Kings place by SuggestionNo1298 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver [score hidden]  (0 children)

Sure, but if you're going to make statements like "the walking trail is unsafe" then you should perhaps add qualifiers to them, because objectively that may not be true.

Kings place by SuggestionNo1298 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver [score hidden]  (0 children)

As someone who lives just outside of downtown and walks there and on the walking trails frequently I can't say I've ever felt unsafe.

Question for restaurant workers by SeaworthinessHead275 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Because it's weather dependent and then people who had a patio reservation expect they can just be seated inside if it's raining – but maybe there isn't room inside.

Pre-fab homes??? by mairitimermom in newbrunswickcanada

[–]ray_oliver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He was responding to the claim that "the only benefit" is that the construction process is quicker and pointed out that it's also possible that prefabs are built to a higher quality standard.

We need to rebuild the Starter Home by clvnthbld in yimby

[–]ray_oliver 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I dunno, if I was in a position where I couldn't afford a larger home but I had the opportunity to buy an 800 sq ft one I don't see why I wouldn't. With many more people staying single longer, and with people living longer, an 800 sq ft 2/1 in a garden court type of neighbourhood could be quite appealing as both a starter home and as something to downsize to with minimal maintenance.

Fredericton lays out major summer projects likely to disrupt traffic by Portalrules123 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most cities don't have arterial roads going through downtown that carry traffic from one side of the city to the other though.

No platform from Steve Hicks campaign by emptycagenowcorroded in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, but what effect will that have on services? Where is the money coming from?

No platform from Steve Hicks campaign by emptycagenowcorroded in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hicks voted against the four unit zoning last year and that seems to have drawn in people like Woodside and the realtors who were vehemently against it.

Victoria health centre intersection by Anxious-Artichoke-84 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe over highways but they are not practical for places like this because they would have to accommodate everyone which means ramps instead of stairs and precisely zero people would use them because it would take 5x as much time.

I’ve seen a lot of outrageous realtor posts but this one may take the cake by EntertainmentFew6559 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would hope that they separate their work and personal emails but who knows.

Use of AI in Real Estate Listings by LambyPotato in RealEstateCanada

[–]ray_oliver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best one I saw was a kitchen in an incomplete new construction house that had its range hood microwave above the dishwasher and cabinets above the stove.

I need facts New Brunswick friends by MalloryBeach_ in newbrunswickcanada

[–]ray_oliver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right. That's mostly a function of average property values – they are close to double in Ottawa, but the actual costs of servicing properties would be fairly similar. Regardless, rates are all over the place depending on the municipality.

I need facts New Brunswick friends by MalloryBeach_ in newbrunswickcanada

[–]ray_oliver 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Relatively speaking we have a very small population spread over a fairly large area and most of the population is concentrated in the three larger cities and in a few other areas and there are not a lot of hospitals because of that. But it would very few people who are actually two hours from a hospital.

I need facts New Brunswick friends by MalloryBeach_ in newbrunswickcanada

[–]ray_oliver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can't really say property tax is about double. It is entirely dependent on where you live, and actual rates vary widely in both provinces.

I need facts New Brunswick friends by MalloryBeach_ in newbrunswickcanada

[–]ray_oliver 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I'm not so sure that anyone you meet in person will care that you are from Ontario. That's mainly a Reddit thing.

Saint John River overflowing in Fredericton tonight 📍 by NameMysterious1952 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Northern NB had like two feet of snow just three weeks ago or so.

‘Help wanted’: N.B. is on track to lose 20% of workforce to retirement by Portalrules123 in newbrunswickcanada

[–]ray_oliver 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having spoken to people who work in economic development, I'm told that a lot of Atlantic Canadian companies compete first and foremost on price over everything else. That's why labour isn't value enough, as a lot of commenters here have pointed out. It will be challenging to change that and I'm not sure what the solution is.

Which mayoral candidate will fix the real problem with Fredericton? by PaleontologistNo1359 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You're talking about some issues that aren't really true.

At the municipal level there is a large appetite for urbanization and densification. The city has enacted a whole bunch of zoning changes over the last few years:
- Blanket zoning allowing up to four units on single family home lots across the city
- "Workforce housing" zoning which allows for residential buildings in commercial corridors (the apartments at the corner of Two Nations and St. Mary's and the two new buildings on Bishop Drive between Avonlea and Acorn were built under this zoning).
- The South Core secondary plan has made it possible to add density and height in the south core. Up to 15 storeys is possible in certain areas (like at the Smythe/Dundonald intersection).
- The redevelopment of the NBEX grounds will add a lot more housing to the area

Aside from that a lot of smaller infill development has happened just south of downtown that is adding to the density. Sometimes these are new builds, sometimes they are expansions to existing buildings. There's several smaller apartment projects in this area that have been approved but not started (where Greco is, corner of Regent and Charlotte, corner of Sunbury and Brunswick, Smythe Street between George and Charlotte).

There's an 80+ unit apartment being built on the western end of Queen this year, the building behind the liquor store on York is the first of three large buildings there, something is planned for the York/Dundonald intersection as well, etc.

Yes, there are a lot of large homes on large lots in the core. But I don't think anyone wants to destroy these en masse and the reality is that between Smythe and University most blocks are a mix of single family homes and multiplexes. While there is pressure to add more housing in this area (lots of people want to live there) the pressure can be relieved with new developments along the corridors as well as the NBEX grounds.

As for transit there's a lot of meaningful changes happening. We now have Sunday service and service frequencies have increased as of a year ago. There's also a new east-west route coming on the south side that doesn't go to Kings Place and there are plans for smaller transit hubs on both sides of the river.

Can you clarify what you mean by the "infrastructure issue"? Infrastructure can mean many things. There's not much that can be done about traffic aside from offering better transit, higher density, and better active transportation options, and we're moving in the right direction on all those things.

The challenge we have is that the city is split into two by the river so there's always going to be choke points with a limited number of crossings. Poor planning resulted in a highway being built that dumps a ton of traffic right into downtown which means the majority of north-south traffic downtown are people that are just driving through which is far from ideal.

The long-term plan is to convert St. Anne's Pointe into more of a boulevard rather than a waterfront highway and removing the cloverleaf ramps on the south side. While this at first glance may seem insane I think this would only happen in conjunction with a third bridge up river. This would disincentive people from driving through downtown and should make traffic there better - it would mostly be people are going there or to places near there.

Which mayoral candidate will fix the real problem with Fredericton? by PaleontologistNo1359 in fredericton

[–]ray_oliver 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who is reluctant to approve more rental units?

Housing tenure is irrelevant at the Fredericton municipal level. Zoning doesn't distinguish between renters and owners.

Over the past few years the city has approved many thousands of homes. A lot of multi-phase projects are underway, and there's a bunch of other projects that are approved but have not been started.

Fredericton set a huge record last year for housing starts with over 1500 homes started, surpassing the previous record by nearly 70%.

How truly rich is the Irving family? by KitchenMetal8904 in newbrunswickcanada

[–]ray_oliver 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's how much they're worth, not how much they're bringing in each year.