Stuck in a rut
Three stalled downtown projects temper optimism about revitalization
Sat Feb 9 2008
This City / By Bartley Kives
IF you buy into the notion that humanity can be divided into two simplistic categories, you can either be a glass-half-empty cynic or a glass-half-full optimist.
I like to think my own glass is neither full nor empty, especially when it comes to downtown Winnipeg, the spiritual soul of a city that forever seems to straddle some unseen event horizon between rejuvenation and inertia.
Make no mistake, a lot of great things have happened in downtown Winnipeg since the middle of the 1990s, when the city's self-esteem hit an all-time low. But no amount of optimism can hide the fact some projects touted as pieces of the overall revitalization puzzle have failed to materialize.
For the record, here are three downtown developments stuck in limbo -- one each on the Red River, Main Street and Portage Avenue:
ALEXANDER DOCKS
What is it? An undeveloped sliver of Red River shoreline north of Stephen Juba Park, east of Waterfront Drive. Built by the federal government as a place to moor riverboats in 1929, the 83-metre-long site is still used by Paddlewheel Riverboats and also played host to a handful of summer music festivals during the early '90s.
What was supposed to happen? In 2006, the city issued an expression-of-interest document calling on developers to come up with plans to further develop the site as part of the ongoing upgrades of the east side of the Exchange District. Since then, no bidder has been chosen and the city has been silent about the docks.
What's happening now? Coun. Russ Wyatt, who's in charge of city council's downtown development committee, insists a decision about the docks has been made and that a report is coming within a month. In other words, look for some movement in March.
THE UNION BANK TOWER
What is it? Western Canada's oldest "skyscraper," this 10-storey tower on Main Street south of city hall may just be the most architecturally significant structure to sit empty in downtown Winnipeg. The 103-year-old building has been without a tenant since 1992, when the financial industry finally bailed.
What was supposed to happen? In 2006, owner Guy Hobman secured federal heritage funding to help renovate the tower. Up to $5 million is available, but the deadline for completing the work expires in October of this year.
Despite the all-but-impossible timeline, the federal minister in charge of Parks Canada, John Baird, held a press conference within sight of the tower last fall to "announce" the funding for the soon-to-expire project. Surrealism is alive and well in politics.
What's happening now? Hobman and CentreVenture are still trying to find a tenant for the tower, and Red River College is the chief prospect. The college would like to move its restaurant and culinary program into the old skyscraper, but will probably need help. The provincial government's willingness to cough up some funds will probably make or break the project.
THE AVENUE BUILDING
What is it? Vacant for more than a decade, this six-storey building on Portage Avenue has served as a symbol of downtown's decay. The 104-year-old heritage structure occupies a very visible piece of real estate between Garry and Smith streets and has made the block all but resistant to redevelopment.
What was supposed to happen? In 2007, CentreVenture announced that A.S.H. Management, which owns several downtown heritage buildings, had purchased the Avenue and was planning a $10-million, environmentally friendly facelift that would preserve the tin and terrazzo inside.
But the $600,000 sale was never completed and the restorations planned to start late last year have not begun.
What's happening now? A.S.H. Management, which has a good track record as a downtown developer, is still trying to find a tenant for the project, but CentreVenture is also casting around. But the future of the building and the entire block -- a development-resistant "dead zone," in the eyes of CentreVenture -- remain in doubt.
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