Winnipeg Construction XI

[cllew]

Originally Posted by drew

Also seems like a SmartPark kinda tenant.

Bayer has an existing research / breeding location on Research Rd in SmartPark that they are going to keep using.

I wonder if they would be looking at one of the industrial park sites in the RM of
Macdonald to be close to the existing research site and their test farm site near Carman?

[dennis]

I hope the final product of the St. Charles site will be good. Next up is the nearby Peck building. I hope it will not be a total loss.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by ColdRain&Snow

Back in 2024, the City of Winnipeg approved variances for an 11-story mixed-use building at 38 Albert St, the parking lot next to the St. Charles Hotel. I'm guessing this development is still going forward, plus the newly announced redevelopment of the St. Charles Hotel itself. 38 Albert St has 106 residential units and 1 commercial unit. So with the announcement today of a "140 unit redevelopment" of the St. Charles Hotel, I'm assuming that actually meaning 34 new residential units in the St. Charles plus the 106 new residential units at 38 Albert St. I could be completely wrong though, but that is my best guess at what's happening.

https://legacy.winnipeg.ca/ppd/PublicNotices/detail/VARIANCE-24-192700%2FB

I believe you are correct based on this statement from CBC:

"Our strategy is to scan very carefully the existing facade, dismantle it, store it, build the new building and then come back and replace the facade," Penfor CEO Danny Serhal, who is working on a separate tower on the empty lot north of the St. Charles, said at Tuesday's news conference.

38 Albert St
Location: 38 Albert St
Developer: Kenneth Zaifman | Daniel Serhal Serhal Consulting
Architect: 818 Architecture Inc
Status: Development Permit
Documents: VARIANCE: 24-192700/B-December 9, 2024 | Submitted Plans
Media: St. Charles Hotel owner shifts focus to plans for new apartment building on adjacent parking lot-CBC News Manitoba
Description: The City of Winnipeg approved an application for an 11 storey mixed use building with a commercial unit on the main floor, offices on the second floor and 106 residential units on the other floors above.
Permits: 25-133795 DP-2025-08-14: Permit. Construct an 11-storey mixed-use multifamily building with integrated ground-floor parking accessed through 241 Notre Dame Avenue, and commercial spaces fronting Albert Street.



St. Charles Hotel
Location: 235 Notre Dame Ave
Developer: Kenneth Zaifman | Daniel Serhal Serhal Consulting
Architect: 818 Architecture Inc
Status: In Development
Documents:
Media:

• $88-M plan for downtown-Winnipeg Free Press
• Winnipeg's St. Charles Hotel slated to become 11-storey residential tower, facade will remain–CBC News Manitoba

Project Post
Description: The long-vacant St. Charles Hotel, a 113-year-old heritage building at the corner of Notre Dame Avenue and Albert Street in Winnipeg's Exchange District, is set to be transformed into an 11-storey residential tower containing 140 housing units, according to plans announced by CentreVenture Development Corporation. The project's original facade will be preserved to comply with its historical designation, while the interior structure will be largely replaced or built upon to accommodate the new development. This project is a recipient of the Housing Accelerator Fund Capital Grant Incentive & the Gail Parvin Hammerquist Fund City-wide Heritage Program.
Permits:

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by cheswick

Did centreventure take control of the st charles from whats his face demolition by neglect?

No, CV is providing funding through Heritage grant programs, And the city through the Housing Accelerator Fund.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Sheepish

Clearly Centre Venture is talking the talk.
But to double the population within the next 25 years they will need to be a little more aggressive. A few historical conversions are important, but they won't move the scale. Of course the Bay and Portage place will help, as will Railside. Still time to create an executable plan to convert the surface lots and develop a walkable, livable downtown community.

CentreVenture Development Corporation unveiled its Strategic Plan to double downtown Winnipeg’s population by 2050, immediately kickstarting the effort by announcing $4.65 million in funding for 297 new downtown homes.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by dennis

I hope the final product of the St. Charles site will be good. Next up is the nearby Peck building. I hope it will not be a total loss.

The Church of Scientology will never give up that building, so unfortunate.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by Brule-le

From CBC.


Building owner Ken Zaifman, an immigration lawyer, has been working for decades on a renovation plan that would satisfy the city's heritage-preservation goals for the structure, which stands at the entrance to the Exchange District.

Zaifman is working with Penfor Construction to preserve the facade of the three-storey building and extend the same visual esthetic to all 11 floors of the proposed new structure.

Or: not working for decades letting it fall into the ground.

And what the fuck is its "visual esthetic"? Is it getting its nails did? Maybe some eyelashes? The CBC should know how to spell 'aesthetic' right, but this is just AI regurgitating Zaifman's PR, so what standards should they hold anyway.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by biguc

Or: not working for decades letting it fall into the ground.

And what the fuck is its "visual esthetic"? Is it getting its nails did? Maybe some eyelashes? The CBC should know how to spell 'aesthetic' right, but this is just AI regurgitating Zaifman's PR, so what standards should they hold anyway.

Valid spelling courtesy of our southern neighbours.

[CoryB]

Something is happening on the block by 955 Portage this morning.

Drop trucks and loaders and moving around snow piles and jersey barriers. Perhaps a demolition of the small block there that was home to Jonnie's Sticky Buns after the recent fire?

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Something is happening on the block by 955 Portage this morning.

Drop trucks and loaders and moving around snow piles and jersey barriers. Perhaps a demolition of the small block there that was home to Jonnie's Sticky Buns after the recent fire?

951 Portage Avenue
Location: 951 Portage Avenue
Developer: -
Architect: MAC Architecture Ltd
Status: U/C
Documents: variance-July 23, 2025
Media: -
Description: The developer plans to construct a six-story mixed-use building featuring commercial spaces on the ground floor and 85 residential units on the upper floors. The building will be clad in vertical flute, brick, and smooth EIFS, with floor-to-ceiling windows for the commercial units facing Portage Avenue. A main entrance for the residential units will be located at the southeast corner, accompanied by a small seating area, and sidewalk extensions will be added in front of each commercial unit. Additionally, the proposal incorporates covered parking accessible from the rear lane, screened by a landscaped buffer and fence, with 28 parking stalls and 43 secure indoor bicycle parking stalls provided.
Permits: 2025-12-04, Construct New. Concurrent Building Permit Submission Exemplar Developments - Construct a six-storey, 1,248.6 m² apartment building (85 dwelling units) with additional 5 commercial units.

[Flatland Metropolis]

Originally Posted by biguc

Or: not working for decades letting it fall into the ground.

And what the fuck is its "visual esthetic"? Is it getting its nails did? Maybe some eyelashes? The CBC should know how to spell 'aesthetic' right, but this is just AI regurgitating Zaifman's PR, so what standards should they hold anyway.

Knowing Zaifman I am not hopeful that the facade will actually be preserved. Once it's demoed it will probably be something like oops we broke it, well at least we tried, okay here is the cheap concrete pre-fab build we will do instead.

[drew]

Originally Posted by Flatland Metropolis

Knowing Zaifman I am not hopeful that the facade will actually be preserved. Once it's demoed it will probably be something like oops we broke it, well at least we tried, okay here is the cheap concrete pre-fab build we will do instead.

Until we see actual construction of a new building there, my assumption is that it will become and remain an empty lot.

Zaifman has less than zero credibility, and certainly cannot be trusted or expected to put any amount of his own $$ there to redevelop this site.

The correct course of action is to expropriate the property from him and sell it to a developer than has an actual track record in this type of project.

[Flatland Metropolis]

Originally Posted by drew

Until we see actual construction of a new building there, my assumption is that it will become and remain an empty lot.

Zaifman has less than zero credibility, and certainly cannot be trusted or expected to put any amount of his own $$ there to redevelop this site.

The correct course of action is to expropriate the property from him and sell it to a developer than has an actual track record in this type of project.

Total applause to you on that, I couldn't agree more.

[neutroniks]

All great news. Could 2026 be the great big boom that we started to see in 2016? I love it. Here's hoping those rumoured towers get announced soon. Will there be more Heritage conversions in the Exchange also be announced? exciting times.

[neutroniks]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

The Church of Scientology will never give up that building, so unfortunate.

I could live with that if they actually did something with it. But it has so much potential being wasted, I feel we'll never see it be used for anything in our lifetime.

[neutroniks]

Originally Posted by drew

Until we see actual construction of a new building there, my assumption is that it will become and remain an empty lot.

Zaifman has less than zero credibility, and certainly cannot be trusted or expected to put any amount of his own $$ there to redevelop this site.

The correct course of action is to expropriate the property from him and sell it to a developer than has an actual track record in this type of project.

Yup, he's been smoke & mirrors for the past few decades. Wouldn't be surprised if he just took the money and never developed it and year after year states "we're working diligently on it. We wanna get this riiiiiiight. ya know what I mean?"

[DancingDuck]

Demolition is in full swing at the old Roxy Lanes/Roxy Theater on Henderson. Really looking forward to this project as it's pretty much right at the end of my street.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/winnipeg/article/...anes-ahead-of-new-mmf-residential-space/

[bomberjet]

'Full swing'. There is no noticeable difference on the outside. The building was covered in warning signs about asbestos removal today. Once that is done I suspect it'll come down pretty quick.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

Valid spelling courtesy of our southern neighbours.

Remind me which country the CBC is from

[DancingDuck]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

'Full swing'. There is no noticeable difference on the outside. The building was covered in warning signs about asbestos removal today. Once that is done I suspect it'll come down pretty quick.

The south wall is about halfway gone and the roof looks like it has full caved in (as of about 1pm when I hopped on the bus). They must have just started today...I should have taken a picture.