your dream downtown Winnipeg

[dennis]

However, Morden is a pretty little town.

[newflyer]

Something like this would be very nice!!!

[Winnipegger]

What city is that below, new flyer?

[Biff]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

What city is that below, new flyer?

Chicago

I hope NewFlyer is remarking on some of Chicago's density and not the 1,000 ft AON Tower. I think we know we are most likely never getting a thousand footer. I would however like to see a 650-750 footer with some more 400 footers. We need some more investment and people first though.

[newflyer]

Yes... thats Chicago.... Chi-town .. the windy city.... city of broad sholders... ect ect.

I was mostly refering to the density of one of the great cities.. but Chicago is also renouned for its skyscrapers. While it is very unlikely we'll have an office building beyond 40 stories in the forseeable future, even though the Hydro building could have filled that roll, it doesn't mean Winnipeg's future downtown is restricted from having some impresive buildings.

I am feeling positive enough to suggest that Winnipeg will attract more highrise developments in the coming years.

Chicago's downtown is awe inspiring to say the least.. and if you have never been I would definately recomend it. The density, activity and sights are all worthy of a very cosmopolitan city... and yes it does get cold there in the winter. So winter weather can't be an excuse... its little more the an obsticle.

Another thing that Chicago has going for it is a very business friendly environment.. which includes a wide spectrum of tax credits for using and investing in and restoring old buildings. There are also tax incentives for companies who add staff to there opperations.. unlike the Manitoba policy of taxing companing who want to add employees to our economy... penalizing growth. The Manitoba payroll tax is the complete opposite of what Manitiba should be doing to attract growth. Chicago has a thriving economy.. and it shows in the downtown.

[viperred88]

Originally Posted by thurmas

If you were mayor of Winnipeg and you could remodel downtown Winnipeg, what would your downtown look like. Here are some goodies I wish came to be:
1) Large permanent police presence on portage of at least 50 cops making sure portage is free of vagabonds and passed out hobos,and the like.

2) remodeling of downtown bay store where finally uofw leases top 3 or 4 floors of the bay and the bay keeps bottom 2 floors.

3)condos built atop portage place the 2 pads built for them would finally be used.

4) a 40 story marquee office tower built next to canwest tower to fill the large gap between empire and the tower.

5) here we go again but a rapid transit system of any type (preferbly rail) to at least get winnipeg into 20th century!

6) remodeling of met theater into rock and roll museum finally.

7)atleast 2 new large non canadinns night clubs on portage to make portage feel like Montreal!

8)large downtown property tax cut to spur development in downtown!

First off I would build a huge industrial park outside city limits to relocate all those scrap yards, crane yard seed plant, crane, cp rail yard to name a few that you see in westend and part of the north end; in order to attract more manufacturing and warehouses
at the same time provide cheap housing and apartement, trailer park, some manitoba housing for those who need to work at these low paying jobs therefore they can live near there job.

then I would elevate the taxes in the neighboring regions of downtown that way it could effectively clean up the area where people certainly to this day can't afford to upkeep there house let alone afford a home. It would probably push away the crack addicts and slum lords.

Move the salvation army shelter and some but not all the soup kitchen to there. I am sure moving them there some may have the incentive to work rather panhandle

Boost the incentives even more to rebuild or renovate existing housing by the core.

I know this may take a few years for this time happen but it will clean up the area.

Once that is done you will see more houses renovated back to there prime with newer housing (hopefully not the cookie cutter style) where you will see more white collar people relocate to.

Make the taxes lower for B class office buildings and etc for lower types that way you can be as just as competitive as for the office spaces available in the suburbs.

Downtown will be denser with a higher population thus eventually you will have all the shopping and restaurants move in and there you have a Urban Oasis.

I am not quite finished for ideas here I will come back to post some more like reducing lanes on portage avenue to make portage more pedestrian friendly.

[rypinion]

Originally Posted by viperred88

First off I would build a huge industrial park outside city limits to relocate all those scrap yards, crane yard seed plant, crane, cp rail yard to name a few that you see in westend and part of the north end; in order to attract more manufacturing and warehouses
at the same time provide cheap housing and apartement, trailer park, some manitoba housing for those who need to work at these low paying jobs therefore they can live near there job.

then I would elevate the taxes in the neighboring regions of downtown that way it could effectively clean up the area where people certainly to this day can't afford to upkeep there house let alone afford a home. It would probably push away the crack addicts and slum lords.

I don't think moving all the blue collar jobs to outside of the city is the way to revitalize a downtown. There are also a whole lot of high paying, skilled jobs in that sector that you would be moving outside the city. It seems that all you'd be doing is increasing the size of the hole in the donut effect.

Also, raising the taxes in the regions around downtown would discourage all people from living there, not just low income people. All of the progress happening in the area north west of the U of W that you hear about (Spence street, etc.) would not be happening if the taxes were raised.

Your idea seems to be to create a rural ghetto for all but the richest white collar workers (whom would live downtown), but I don't think that is the way to go about it.

[viperred88]

Originally Posted by rypinion

I don't think moving all the blue collar jobs to outside of the city is the way to revitalize a downtown. There are also a whole lot of high paying, skilled jobs in that sector that you would be moving outside the city. It seems that all you'd be doing is increasing the size of the hole in the donut effect.

Also, raising the taxes in the regions around downtown would discourage all people from living there, not just low income people. All of the progress happening in the area north west of the U of W that you hear about (Spence street, etc.) would not be happening if the taxes were raised.

Your idea seems to be to create a rural ghetto for all but the richest white collar workers (whom would live downtown), but I don't think that is the way to go about it.

lets not forget all those scrap yard and factories.... do bring the value of the neighborhood down, people do not like by a rat infested scrap yard.

I don't want to dramatically increase the taxes there I just want them to be up to par to what the average working winnipeger pays, the infrustructure in all these old neighborhoods are in dire of a major upgrade. These neighborhood needs some major rejuvenation, we cannot let these neighborhoods continue declining. The neighboring regions by downtown need upgraded infrustructure and to be cleaned up. Of course our social programs aren't helping when the system lets the ill live in beer vending shit hotel a la bell and winnipeg to name a few. Everybody has to come together this problem at once to make the downtown area a much attractive area to live. People need to feel safe in where they live and do buisiness and everything else will come in place.



will come back sometime to to state more of my visions of downtown,