Officials in Saint John are embarking on a 10-year strategic plan for the City Market.
Details of the project were unveiled during the monthly growth committee meeting last week.
Phil Ouellette, director of growth, planning and community services, said it has been more than 15 years since the last known plan.
Ouellette said there are several reasons why now is the right time to develop a new plan, which includes more than $6 million in recent upgrades to the market.
“There has also been a resurgence of interest in the central peninsula, spurring new investments, especially toward new residential offerings,” said Ouellette.
“This will bring with it new economic activity in the central peninsula and new demands on the City Market.”
Ouellette also noted the proposed 12-storey mixed-use development planned for 99 King Street next door and the success with the Saint John Night Market in recent years.
The project will also include a five-year action strategy, a capital improvement plan with visual renderings, and a fresh marketing strategy for the market.
A steering committee made up of two councillors, four community members, two members from growth agencies, two representatives of market vendors, and the staff oversight team will lead the project.
Project manager David Dobbelsteyn, who is also the city’s growth manager, said one of the focus areas will be analyzing the types of vendors in the market.
“Right now, in a sense, it’s like the food court for uptown Saint John. It’s a hive of activity between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and then somewhat quiet outside those times and then again busy on Saturdays,” said Dobbelsteyn.
“Are we OK with that? Are we not OK with that? What would we like to see change? That would include the type of vendors and how many of those vendors.”
City staff noted there is some room for growth at the market, with 80 per cent of stalls currently occupied.
The committee will also be tasked with defining a level of municipal subsidy for the City Market.
Dobbelsteyn said city taxpayers currently subsidize about $600,000 of the roughly $1.1 million in operating costs each year.
“If we had maximum occupancy, it still likely wouldn’t hit that $1.1-million threshold, and nor would we want to increase rents that much to do that, otherwise we’d have no vendors,” said Dobbelsteyn.
Public engagement is set to begin next month with a draft plan anticipated in March. The final plan should be completed next October.
