Saint John waterfront revitalization on schedule for end-of-year completion
Former Coast Guard site ready for private Fundy Quay project to begin
City officials proudly showed off progress made on Saint John's long-awaited waterfront development.
The revitalization between Market Square and the cruise terminal has been talked about for decades without any real progress.
Standing in the middle of the construction site on Thursday, Ian Fogan, the city's commissioner of utilities and infrastructure, said the project "is the city's No. 1 public-space priority."
And, thanks to favourable weather throughout the winter and spring, it's also on time and on budget, said Chris Travis, a project manager with the Glenn Group.
In fact, the reopening of the boardwalk restaurant patios is a month ahead of schedule.
Despite being on the fringes of an active construction site, the boardwalk restaurant patios are schedule to open on Saturday.
"We're so excited right now for our patio to be opening on June 3," said Jesse Vergen, owner of the Saint John Ale House.
"This is going to be the cornerstone of the uptown area in Saint John, and we're just super excited to have one of the best festival areas in Atlantic Canada right here."
He said it's been rough riding out the construction phase of the project, but they've been "trying to stay positive."
"And we're super excited that we have temporary patios and that the whole project is going to be tied up within this year."
Travis said they're looking at Dec. 31 to have things completed, "and at this time, there's no reason to think that we're not going to meet that timeline."
Connected to private Fundy Quay project
The city's revitalization of the public space along the water ties in with a private development nearby.
The Fundy Quay is a five-building project planned for land adjacent to the city's project.
One of the conditions for Fundy Quay was that the city of Saint John prepare the site for development, including shoring up the seawall, before Fundy Harbour Group took over.
That site-prep work was completed in January, said Gerry Mattsson, the city's project engineer, so it's ready for Fundy Harbour Group to begin their project.
Messages left with the Saint John-based company went unreturned on Thursday.
The Fundy Quay development, which has been called a "catalytic project" for the city that will help spur other growth, will eventually see five buildings constructed on the former Coast Guard site.
The first is a 16-storey building planned for the southeast corner of the property — along Water Street at the corner closest to the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal. The ground floor will be commercial space, while the upper floors will be apartments.
Each of the buildings will be constructed in separate phases and each is estimated to take about two years to complete.
Combined, the five buildings will add 677 residential units on a total floor area of 69,700 square metres. The complex will also include 400 internal parking spaces.
The city's redesign of the waterfront will extend roughly 12 to 15 metres around the private Fundy Quay buildings and will include a public amphitheatre and lookout.
Travis said the perimeter work will go ahead independent of the construction of the building, so the Fundy Harbour Group "can build out to us."
'Reopening the space'
Blake Creamer, a landscape designer with the Glenn Group, said a lot of thought and effort was put into the design to help incorporate the history of the site, including reflecting how much things have changed over the years.
Roughly 20 feet from Water Street, toward the harbour, a visual marker will show where the original high-water line used to be before the area was filled in to create the existing property.
He said the design also helps return the site to its original openness.
"This has been a place of gathering and trade for hundreds of years and we've tried to maintain that, especially through our reopening of the space and decluttering of the space.
"There is a historic connection up to King Square that was always present in the past when trade ships would come into this area. And we've reopened the space to allow that … visual connection to happen again."
He said the area was "always envisioned to be the centre point of the Harbour passage."
"And now that is kind of coming to fruition with an extension being added on to Harbour Passage."
Creamer said that addition will connect both sides of the walking trail.
He said a set of granite steps will also help re-establish public access to the water. Construction of the steps is expected to begin in three weeks, he said.
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