Condo Owners Start Moving Into FiveFive Queen In Downtown Moncton
MONCTON – Carol Estey and her husband John Boudreau are some of the first people to move into FiveFive Queen, a mixed-use building that includes residential condos, a restaurant, a liquor store and a boutique hotel, this past week.
The retired couple had bought a two-bedroom condo on the sixth floor about a year and a half ago when they decided to downsize. The building officially opened the condo section to allow residents to move into the fifth through eighth floors.
“There comes a point in your life when you just don’t need as much stuff anymore,” she said. “And we just want to be able to pick up and, if we decide that we want to go to Fundy Park for the day, we can do that easily. And if we want to go to Halifax or if we want to go to Parlee beach, or whatever we want to do, we can pretty much just pick up and do it because we don’t have any encumbrances.”
They’ve sold their house in Miramichi and they chose Moncton because it’s still in New Brunswick and it has an airport, something important for the couple that loves to travel.
Besides, they also liked that FiveFive Queen is in the core of the city.
“We really did want to be close to everything. We’re walkers and we really wanted to be able to walk as many places as possible. So, this was an absolute must that it be downtown,” Estey said.
In their first week living downtown, the couple has tried the Gahan Pub and Brewery and NB Liquor’s Experience store at FiveFive Queen’s bottom floor. They’ve also walked the Riverfront trail, and checked out events happening through Inspire Festival.
So far, living there has been “fabulous,” she said.
“There’s still some construction going on around us and we knew that would be the case, but we were very ready to move, the house had sold and we really wanted to start getting settled here and find our way around and we have found it very easy to do that,” Estey said.
“There is noise but it’s not really bothersome noise. It’s just the noise of things going on and that’s what we expected and we’re fine with it.”
And now that they live a walking distance from many restaurants, bars, the Riverfront trail and park, Avenir Centre and other things, they plan to cut down on using their cars too.
“We had two vehicles and we’re just biding our time to see how that works out. So we’re pretty sure we’ll not need any more than one and not that one very much. Which is great,” Estey said.
She has spoken to others who have similar desires to downsize and move to a downtown building but just haven’t made the move.
“I think there’s a lot of people out there who are looking to do similar things, obviously from their reaction to our having done it.”
A total of 41 condos were for sale at FiveFive Queen. Eleven remain available for purchase. Out of the other 14 condos available for rent, only two remain available.
Bill Hennessey, President FiveFive Queen Developments, said their experience is typical of the other residents who have chosen to live at FiveFive Queen.
“From the beginning, our vision was for FiveFive to be a standout development for Greater Moncton. It is a place our condo owners are proud to call home and also a great addition to our city,” said Hennessey in a release. “Our condo residents are very pleased with the quality of each condo and are appreciating the convenience of the in-house Gahan Hub City and Experience NB Boutique Wine Store.”
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