About Waterfront Development
Our Mandate
The Saint John Development Corporation
The Saint John Development Corporation (SJDC) was incorporated in July of 1980 to:
"Develop, manage, promote, encourage, co-ordinate, assist and advance the commercial, residential, recreational, cultural, social, economic welfare of the City of Saint John within the City Centre District."
Over the years, the SJDC has accumulated the expertise, knowledge and sensitivities that developers expect from a partner as they collectively look for solutions to the challenges posed by waterfront development projects.
In 2001 the Saint John Development Corporation brought on additional partners to tackle waterfront development head on.This community effort is instrumental in Saint John achieving its potential as a premier waterfront in Canada.
Leading the transformation of the Inner Harbour is the Saint John Waterfront Development partnership (SJWD), operating under the direction of the Saint John Development Corporation. The partnership is committed to rejuvenating and renewing the downtown of historic Saint John through development of the waterfront. SJWD is comprised of:
- City of Saint John
- Uptown Saint John
- Saint John Board of Trade
- Province of New Brunswick
Saint John Waterfront Development and its projects are funded by contributions from the three levels of government, corporations, community organizations and individuals, who are all passionate about improving access to and development of the waterfront in Saint John. Evidence of this success is demonstrated by the highly popular “Harbour Passage” walkway and completed public access/greenscaping and related improvements to Water Street.
Private investors have quickly understood and capitalized on these developments with such initiatives as – Bentley Street Crossing residential development, Robertson’s Wharf development and Saint John’s newest address, Harbourfront Residences condos. In conjunction with these developments, civic pride has been enhanced as well as increases in civic and provincial assessment revenues.
Market Square
The Saint John Development Corporation, operating as Saint John Waterfront Development, maintains the freehold ownership of the lands and premises comprising the Market Square Development. As Head Lessor to the Hardman Group, the Corporation has a variety of responsibilities, including the lease administration for the Market Square Parking Garage, The Trade & Convention Centre, the Saint John Public Library, monitoring and maintenance of the adjacent sea wall, the maintenance of the Boardwalk and Residential Park, management of the Market Slip Small Craft Facility.
Waterfront Development
To fully engage on the waterfront development mandate, in 2001, the Saint John Development Corporation established a waterfront funding partnership to advance and realize the potential development of the Saint John Waterfront. This special committee was formed in partnership with the City of Saint John, Uptown Saint John, Saint John Board of Trade, and the Province of New Brunswick and is known as Saint John Waterfront Development Partnership. This partnership continues today with each partner contributing financially to the efforts to enhance and develop waterfront areas.
The vision and specific waterfront mandate is best articulated in 2003 The Inner Harbour Land Use Plan. This plan was the culmination of over two years worth of work with input from over 500 stakeholders – local individuals, organizations and committees. The plan defines a strong system of fully connected, high-quality public spaces that form a framework for high quality private/public development.