Winnipeg | Exchange District | Developments & Discussions

[Biff]

The Forks has just put out an RFP for Conceptual Design for the Alexander Docks.

[bomberjet]

Awesome.

[FactaNV]

What would you guys like to see at the docks? I have some ideas but I'm curious what you think.

[drew]

^ honestly, I want to see a publicly assessable and functional dock, connected to the existing paths/sidewalks/road and that's about it.

I kind of dread these "conceptual designs" because invariably they result in some pie-in-the-sky pre-grad Architecture student thesis type things that when they get costing done - it's wow, this is going to cost way more than we thought, and now we can't have a dock.

Just please keep it simple. Robust. Usable.

[EndIt]

I'd like something like the San Antonio River Walk. Line it with shops and patios, with maybe a centrepiece theatre or climbing gym or casino or whatever.

We definitely need some ambition, cause no matter what's proposed, all the little review committees will take a chainsaw to it and I'd hate to end up with a little duster of a city park and a couple of shipping container snack shacks.

[pegster]

I'd echo the "keep it simple, stupid" approach. Make it a beautiful greenspace with river access, connected to the bike path, and have a plan for maintenance, features, cleaning, etc, that will keeping it looking good for decades. Leave the shops and vendors to the main floors of buildings already in the Exchange, because if that area is to really boom as a residential neighborhood, it needs accessible, clean, and well-maintained greenspace.

[zalf]

Thirded. A dock that is a good at being a dock, plus a small park, will draw businesses and activity on its own. What's more is that if it is a success, it can always be upgraded later.

[Mr Tall Forehead]

I echo the echo. Keep it simple, functional and accessible. Worst case would be having a bunch of overbuilt commercial units that would be impossible to lease. Plenty of CRU space available already on Waterfront and the East Exchange with more to come at Railside.

[EndIt]

Wow, seems I'm in the minority lol. IMO There's lots of parkland on either side of the docks already and it doesn't seem very well-used. I'd also question the utility and draw of just a dock; most people in Winnipeg don't own boats and I'm skeptical that it would catch on with the condo dwellers on the Waterfront, not to mention it won't be usable half the year anyhow. That said I definitely see the sense in just getting the blight out of the way and saving resources that could be better spent on lower-hanging fruit in the east exchange.

Personally, I'm still hoping for something a bit more out of the ordinary. For a city with two rivers, we don't really do much with them and some true riverside property would be cool. It's not a huge parcel and it probably needs to be dug up anyway for archaeology, remediation and stabilization.

[1ajs]

theres actualy a push from residents and land owners around the east exchange to get that dock back in use as some want a place to park a boat fish from ect

[wags_in_the_peg]

part of it should include dock slips where you pay an annual fee to park your boat there. kayak/canoe lock up area as well. lots people in exchange would benefit & enjoy. make it a revenue generator, nothing is free

[ColdRain&Snow]

Could be a good spot to rent canoes/kayaks from.

[peg]

Agreed - It should be restored as a dock/promenade with greenspace. I would love to see larger riverboats return in some capacity one day.

[bomberjet]

It'll just end up being a flat dock area with sheet piling along the river side. And grassed park with seating. I don't expect anything more. Imagine giving out kayaks or canoes tourists and they end up in north kildonan? Seems like a not great idea.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

It'll just end up being a flat dock area with sheet piling along the river side. And grassed park with seating. I don't expect anything more. Imagine giving out kayaks or canoes tourists and they end up in north kildonan? Seems like a not great idea.

You just need a retrieval patrol boat at Kildonan Park / Frasier's Grove Park to keep them from ending up in Lockport.

But being serious I don't think that there would be a big take up on rentals. Especially if the rental operator has to put up a big sign advising on the quality of the Red River.

[peg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

It'll just end up being a flat dock area with sheet piling along the river side. And grassed park with seating. I don't expect anything more. Imagine giving out kayaks or canoes tourists and they end up in north kildonan? Seems like a not great idea.

If you have some vision it could be an elegant public space, with waterfront activities, greenspace, and maybe even places for popup stalls or food trucks. Having a large dock allows for more opportunities for river usage. With good planning and landscape architecture, it could be a jewel.

If it ends up being purely what you said then yeah it could end up being boring af lol

[TimeFadesAway]

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

part of it should include dock slips where you pay an annual fee to park your boat there. kayak/canoe lock up area as well. lots people in exchange would benefit & enjoy. make it a revenue generator, nothing is free

Whatever they do, they should make sure they don't hire the company who did the "50 year repair" that lasted under 5 years.

[rivercity]

absolutely, the dock needs to be engineered to be robust enough to withstand large flood events and ice scour. I hope they also design portions of it in such a way to ensure that maintenance is easy, like being able to scrape it after flood depositions are left behind. not just muddy gravel like the riverwalk.

[bomberjet]

I hate to be cynical about things. Sorry if I come across that way. But also I try to be realistic (except for interchanges vs roundabouts discussion lol).

The Forks usually does a really good job at whatever they do. So I'm excited to see what they plan to do here. I just do not want to add a bunch of fancy do-dads that will be trashed in a few years.

The dock needs to be steel and concrete. They don't need to have seasonal wood docks like they do at the Forks proper. Maybe an area for vendors to set-up. I think they could make this a winter use area as a start/end point to the river trail. Thats really only 2 months of the year though.

Otherwise I just envision a park much like the rest of the riverbank over there.

Edit: just re-reading some comments. The plan here is for a dock yes, but also to clean up the entire space between CIBO and the other park to the north. It's have trees planted, benches, probably lighting. Than yes a dock I guess (big square steel/concrete flat thing). I don't foresee there being some public market, actually building with washrooms or anything fancy. Just a park with a dock.

[WpgRocksDude]

This might be a dumb take, but my biggest gripe with the parks down waterfront is that it's hard to actually see the river. Stephen Juba park between the rail bridge and the docks is a nice park, though it hardly feels like a waterfront park aside from a few breaks between the trees. It doesn't really differentiate itself from any other nice park in the city by utilizing the river it runs beside (besides during the winter when all the leaves are gone).

Would it not feasible to trim out some of the low growth and open the park up to the river? I understand that root systems and such are important for erosion protection, but could that not be supplemented with infrastructure? Or would the cost for a project like that be astronomical and out of Winnipeg's range..

It just feels weird to me to sit on a river facing park bench with a wall of bush blocking any view of the water.