Harbourfront Residences in the Port City: First residential building in N.B. classified as “high rise” under National Building Code

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Saint John is constantly looking for new ways to expand and cater to the needs of our growing community.

With new businesses moving into the city each year, it would be safe to say that the economy of Saint John may be on the up! In order to try and keep up with the growing market, the new harbour-front condominiums, located on the corner of Prince William Street and Water Street have provided a fresh new look to the city centre.

Aimed at providing housing for young professionals and empty nesters, Habourfront Residences at Three Sisters Inc. proudly offers a community living approach by offering spacious homes with convenient amenities. These amenities include guest suites, a fitness room, a community meeting room and theatre equipment. Many of these perks are only found in luxurious condominiums in big cities like Toronto and Montreal.

The construction of the condos has created 83 additional homes in the uptown area. This exceeds the amount of housing developed there in the last 15 years combined.

The Harbourfront project is also the only new entirely private $20 million development built uptown in the last 20 years.

John Rocca, President of Harbourfront Residences at Three Sisters Inc. emphasizes that condo living is a lifestyle choice and without the presence of the right demographic the project would never fly. “In 2008, we felt that there were […] enough interested people in order to support a condominium project,” says Rocca. “Prior to that date, there were not enough young professionals making Saint John their home and not enough baby boomers to make the project successful”

Harbourfront is the first residential building built in New Brunswick in the past 15 years that falls within the classification of “high rise” under the National Building Code. Because it falls under this category, it is also one of the safest buildings in the city due to the mandatory safety requirements. For example, the building is required to have a two hour life safety system compared to the usual one hour. It is also fully equipped with sprinklers, an emergency generator and fire drills are performed every three months.

Harbourfront also aims to be environmentally friendly by following a new high density municipal plan that allows the 83 suites to sit on only half of an acre of land. Two of its roofs were also converted into plazas in order to maintain a greener approach to living.

While it is quite obvious that these buildings are very modern compared to the traditional uptown homes, the design itself has contributed to the overall experience of Prince William Street. This is the first time that a residential project uptown has incorporated commercial stone-like material similar to most heritage buildings on the street.

Aside from the luxurious curb appeal offered by Harbourfront at Three Sisters Inc., one of the greatest selling features linked to these buildings is the convenience of uptown living. The condos are very close to the shops and restaurants in the city and allows Saint Johners to experience urban living at its best.

The vibrant nightlife of Saint John can also be easily accessed from this building; not to mention the great view of the harbour especially during cruise ship season.

The constructions of these condominiums have not only provided additional housing but have also set the ground work for a new type of culture and lifestyle within the city.

As Saint John continues to grow, we can only expect to see further developments similar to the Harbourfront Residences. In order to keep people around, Saint John needs to be open to changing its ways and letting people grow with the city and not out of it.

If you would are interested in the Harbourfront project, you are encouraged to check out www.harbourfrontnb.com for more information.

Emily is in her fourth year of Political Science. She loves studying and academics which follows into her research work. She's a stern black coffee drinker and is a proud Acadienne. When she's not working or doing school work, you can find Emily listening to 70s music on vinyl and watching Parks and Recreation. If you ask her about parliamentary institutions, she won't stop talking.