouimet, Executive Vice President of InterVISTAS Consulting Inc., has been engaged by the Saint John Port Authority to guide the organization through a planning and research phase that will lead to the formation of a Southern New Brunswick Gateway Council.

InterVISTAS is an expert on Canadian Gateways. They have worked closely with the Greater Vancouver Gateway Council, and have worked with the Halifax Gateway Council and Southern Ontario Gateway Council from start-up and initiation to development of a vision and strategic plan.
InterVISTAS will begin preliminary consultations in Southern New Brunswick October 9th 12th

[Ottawa]

Originally Posted by kwajo

Is anyone else routinely annoyed by every statement that comes out of the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies?

They don't see much beyond the boundaries of the HRM these days. Halifax does have a deeper port than Saint John, and that may translate into more traffic when post panamax class container vessels start heading through the Panama canal, but that doesn't mean that Halifax should be the dominant city in the region by default.

Prince Rupert just opened their 45 metre deep container port. That is by far, the deepest port on the continent but it is a stretch to think that Prince Rupert will displace Vancouver as the dominant city on our west coast anytime soon. Prince Rupert will however, probably surpass Halifax in containers within 5 years, if not sooner.

[Seely32]

Telegraph-Journal
Published Friday October 12th, 2007
Appeared on page C5

ROTHESAY - Rothesay town council heard from the Halifax company that wants to build a three-phase, condominium complex. The complex would be located on Millennium Drive and would include three-types of living - independent, meals provided, and medically assisted. The decision is in the hands of the planning advisory committee and will go back to council for the final decision in February. There will be a public presentation on Oct. 19 at the town hall. Mayor Bill Bishop said depending on how many people are interested in hearing what the company has to say, the presentation could be moved to Rothesay High School. If approved, construction could begin in the spring and is expected to take a year to build.

[Seely32]

Originally Posted by Ottawa

Looks like the game's on for development in the south end and uptown. I'd stick to my guns on the 'high quality development' requirement and send all the rest packing to the burbs or to M.....n.

High standards will attract good developers and I would expect to see grade A ideas right now. Refitting historic buildings that are structurally sound is an excellent start. Getting good architects to come up with some good new designs is a good idea also. High rises will house the needed population but they need to be done right, especially downtown, and should add to the esthetic appeal of the skyline.

I'd like to see a big residential development right on the old Lantic sugar site. A planned mixture of low to mid rise and/or high rise high quality development would make that a signature area for the city and would spur development all the way to uptown. The first impression to cruise ship passengers wouldn't hurt either. That is a million dollar location given the right surroundings.

I'm really hopeful that the cruise welcome center will be a class act. The design at http://www.bamiami.com/maritime/proj...pId=124&pgId=1 was impressive and would have set a standard. Construction on the new terminal is supposed to start immediately when the cruise season ends later this month I believe, and I don't even know what the building will look like yet.

We haven't seen or heard anything on the new Irving HQ lately. I hope they have hired a good architect and pulled out a few of the stops for this building. A good thing is, Irving has had to team up with Repsol for the LNG terminal. The Irving spokesperson indicated a while ago they were also looking for a partner for the second refinery. With all of these new partnerships being built, and big bucks involved, maybe Irving has to play a bit more of a PR game globally and will look at something other than a big brick for an HQ.

There's enough grade B, C, D, etc. existing already. The city needs to set a high standard for new development right now(if not yesterday).

It seems people have great fears in the city of building new and great, They beleive it will take away from the heritage buildings and what they represent. Those building are beautiful buildings, but new and exciting not to mention buildings with grade A architecture can make an even greater statement that we could build contemporary then and we can stay with the times now and in both cases we can do it better than most. We cant be shy to build different we need to change to stimulate growth. It would be an architects dream in my opinion to work with alot of these buildings and the history they bring.

If we could only get the Nimby's to change thier minds and see the light in a lot of these ideas and not build the cooking cutter blocks that seem to pop up and only suites the city at one time. If build them well enough we wont complain how long there here just like were not complaing about the wonderful buildings that are still in this city built over 100 years ago.

[Helladog]

If a developer wanted to create something new and large, most of the block with the old Paramount would be nice, with the exception of the UNB building. The corner of Union and Coburg would also be a nice place to start leveling messed up buildings for commercial or residential use. Of course not until someone wants it, we don't need anymore gravel parking lots...

[random11]

I remember a few short years ago developer Paul Tobias wanted to build a 7 story building on Germain Street, in the parking lot next to the existing apartment complex he currently owns. Residents in the area screamed foul and needless to say the concept was trampled. Fear from Mahogany Manor owners (across the street) that it would block their existing view of Saint John High School was enough to fuel the fire. I realize times are different however, there remains a distinct population in the city that are not in favour of any development - the 'ol not in my backyard mentality. Concerning the Irving tower, I have a few aquaintences high up in the Golden Ball building who tell me that that 'project' has been incredibly "quiet" as of late in the hallways.

[Helladog]

Originally Posted by random11

I remember a few short years ago developer Paul Tobias wanted to build a 7 story building on Germain Street, in the parking lot next to the existing apartment complex he currently owns.

That's realy funny considering there's an existing 7 storey building on Germain now...but it really makes me laugh to think ppl were so concerned with a four storey building on Leinster. I live in an old four storey uptown, I wonder if anyone a hundred or so years ago complained about this one...prolly not.

Originally Posted by random11

Concerning the Irving tower, I have a few aquaintences high up in the Golden Ball building who tell me that that 'project' has been incredibly "quiet" as of late in the hallways.

Does that mean they're going to make an announcement soon? Knowing Irving, they'll prolly just start construction without letting anyone know...

[brandenp]

Originally Posted by Helladog

That's realy funny considering there's an existing 7 storey building on Germain now...but it really makes me laugh to think ppl were so concerned with a four storey building on Leinster. I live in an old four storey uptown, I wonder if anyone a hundred or so years ago complained about this one...prolly not.



Does that mean they're going to make an announcement soon? Knowing Irving, they'll prolly just start construction without letting anyone know...

Lol what a small world.. I live in a building now that Paul Tobias owns, hes a cool guy!