Winnipeg | Exchange District | Developments & Discussions

[ColdRain&Snow]

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

127 Bannatyne crane is very active, the steel frame is fully underway. i'll wait a few more days before snapping a aerial pic from a skyscraper nearby.

Excited to see it!

[Jeff]

Harrison Coffee Instagram says they're closing the Princess Street location. Gotta give them major props for going there in the first place!

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Harrison Coffee Instagram says they're closing the Princess Street location. Gotta give them major props for going there in the first place!

Too bad. They make a good brew. That spot is tough as hell though, right next door to a bunch of homeless shelters.

[WinCitySparky]

Yeah it’s basically skid row epicentre, drive down Logan every day, it’s a human wasteland any time of day within 6 blocks of Siloam in any direction.

[FactaNV]

Originally Posted by WinCitySparky

Yeah it’s basically skid row epicentre, drive down Logan every day, it’s a human wasteland any time of day within 6 blocks of Siloam in any direction.

My unhinged plan would be to move the homeless shelters either a) into an industrial park or b) isolated somewhere in the countryside. Being there hurts the clients because of quick and easy access to drugs and it destroys the surrounding areas. Absolutely tanks it. In this day and age, the access to services concern is kinda addressed by remote calls and let's get real, everyone has a car anyways. Run a shuttle.

[audie]

The shelter is located there because thats were the people are, not the other way around. I've got a bridge to sell you if you think that a homeless shelter in Murray Industrial is going to help anyone

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by audie

The shelter is located there because thats were the people are, not the other way around. I've got a bridge to sell you if you think that a homeless shelter in Murray Industrial is going to help anyone

"Why hasn't anyone in Vancouver just thought of moving the downtown east side out to Coquitlam?" lol

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by EdwardTH

"Why hasn't anyone in Vancouver just thought of moving the downtown east side out to Coquitlam?" lol

LOL In Regina they just pack up the homeless and bus them to Balgonie:

https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/s...om-city-hall-tent-camp-moved-to-balgonie

[bomberjet]

Well it does say only for those people who were interested.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Well it does say only for those people who were interested.

Yeah I was just being sarcastic...

[post_man]

Originally Posted by Jeff

Harrison Coffee Instagram says they're closing the Princess Street location. Gotta give them major props for going there in the first place!

Originally Posted by FactaNV

Too bad. They make a good brew. That spot is tough as hell though, right next door to a bunch of homeless shelters.

Originally Posted by WinCitySparky

Yeah it’s basically skid row epicentre, drive down Logan every day, it’s a human wasteland any time of day within 6 blocks of Siloam in any direction.

Just too soon. Princess, South of Logan, is being developed rapidly.
Starting with the Peace Tower, then the Bag Factory, then Ross, and Paulin, and Soho Flats. Things are already markedly better than they were ten years ago. Very annoying that the block Mrs Brown's was in has been condemned by a negligent hoarder. It's so hard to get businesses that attract people North of William, other than dim sum.

Marketlands will be the big pivot for the area, if everyone doesn't move out first.

Combined with the extensive development on the other side of Main St, the West Exchange's time will come. Major cities with dense, vibrant cores do it despite the presence of unhoused people in the area. Vancouver's East Hastings is often cited as an example of "the worst" but there is no dead zone around it, life goes on right alongside it and the immediately adjacent Gastown is a hub for food, art, culture, and tourism.

I'm sure the unhoused people gravitating to Princess and Logan/Main and Logan for Siloam and MSP hurt a business like Harrison's, but indirectly- by their existence scaring off clientele that aren't already in the area. Once (if) the new apartments and condos fill, there will be ample demand for local coffee shops North of William as well. The fact that Harrison's on Waterfront lives on supports that theory, in my opinion, given that the East Exchange was also quite rough but has a substantial head start on attracting a reliable "indie coffee crowd".

[wags_in_the_peg]

i've now been working in area for 1.5 years and walk almost every lunch time, mostly in west exchange. I'm truly shocked how many building are in state of disrepair, main floor looks nice and some have tenants but look up and you see broken or boarded windows. What is happening on all those top floors, is it storage or actually businesses? there is so much opportunity for housing in the Exchange, someone w deep pockets can do some serious renos. Maybe demand not there. theres been 5-6 condos in Ashdown Warehouse on market for 6+ months

[xubiqtss]

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

i've now been working in area for 1.5 years and walk almost every lunch time, mostly in west exchange. I'm truly shocked how many building are in state of disrepair, main floor looks nice and some have tenants but look up and you see broken or boarded windows. What is happening on all those top floors, is it storage or actually businesses? there is so much opportunity for housing in the Exchange, someone w deep pockets can do some serious renos. Maybe demand not there. theres been 5-6 condos in Ashdown Warehouse on market for 6+ months

There's actually a lot of housing development happening in the Exchange, but you can only find so many single yuppies who want a small, pricey, hyper-urban apartment. I think without schools, grocery stores, etc. it's hard to get people to stick around and they become short term rentals (which is definitely a big part of Ashdown).

[1ajs]

theres several schools near the exchange just to the west

[cheswick]

Exchange condo prices are really low right now. I have marketing materials from a new condo conversion in 2012. A unit for sale at $194k then is listed on realtor for $184k and has been sitting for months. You’re looking at negative returns over a decade. Housing prices in general in Winnipeg have increased almost 50% over that period.

[xubiqtss]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

theres several schools near the exchange just to the west

You're right. My mistake. But the point still stands that the housing stock available isn't really being built for anyone to stick around.

Originally Posted by cheswick

Exchange condo prices are really low right now. I have marketing materials from a new condo conversion in 2012. A unit for sale at $194k then is listed on realtor for $184k and has been sitting for months. You’re looking at negative returns over a decade. Housing prices in general in Winnipeg have increased almost 50% over that period.

I would imagine this explains why all the new housing units being built rental apartments.

[WinCitySparky]

Condos have been dead in Winnipeg for seemingly a decade now.

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by cheswick

Exchange condo prices are really low right now. I have marketing materials from a new condo conversion in 2012. A unit for sale at $194k then is listed on realtor for $184k and has been sitting for months. You’re looking at negative returns over a decade. Housing prices in general in Winnipeg have increased almost 50% over that period.

Sounds like a great affordable option for people who want affordable living in a city centre. I doubt you’re going to find a better bang for your buck in Canada living in a national historic site potentially car free for dirt cheap prices. The only other alternatives on that level of affordability, aesthetic, and walkability are if you want a rowhouse in DT St. John’s or Vieux Limoilou in QC.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by WinCitySparky

Condos have been dead in Winnipeg for seemingly a decade now.

they always were

[pegster]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

Sounds like a great affordable option for people who want affordable living in a city centre. I doubt you’re going to find a better bang for your buck in Canada living in a national historic site potentially car free for dirt cheap prices. The only other alternatives on that level of affordability, aesthetic, and walkability are if you want a rowhouse in DT St. John’s or Vieux Limoilou in QC.

I am probably in the target market for a lot of these condos: 30-something, single, childless, relatively high income, car-free. But looking at the listings, many of them are a hard sell. These warehouse conversions are often smallish 1 bedrooms (600 sq ft or less) and have all of their windows along one wall, in one room, with windowless bedrooms. And without a major grocery store or other amenities nearby, it is harder to be car-free in the Exchange than in, say, the Village (where I live).

I *want* to be the kind of person that lives in the Exchange, but it's these things which hold me back, more than any concern about crime.