Support Irving Oil’s new headquarters at Long Wharf!
The majority of Saint John supports having Irving Oil’s headquarters at Long Wharf; however, the vocal minority is doing everything possible to stop it.
Now is the time to act and have your voice heard too!
Show your support by sending a letter to: commonclerk@saintjohn.ca before August 19th.
More details from the Facebook group In support of Irving Oil’s new headquarters at Long Wharf:
We are asking that members of the Long Wharf facebook group submit letters of support to the Common Clerk’s office regarding the Long Wharf project. There’s a window for the public to submit their feedback on the project (the window closes August 19th) and we’d like as many members of the facebook group as possible to submit a letter of support. The email address where letters of support should be submitted is commonclerk@saintjohn.ca
Folks can start submitting letters of support right away.
These letters of support will be included in council kits that councilors will receive on August 31st.
Thank you!
P.S. If you are looking for some ideas to include in your letter of support…visit the Long Wharf Website for lots of excellent information
For example this development would:
- Revitalize underutilized waterfront property
- Enhance public access to the waterfront via Harbour Passage
- Create secondary cruise ship terminal facilities to welcome visitors to our city
- Retain an uptown workforce which would benefit local retailers, restaurants and other local businesses in Uptown Saint John
- Have the potential to house additional tenants, such as Irving Oil’s existing and potential partners. This could add to the spin-off investments created through this project
- Increase waterfront business opportunities for local vendors and increase pedestrian traffic in the area
You could suggest to Irving Oil to use local architects and designers for this building. From what I understand, the building is being designed completely by people from outside New Brunswick. Irving Oil should look within the community for the design of what should be an important landmark on the harbourfront.
That’s a fair comment.
I’m not sure how things work on the construction side, maybe http://urbanplans.blogspot.com can shed some light on this?
Being that they are working toward some form of LEED certification, much of the work will have to be done locally. I think they are using some local firms in the design, even though the lead architect is from away. I think with a building of this size, it makes sense that expects from regions where this sort of building isn’t once-in-a-generation are needed.
The more I think on this project the more I waver on my initial unconditional support. While the proposed use is better than the current under-utilization, I highly doubt that for the next 99 years, a low-rise building with surface parking, and no residential component will be the best land use for such a central piece of land.
“Being that they are working toward some form of LEED certification, much of the work will have to be done locally…I think with a building of this size, it makes sense that experts from regions where this sort of building isn’t once-in-a-generation are needed.”
There is no LEED requirement for designers or contractors to be local. There are LEED credits for local building materials, but these are not prerequisites for certification. As far as the Canadian Green Building Council is concerned, this building could be designed in NYC, London, Delhi, or Lancaster. It doesn’t matter.
I also think that there are definitely people and firms in the New Brunswick or general Maritimes area that are capable of designing what you describe as a “low-rise building”. We aren’t talking a 100 storey high rise building here, or a Birds Nest Olympic Stadium, it’s a four storey office building. It’s not rocket science, in fact no rockets are even involved.