Saying goodbye to a fixture that has overlooked Reversing Falls in Saint John for two decades.
Council voted last week to demolish the building which formerly housed the 14 1/2 Café and Bar.
According to the motion, the building at 450 Fallsview Drive will be demolished by March 31, 2023.
In May, council voted to terminate the lease with Connections Bistro Inc., which had operated the café since 2018. No details were given as to why the lease was terminated.
The following month, council sought expressions of business interest (EOI) for the building and surrounding land.
“The City has determined there is an opportunity to re-envision the Site and the nature of the operations thereon for operations commencing no earlier than 2023,” said the request for expressions of interest.
“As such, the City is seeking expressions of business interest to ascertain what options and ideas might exist in the community to make the highest and best use of the Site.”
The EOI documents said the building has been used as a restaurant/licensed café over the past 17 years but has been closed for the past two years.
A building condition assessment included with the EOI request indicated that the building is in “generally fair condition” but requires “substantial work” in the short term due to water entry and damage to the east elevation, as well as the age and condition of the patio areas.
“The current infrastructure deficit is higher than would typically be anticipated for a facility such as this and the ongoing recapitalization requirements are considered to be extraordinary,” said the assessment.
“The building presents as a generally well operated and maintained facility, though with component deficiencies that will require repair and replacement for the continued operation of the building.”
The assessment, dated November 2021, said the facility needed $193,000 in capital investments over the next year and $221,000 in investments over the next five years.
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