Construction work set to begin at 99 King Street in Saint John

There has been some recent activity at the top of King Street in uptown Saint John and, according to the city, it is a sign the long-awaited development at the site of the former Woolworth building has begun.

On Monday, Saint John City Council announced an amendment to the agreement with developer Percy Wilbur for 99 King Street. Those details include a canopy section over Market Street South between the proposed 12-story high-rise and Saint John City Market that will be smaller than initially planned. It will still connect the two buildings and shield residents from inclement weather.

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There has also been revisions to the loading dock area which will now be on Market Street South and will be able to serve both the new development and city market. A loading dock was part of the new building’s initial design.

More recently, residents have noticed plywood fencing being erected around the site. This week crews are finishing that work on the King Street side of the property. Graphics of historic buildings will be added to fences to make it more “visually appealing.”

The city says it has issued street occupancy permits and will be issuing street evacuation permits this week.

The city also adds the developer will begin to remove the existing foundation walls in the coming weeks before beginning construction.

In an interview with CTV Atlantic in late March, Wilbur said he remained committed to building an approximately 180-unit apartment complex which would have commercial outlets on the main floor. Originally, Wilbur cited labour and supply chain shortages as reasons for the late start on work after tearing down the Woolworth building in 2021. However, he put the blame on the province a few months ago.

“The federal government and the local municipality have bent over backwards to try and assist developers in creating incentives to sort out this housing shortage,” Wilbur told CTV Atlantic on March 26.

“The New Brunswick government is not following suit with most of the other provincial governments in eliminating or easing the PST (provincial sales tax) portion for residential construction.”

The giant pit had become a major talking point among Saint John residents, with frustration over its status growing each year.

Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon is thrilled to see the project taking the next steps after stalling for a few years, pointing out the new gathering space is nearly complete on the other end of the busy uptown street.

She says she has heard from many residents who are excited work is finally starting and there is a buzz in the area.

“We all know it's a great project and it's a nice complement to the Irving Oil building that's there,” says Reardon, pointing to the Irving Oil headquarters which sits on the south portion of the square. “I've always said I think that King Square… has been historically and needs to be again, the premier address for the City of Saint John.”

She expects to hear more news on the project from the developer in the weeks ahead.

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