When it comes to future development, all ideas are up for discussion as owners of Moncton's Highfield Square shopping mall ponder the best use of a prime piece of property in Moncton's downtown core.

"Future development is up in the air," Highfield Square general manager Terry Young said yesterday. "It's a great, great location, one of the best in Moncton, so how we best develop it to maximize our return?"

The future of Moncton's oldest shopping mall was up for discussion this week as officials from the City of Moncton, Enterprise Greater Moncton and Downtown Moncton Centre Ville met with representatives of the building's owner -- ECL Developments. ECL is a branch of the Empire Group, the parent company of the Nova Scotia based Sobey's grocery chain.

Highfield Square opened in March of 1969 and was trumpeted as Moncton's first fully-enclosed shopping mall, a bold concept at the time. It has been an integral part of the downtown Moncton business community in a prime location on Main Street between the federal building and the Via Rail station. The development of Highfield Square was closely linked with the railroad that dominated Moncton's economy in the 20th century. Its design and construction heralded a new era and construction boom of the 1970s. It weathered the storm of economic uncertainty that dragged Metro Moncton into the doldrums through the 1980s, and seemed to be left behind as the city's fortunes improved in this new century.
It sits across the street from the Crown Plaza Hotel, which recently underwent a major renovation, and is within easy walking distance from the Capitol Theatre, the downtown market, City Hall and other attractions along Main Street. It is also a major connection spot for Codiac Transit buses.

Highfield Square was anchored by Eaton's until the department store in late 1999, replaced by The Bay. It has been renovated several times over the years, but its popularity as a retail centre has suffered with the growth of Champlain Place and the Trinity Drive areas as retail hubs. Many retailers have come and gone over the years. The latest to move out is longtime tenant the Shoe Tree, which took a spot in the new Sobeys Vaughan Harvey complex.

The area surrounding Highfield Square has seen many changes over There had been speculation that a casino would be constructed in the downtown, but now that it is being planned for the Magnetic Hill area, the options for downtown development have changed.
Young said the casino decision could help spur new development downtown, but any project must be carefully thought out to maximize the investment.

But there are still two big pieces missing from Downtown Moncton's development puzzle -- the location of a proposed Justice Centre and the idea of a mixed-use entertainment centre that could include a downtown arena, convention centre and retail shops.

Last week, architecture students from NBCC Moncton showed conceptual designs for such a centre. One of them proposed removing the entire mall building between The Bay and the black office towers to build a 10,000-seat arena and convention centre with ground floor retail. Developers have looked at that design as a possibility for future development.
Highfield Square (where the food court is now) and would like to see a return of movie theatres downtown.
 
 
 
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