Crag for Sale

[*Chris*]

Yep. Who's got money?

Right now for the sale price of $800k you can buy Cedar Point. The decent thing to do would be to preserve access forever and build free hut for out-of-towner climbers.

What's more likely is that it will be subdivided and added as another leg to the sprawl that is Millidgeville. The good news is that within 5 years the approach will be as short as walking down somebody's driveway. The bad news is that the private security firm will have your car towed by the time you get done your first pitch.

Send your project while the going is still good. This is "right flowery" (spoken in my most convincing SJ vernacular).

[chossmonkey]

That sucks but it could also be an opportunity.


The cliff itself is worthless to developers. Perhaps a small swath of land including the cliff could be purchased and made into a park or climbing preserve. Its been done many times before.

Barring that buy all the land and sell off the lots around the cliff to pay for it.

Someone should definitely contact the current owner to see if something can be negotiated.

[john]

I have no time to chase this but would contribute to getting a chunk for a park idea if ammenable to climbing, if someone else does the leg work.

[Dom]

Well this is an old thread but I've done some research and came upon the Saint John Municipal DRAFT plan which was released on June 7th of this year. Basing myself on the future land use map, it looks like the City has no plan to allow development near Cedar point in the next 25 years. The whole area around Cedar point can be seen in green which means 'Parks and natural areas'.
http://www.saintjohn.ca/site/media/SaintJohn/SCHEDULE%20B%20-%20Future%20Land%20Use.pdf

Now I am not a municipal servant but I have a pretty good idea what a municipal plan for land use is. It's not a zoning by-law in the sense that it is not legislation, but more of a direction the city wants to take in terms of planning and development. The Common council (Municipal council anywhere else in the world) of SJ ultimately decides who can develop and where. Based on their land use plan, it would be irresponsible of them to permit development in an area defined as 'Parks and natural areas'.

In this municipal draft plan, Park and natural areas are defined like this :

Parks and Natural Areas are not identified for development, in order to conserve ecosystems and the natural environment. These are areas that are currently in a primarily natural state; are not appropriate locations for development; or would benefit from re-naturalization (conversion back into a natural state) including wooded lands, lakeshores, rivers, coastlines, and important geology and habitats. The lands identified as Parks and Natural Areas are intended to form a system of natural areas to conserve ecosystems through specific policies in the Land Use Chapter, such as the provision of wildlife corridors, protection of Environmentally Sensitive/Significant Areas, and guidelines for watersheds, riparian, coastal and estuarine areas.

source: http://www.saintjohn.ca/site/media/SaintJohn/DRAFT%20Municipal%20Plan%20%20June%207%202011.pdf


So although this is just a 'draft', it's pretty comprehensive and I would doubt the area around Cedar point is a hot topic for the Municipal Plan Public Review panel. Let's cross our fingers the plan stays as is and there should not be any access issues for Cedar point at least for the next 25 years!!

If someone has more info please come forward. I have some experience with land use plans and their legal aspects, but again I am not a City servant and therefore am not an expert on the subject.

[theriault]

This is great News!!!! good work on the research Dom!

[gwa]

Hey Dom,
Thanks for doing the research. That's great news! Not many cities in Canada can boast having a crag right in the middle of the city!

Graham