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A Bright Future For The Town of RiverviewWritten By: Sharon A. Layton-Pollock  Welcome to Riverview, NB Image Credit: Downtown Riverview Business Association
 Image Credit: Downtown Riverview Business Association In the mid 30’s, a farming family by the name of Dobson arrived in the Riverview Heights area and in 1947, a son Byron, who was a returning veteran, had a vision. He envisioned a European styled residential building concept called ‘subdivisions.’ Dobson Construction launched and began building "Dobson Homes" in rapid numbers in Riverview and Saint John, by using interchangeable floor plans, exterior colors and designs. By 1947 there were 49 homes built in a subdivision street layout. These homes were built back through the original farm pasture that ran back from where the Homestead Restaurant is operating on the Coverdale Road, and is the site of the original Dobson farmhouse. There was, however, one drawback to the speed of Riverviews growth, and that was the Petitcodiac River that separated them from Moncton. Travelers to Moncton had to travel 15 miles inland to the village of Salisbury, there cross a small bridge and continue to make their way to Moncton, or take their chances on tidal ferries at lower Albert County.  The life of this first bridge was short lived. The Saxby Gale of October 5, 1869 thundered up, along with the mighty Bay of Fundy Tides to sweep away part of the bridge along with the toll house on The Bend (Moncton) side, never to be rebuilt. Amas E. Killam of Dorchester, a self-taught bridge builder, built a second bridge. This bridge had a swing span, which enabled ships to pass up river. The bridge was completed, at a cost of $60,000.00, and opened to the public on November 5, 1873. This bridge too was constructed of wood, and this fact determined a short life span. A third crossing was begun to the west of the wooden bridge sometime between 1914 and 1918. The construction of this steel bridge was slow because of problems with the method used to sink piers, and steel was in short supply due to the needs of the First World War. Upon completion the bridge was named The Gunningsville Bridge.  Image Credit: Moncton Times & Transcript The rapid growth of Riverview caused the Gunningsville Bridge to become totally inadequate to handle the traffic flow. Late in 1967 construction began on a causeway with tidal gates to facilitate a fish way. One year later the causeway was complete and in 1969 it was paved and the gate controls were operational. As everything has a life span, so too did the steel Gunningsville Bridge. The cost of repairs and the age of the bridge were the determining factor that caused its abandonment. The municipal as well as provincial governments realized once again the need for a new river crossing. The new 425 metre-long four lane bridge with it’s unique four metre wide sidewalk, named "Veteran’s Walk," and two observation decks opened to the public on November 19, 2005. This $28 million structure will prove important to the growth of the Town of Riverview and the City of Moncton. The Mayor of Riverview, Clarence Sweetland said, "It will encourage both residential and commercial development in our community. We are proud of the unique esthetics of the new bridge. The design is a testament to the pride we have in our communities and our vision for the future." The Mayor of Moncton, Lorne Mitton said, "This wonderful new transportation corridor linking the communities of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe will become a landmark in our region, and will have a major impact on our economy and environment." Director of Corporate Services and Economic Development for the Town of Riverview, Brenda Orchard said, "The Town of Riverview is building a foundation for future growth and prosperity. The new Gunningsville Bridge was opened on November 19, 2005 and the new East/West Corridor joining the bridge to Findlay Boulevard will be completed in 2007. These infrastructure investments will improve traffic flows and open up new land for residential and commercial development. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, the Town is currently working on a Master Plan for the design. It will be a new commercial node along the Corridor just south of the bridge. While the Town anticipates significant growth in the near future, Riverview Council is steadfast in their commitment to preserving the quality of family life that exists in the Town. We love our community and want to continue to make it a great place to grow!" The Town of Riverview has been very pro-active in its development. The residents have enjoyed a new Fire and Rescue building, Superstore is expanding from 46,000-sq. ft to 84,000-sq. ft. at a value of more than $5 million. The Riverveiw Mall houses two major call centers that employ 1400 people and Minics is planning a staff increase of 150+ in the near future. The Town purchased the former Kinsmen Building in 2004 and remodeled it into a Recreational Complex which includes an indoor skate park facility. Plans are also underway for a new youth center and youth café. The Town has accepted an offer from Plaza Group for a $355,000.00 remodeling and new use for the old fire hall on Coverdale Rd. A beautiful new Home Hardware store has been built in the Findlay Park area. With all the above facts and figures, indeed Riverview is a "Great Place to Grow!" All of the positive growth factors have attracted developers and business people alike and who are putting into action their expertise. One such businessperson is Martha Davidson, who had this to say about doing business in Riverview.
 "Riverview is a great community to raise a family, own a business and meet people. My husband and I moved here 12 ½ years ago with our two youngest daughters. We picked Riverview to settle in because of the small town atmosphere, school system and community activities it offered. Both our daughters attended school completing the French Immersion program affording them the opportunity to learn and grow with a second language – French. Everyone in our family has volunteered and participated throughout the years in many school, church and business activities and functions, meeting many other Riverview families. One example of community spirit is the fundraising efforts and building of the All World Super Play Park. We have seen tremendous growth in the last 10 years along with the new Bridge, future road infrastructure, Findlay Business Park and new housing The potential future growth that Riverview’s strategic plan has adopted will only act as a positive for attracting new residents and businesses to the area. Riverview is a great place to grow!"
Romeo said, "I have been in this business for over 30 years, and never has a project come together so smoothly. The council members of the Town of Riverview are wonderful to work with, and I can’t say enough good things about Brenda Orchard!" The Carriage Hill development will have three types of homes; semi detached, condos, and single family homes. This development is the closest development, just 5 minutes, to the downtown core of Moncton, and with a beautiful view of the river. Romeo is very confident of the success of this development. His projections for the future are 20 to 40 single units being built every year, 20 to 30 semi detached per year and 20 to 30 condos build every year. Romeo began the Carriage Hill development in October of 2005 and now has two units completed with five under construction and two more to start in February of this year. As Riverview experiences continual growth, the need for more retail services and shops grows as well. Patmar Holdings Ltd. is pleased with the opening of Riverview’s newest strip mall in Findlay Business Park, on 630 Pinewood Road. The primary objectives for Findlay Shopping Centre (temporary name) is to be a family oriented mall offering a good mix of retail opportunities for the whole family. Attractively laid out, this shopping center boasts a nice roofline including dormers and a glass atrium, brick front face with wood siding surrounding the mall complex. The mall boasts 20,000 square feet of which 10,000 have already been leased. Jeff MacArthur of Patmar Holdings says, "Having been in Riverview for some time now, we are really excited with the immediate future now more than ever in terms of commercial development in Findlay Park. With the recent opening of the new bridge, which is one of the nicest and classiest I’ve ever seen, and the planned completion of the roadway linking this bridge to Findlay boulevard and the causeway, I expect a substantial amount of growth will happen both in residential communities and commercial opportunities. I commend the Town of Riverview and Staff for making a major investment into the infrastructure so as to facilitate and accommodate growth. The future for Riverview is onward and upward and their fitting motto ‘A Nice Place To Grow’ solidifies the fact that Riverview is, and will be, the largest town in New Brunswick for a very long time to come.  Image Credit: Downtown Riverview Business Association How To Find: Riverview NBHave something to say about this business? Leave a Comment or Review about this BusinessWe ask that you:
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Developer Romeo Goguen, a cabinet maker of Wildwood Industries Ltd., is no stranger to the skills of developing a residential area. Some of his previous developments in Moncton are: Rosemont Park, Roxborough, and Camelot Estates on the Shediac Rd., and he has build 350 homes in Hildegard. N.B. Housing had a piece of property in Riverview for sale and Brenda Orchard gave Romeo a call. Romeo seen the opportunities in Riverview and along with his staff they put forth their goals and projections for Carriage Hill Development to the Riverview Council.
