Foundation set for first of five buildings at Fundy Quay site in Saint John, N.B.

Changes coming for Saint John waterfront space A popular space that opened in July on the Saint John waterfront is preparing for more developments.

Construction of the Fundy Quay site’s first building will continue all winter, with a scheduled opening in 2026 along Saint John’s redeveloped waterfront.

Work on the six-floor building began just as the adjacent public area Ihtoli-maqahamok held its grand opening in July.

Chris Elias, vice president of development for Fundy Harbour Group, says it's also been the first opportunity for city residents to get "up close and personal to the site and really see the scale of the site."

“We’re doing all of our concrete form work right now, so an underground parking garage that’s being constructed. In the next couple of months the big milestone that people will probably see from the street level will be our structural steel arriving on site later this year. Then we'll start to put up the steel frame of the building over the winter."

The site’s southwest building will include 79 living units, with commercial and retail space at the ground level.

“We do have a waitlist for our residential units but we’re also beginning to talk to potential retail and commercial tenants,” says Elias.

Fundy Harbour group says the plan is for five buildings to eventually be built on the site, with a total floor area of 69,700 square meters, 677 living units, and more than 400 inside parking spaces.

Right now the plan is to construct one building at a time, but Elias says that could change if necessary.

“Depending on opportunities, leases, partnerships, that sort of thing, we have the ability to phase two buildings at the same time,” says Elias. “That’s definitely not out of the question.”

“We’ve got a building earmarked for a cultural building as well as a hotel building. Those are sort of the components in the master plan we’re really eager to hear from the community and work with folks who are operators in those spaces.”

The entire project has been budgeted to be approximately $300 million with a suggested 2032 timeline for completion.

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