Saint Johners got their first glimpse last Monday of what the former Woolworth’s site could ultimately look like. 

Conceptual drawings circulated on social media showing design plans for the site at the corner of King and Charlotte streets. 

Percy Wilbur, the developer behind the plans for the historic uptown corner, said the designs are “really rough renderings” and could change as the project makes its way through the approval process. 

On Tuesday night, developers will ask the city’s planning advisory committee for a zoning amendment and variance. Then it’s on to city council for approval. 

Wilbur said they will ask for permission to build an additional 13 metres over the limit established by the city’s building codes. 

With such an important and expensive project, Wilbur said, they need the additional height to make the project economically feasible. 

The site hasn’t been home to Woolworth’s for almost 30 years, and despite promises by other owners to do something with the old department store building, it sat empty in recent years before it was demolished last month by Wilbur’s group.

A report by architect Malcolm Boyd of Murdock Boyd Architects to the planning committee says the redevelopment of the corner, which faces King’s Square and is next to the City Market, has come with challenges that were difficult to overcome. 

“The developer has moved forward with the demolition of this vacant building and is seeking to transform this neglected property into a community asset.”

Wilbur said the property is likely among the most expensive real estate in Saint John, if not the province, and then there are the expense and challenges in taking down the old buildings and remediation of the site. 

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