It’s been more than a decade since a historic stretch of Broad Street in Sussex was destroyed by fire.
But now the town is looking for something to fill that space.
Mayor Marc Thorne has vivid memories of the 2012 fire, which happened was his first term as mayor. He got a call one evening to go to Broad Street because the fire chief wanted to speak with him.
When he arrived, Thorne said the situation was overwhelming and devastating, with the area engulfed in flames.
“It wasn’t just the physical brick and mortar that was going, it was a huge piece of our history that was going up in flames as well that night,” said Thorne.
“It left us all feeling quite numb.”
Thorne remembers it as a lively location before the fire.
“I worked for a landscape architect upstairs above the Broadway Café early in my career,” he said. “I had many lunches in the café, I bought my children’s first bikes from the shop next door, you know, enjoyed many evening walks in the summertime.”
The commercial space, which also included a ski and bike shop and a soap maker, was topped by apartments, which were also lost to the fire.
Thorne said following the fire, a collective called the Friends of Broad Street, made up of community members including business owners who were affected by the fire, acquired the property and owned it until about a year and a half ago.
He said the group tried to find something that would respect the character of the neighbour but didn’t have success, which is why the town recently bought it.
Every year the lot was empty, he said people were losing the return on their investment, but as a town-owned property, it was easier to manage.
Thorne said the town recently received some interest from people looking to fill the space, which prompted the launch of a request for proposals.
Scott Hatcher, the chief administrative officer for the town, said the request for proposals will close on Friday afternoon.
He thinks the right development could bolster a pedestrian-friendly and active commercial core which could breed other development in the region.
Hatcher said the town has heard from the local multicultural association and employers in the region citing a need for a diversity of housing. He said this empty lot could be part of the solution.
He also heard from entrepreneurs in the region who think a mixed-use development is what’s needed. Hatcher sees this as being possibly commercial space on the lower floor and residential on the upper, similar to what was there before the fire.
Thorne said the hope is a new development will “capture the look and feel of that period of that time” but also with a modern twist, including key accessibility features such as elevators.
One of the challenges with the area, and any downtown core, is the lack of parking. He said that’s why it’s so important to have someplace where people would be willing to find parking and walk.
But he thinks with the right proposal, the space can become what it once was.
“It doesn’t matter how large they get, if you have a business district that is not thriving, it sends a very negative message. Now we’ve been fortunate, we have a great feel, but we feel the loss of that particular space.”
A town hall will be held so community members will be able to ask questions and get answers about the vision for the space.
Thorne said the event will provide an opportunity to exchange information and ideas and assure people that the project will be done with the community’s best interest in mind.
“The property that we’re talking about on Broad Street, it belongs to the people,” said Thorne.
“We serve on their behalf, we represent our residents, and this is their property.”
With files from Information Morning Saint John
This story was originally published in CBC News on Jan. 14, 2024.
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