Renovations Begin At Saint John Shoppes Of City Hall Pedway
SAINT JOHN–Fundy Harbour Group (FHG) has started extensive renovations to the mall level of the Shoppes of City Hall pedway. The renovations are part of a larger project by FHG, which bought the Saint John City Hall building in 2018 for $3-million.
The once cold, drafty transition past the building’s third-floor elevator will see new, modern finishes and improved access to the entrance to the pedway level.
“We’re putting a new entrance off Chipman Hill with a canopy and we’re actually putting in an accessible wheelchair ramp,” Chris Elias, vice-president of operations with Fundy Harbour Group, told Huddle in a previous interview.
Sliding doors will also be added to the City Hall pedway route on both its Market Square and Brunswick House sides, to prevent heat loss.
Upgrades also involve renovating the business suites on the pedway level, which Elias said in February already had two leases signed for a pair of medical clinics. There are three more spaces left to rent.
The work is expected to take four to six months and will be done in two phases, according to a news release from the City of Saint John.
Elias said the building has already undergone some major changes since FHG purchased it more than three years ago.
The first major project involved relocating the City of Saint John offices to the first four floors of the 16-storey building. Elias said the middle floors of the building have also undergone many vital changes to the structure’s backbone, with extensive upgrades to revamp all building systems.
Renovations on the upper floors of the building will take place as the demand in the commercial market grows.
“We’re confident with the amount of demand we’re seeing right now that that’s going to be continued on an accelerated timeline,” he said.
Brad Perry is the news director with CHSJ/Country 94, Huddle content partners.
With files from Tyler McLean.