Interesting. The teal is really a product of the time the forks market was built. Late 80s early 90s teal was everywhere. Half the cars were teal. The San Jose sharks were introduced and used teal. It really screams that time period to me.

^ The teal isn't iconic, it's just tired. Same with Portage Place.

I don't mind it. Plus it matches the revolving restaurant :haha:

Been told before that they've wanted to change it for a while, but there's nothing wrong with it (aside from cosmetically) so they couldn't justify the massive cost when there's lots of other things they want to do.

Besides, maybe it'll come back in style again?

Just not that big a deal to me....I like to enjoy what's happening in and around the buildings, not ponder the tower and roof...:haha:

I don’t find the teal hard on the eyes. It’s fine.

Hungry officials hoping SkipTheDishes delivers itself to Railside project at The Forks
By: Dan Lett | Posted: 05/31/2019

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/lo...510685612.html

Could SkipTheDishes make its next major delivery at The Forks?

There's a sense of momentum building in both the public and private sectors about the wildly popular Winnipeg born-and-bred food-courier service delivering itself to the much-anticipated Railside mixed-use development now being devised for 14 acres of undeveloped land on the west side of The Forks site.

Multiple sources confirmed that the company — which now boasts more than 2,300 employees in four different buildings in the East Exchange District — is interested in a new headquarters on Parcel 4, a city-owned property at the northwest edge of The Forks directly across from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, that is expected to serve as a significant component of Railside.

The sources confirmed a prominent Winnipeg developer, aided by Economic Development Winnipeg and its executive director Dayna Spiring, have been aggressively promoting the idea to the Forks Renewal Corp., and to the three levels of government that are serving as partners in a grander vision to establish a smart park for tech companies on the land.

City and provincial sources said EDW has been particularly bullish on the idea, arguing that failure to meet some of Skip's expectations around a showcase headquarters could cause the company to look elsewhere to set up its base of operations.

EDW refused to comment, but Paul Jordan, the chief executive officer of the Forks Renewal Corp., said in an interview the possibility of a SkipTheDishes headquarters at The Forks is very real.

Jordan said the company is working with one of eight developers that have been pre-approved to pitch projects for Railside. Although he could not name the company, he said it is a well-established player in the local development community.

"In conversation with EDW and the developer, we've said that we're OK with this kind of project as long as it fits into our overall vision," Jordan said.

Founded in 2012, Skip was sold for C$110 million three years ago to Just Eat PLC, a U.K.-based company that operates food-delivery services in 13 countries. Just Eat is currently rolling out Skip's distinctive app — which allows users to order a meal and then watch the progress of the delivery vehicle — and its delivery model (which relies on independent contractors, as opposed to employees) to its operations in Australia and the U.K.

SkipTheDishes declined to discuss any particular location, but in a statement provided to the Free Press confirmed it's in the process of looking for a permanent headquarters in Winnipeg and in other cities, as well. There are offices in Calgary and Toronto.

"As one of the fastest-growing tech companies within Canada, there is an immediate need to establish a permanent headquarters that represents our brand, and supports ongoing business development and recruitment of top talent," the statement said. "Our preference is to maintain our position in our hometown of Winnipeg, though we are actively looking at a number of solutions."

Jordan said the Parcel 4 site is definitely a priority for Skip, largely so that it can remain connected to the Exchange District, where many of its employees live. However, before any serious discussion can take place, The Forks must acquire the land from the city and then must calculate what are expected to be significant costs to prepare the site for development.

Jordan said the site will require significant environmental remediation to deal with decades of contamination from its proximity to railway operations. There is also a requirement to do a comprehensive archeological investigation of the site to recover and preserve artifacts dating back to its earliest days as an Indigenous community and, later, as a hub of trading with European settlers.

Negotiations with the city on the purchase of the land has been stalled for many months, largely because the magnitude of remediation costs are not fully known, Jordan said. Work could start immediately if a deal could be struck to acquire the land, he added.

"This is not a clean piece of land," he said. "It's going to require significant work to get it ready."

As exciting as the prospect of a Forks-based SkipTheDishes headquarters is for some, the idea of an office complex big enough to host a company that size will be controversial in some quarters

Quietly, some involved in the downtown development sphere are wondering whether a commitment to the company in one of the most important new developments in downtown Winnipeg is a good long-term bet.

Skip has been growing at an alarming rate. However, despite triple-digit growth in revenues, the company has yet to report a profit and is now battling competition from a flurry of similar online upstarts. Ownership has promised that 2019 will be a profitable year for the company.

Skip has also suffered in the court of public relations, with numerous allegations from its drivers that when all is said and done, it does not pay a fair wage.

There are also concerns about whether a smart park office complex is consistent with the original vision of Railside, a project that has already been nearly a decade in the making.

Railside has been consistently described as a mixed-use development, a term that could very easily incorporate commercial or office space. However, a review of past public presentations and the results of several phases of public consultation has shown a decided preference for maximum amount of residential development with only minimal commercial and office space.

In fact, consultation documents posted by The Forks suggest that those canvassed were quite firm in recommending against large- or medium-scale office development. Some believed it would be incompatible with the rest of The Forks site, while others pointed out that it would be disastrous for The Forks to develop office buildings in a city with a high commercial vacancy rate and an over-abundance of empty lots throughout downtown crying out for investment.

Jordan said he believes what is being contemplated for SkipTheDishes will be consistent with the overall vision for Railside.

"If it's not consistent, we won't do it," he said.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca

Ya not a surprise. I personally don't think it's a good idea. They should develop the Earls lots – close proximity, but can build a more appropriate tower instead of swallowing up a ton of real estate in The Forks (as its height is max 6 stories IIRC).

Yes, while I wouldn't say I oppose this, I'm not crazy about this idea either. There is so much room in the actual CBD part of the downtown, why go with a large scale commercial development at The Forks? They could build in the vacant lots to the west/north of the CN high line (near Shaw Park) and it would pretty well give them all the benefits of being at The Forks as well as being tied closely into Portage & Main and the Exchange. If not there then somewhere else downtown.

Also think I'd feel better about this if it were some other type of company... a fast growth outfit based on a food delivery app seems like the definition of a flash in the pan tech company. Are we going to end up with some big flashy tech company campus only to have the company go under in 5 years? I hope I'm wrong about that, but we'll see.

^^Mixed feelings on this one. While I'd love to see development at the Forks go forward, I think it's an attractive enough parcel of land that this project doesn't have to go forward at any cost. Like others have said there, there are a lot of empty lots downtown that could become a unified headquarters for Skip the Dishes (Graham Ave, anyone?) I also get a little irked at threats like "City and provincial sources said EDW has been particularly bullish on the idea, arguing that failure to meet some of Skip's expectations around a showcase headquarters could cause the company to look elsewhere to set up its base of operations"

What worries me are those development snakes in Calgary throwing a blank cheque at skip to move. Kenney would be all over this. Our guy would be like too bad so sad

That's what happens when you have a 25% vacancy rate in your downtown (Calgary). I hope Skip the Dishes would have enough sense of hometown pride to choose a Winnipeg location, as long as any "outside" offers are not too far ahead of what Winnipeg will offer.

I think it is a good idea. 2200 + jobs that you lock down in Winnipeg for 10 plus years. Parcel 4 is a large site so even if they consolidated their whole operation here and the height of development is 6 storeys they would take up less then half the site. The remainder could still be residential and all of Railside is planned to be residential and retail so having a bit of office in the mix is better and truly mixed use. The exchange needs more residential to become more vibrant not more office buildings.

"Actively looking at a number of solutions" is a bluff in the context of moving. They're not going anywhere. They just opened up a tiny office in Calgary that's just some devs. From what I hear, they didn't anticipate this info getting out yet. There's a giant empty lot right beside the existing building they own that would also be suitable.

That’s great news. Thanks.

Do we take that risk though? Having those 2,300 jobs in downtown is nothing to sneeze at. Is it right to be telling Skip that they can't move here or there and try to restrict them to certain spots only? Look at what happened to 100 Main. There was opposition to a 30 storey apartment tower and we ended up with a park that no one uses anyway. Is it the Winnipeg way to discourage certain developments so that the opportunity is lost altogether? We know there is a certain commercial real estate firm in town that always tries to draw business from downtown to the suburbs or to the Polo Park area. I wouldn't want to see that happen again with Skip. Who knows, there could also be truth to the rumours that they could be considering locations outside of Winnipeg like Calgary or Toronto. While it's not a good idea to throw caution to the wind when giving consideration to proposed sites for development, it's also not always right to reject them outright either.

As much as I think UFG is dumb, that project for 100 Main just moved to 300 Assiniboine.

And yeah, it's not like you're explicitly saying "sorry, no Skip here" – they don't own the property, and the property already has a development plan and buyer. It's no different than any other organization looking for land to develop, sometimes the one they want won't be available, so you look at others. If I'm Skip, and in a rush, the huge headache that would be developing Parcel 4 makes no sense to me when there are huge swaths of empty lots on the other side of the tracks, and even better, beside their current HQ in the Exchange. From a business and employee perspective, The Forks doesn't even make sense – they're trying to consolidate down from 5 buildings, there's no way they'll be allowed to make a single one big enough at The Forks.

Really? Completely disagree. Large tech companies also want large floor plates... not as possible at the earl's site.
Sorry, but how is nobody seeing this?

Tech companies thrive on campuses, and at the forks you have one. Earl's? Not unless you're doing it yourself. Tons of apartment options IMMEDIATELY around once developed, attractions at the forks, and a very easy sense of community. Considering also that Skip obviously attracts tech people and outside labour, you want the new or like-minded to be in a thriving comfortable area. Comparatively, Earl's is isolated.

The Earl's site is a great apartment site but Skip basically get a built-in campus at the Forks. Absolute no-brainer that also helps the Forks and the governmenst trumpet this project.

We should absolutely never make that risk. We have no clue what kind of implications we put on organizations when whimsically humming and ha-ing over about these existential nuances. We pretend that it should just "be this way" but have no clue how much cost or complication we suddenly imposed on a private endeavor for no reason.

Tons of talent has left Winnipeg, and they will tell you the following reasons:

1) Government meddling and complications. Constantly getting in the way. Development restrictions. Overzealous regulation
2) Better opportunities elsewhere
3) This city, its government and people alike, don't like it when you make money, and like to tell you how you should make money
4) Taxes

Sounds cynical, because it comes from the mouths of cynical, successful people who left.

We should be asking Skip what they want and how we can help. Obviously within reason. Thankfully, I think that's what's currently happening.


Here's another thing to consider. The city isn't always right, and their plans aren't always best. I currently like the ideas going on at the Forks, but sometimes we on this site don't question the city's planning demands or criteria well enough. I'm not saying that applies here, but it's not uncommon for Winnipeg citizens and government to want something done a different way but often contrary to the desires of the one group doing things, developers. There's a reason development here doesn't occur at the same pace as most major cities.

But completely possible at the Hudson’s bay building, or is that too old and not good enough for ‘skip the dishes’. Large floor plates in an historic building at a prominent location. Makes a hell of a lot more sense than across the street from a human rights museum? Imaging seeing a huge ass glowing skip the dishes sign making its way into every picture of the museum or for every family taking their picture in front of the Winnipeg sign. Not necessary. Skip is not my idea of a tech company... it’s a third party fast food delivery system that uses an app for people in the suburbs who are too lazy to go out. McDonald’s has an app... is it a tech company? Anyway, everyone wants more residents downtown... keep parcel four green until something worthy can go there. Skip isn’t it.