Winnipeg Construction

[Smron]

From the CBC...

"In the 1880s, North Point Douglas was home to many wealthy businessmen and entrepreneurs, but by the turn of century, it became more industrialized due to its proximity to the railroad. Prosperity faded as residents moved to newer North End neighbourhoods, leaving behind mostly new immigrants and poorly-paid factory workers.

In 1909, two streets in North Point Douglas became known as Winnipeg’s red light district, a reputation the area has found hard to shake in the century since."

So it is evident that the decline began a long time before the Disraeli was built. Add to that the rail line that runs right through Point Douglas. Doesn't it contribute to low desirability as well? It has been around a lot longer than the Disraeli.

The area is also home to some of the poorest families in Winnipeg. Three-quarters of the households in the neighbourhood have an annual income of less than $40,000 -- much lower than the average household income in Winnipeg generally, which is about $53,000.

More than half the area's residents say they didn't graduate from high school, and the unemployment rate hovers around 20 per cent.

So we have an overpass, a key rail line, the high traffic volumes of Higgins Ave., a low income population, and the crime factor. What can really be done? This is not a rhetorical question, I am seriously asking. Where do you start? Obviously money needs to be invested in the area.. but the City of Winnipeg does not have an endless bucket of money, and there are a lot of other projects in the city that are arguably as important as the revitalization of Point Douglas.

I am all for the revitalization of Point Douglas, but there seem to be a lot of obstacles in the way. At what point does it become a lost cause?

[1ajs]

what can be done u educate the people

o and theres a new cafe in north point douglas

[rgalston]

Originally Posted by flatlander

Obviously traffic isn't the only cause of decline. But it sure gets in the way of revitalization.

That is basically what I was going to say.

[rgalston]

Originally Posted by Smron

What can really be done? This is not a rhetorical question, I am seriously asking. Where do you start? Obviously money needs to be invested in the area.. but the City of Winnipeg does not have an endless bucket of money, and there are a lot of other projects in the city that are arguably as important as the revitalization of Point Douglas.

I am all for the revitalization of Point Douglas, but there seem to be a lot of obstacles in the way. At what point does it become a lost cause?

Reforming zoning so that revitalization projects would actually be allowed, would be a good place to start.

Reducing speed limits on Higgins on the PD side of the Disraeli and Higgins Avenue. No one is forcing you to drive through Point Douglas.

Unrestricted on-street parking on Higgins. No business is going to take a chance where customers cannot find parking, unless they build a strip-mall. Which brings me to...

Design standards (that are enforced). No one wants to live or work in an ugly neigborhood. What works in the suburbs does not work in urban cores. That Thompson-on-the-cheap architecture of the buildings going up on the MB Cold Storage site should be torn down and built to a standard that adds value, rather than detracts it.

None of this would cost anything to do. The rest essentially depends on the market (or the construction of a rapid transit system...)

Your house is the single most valuable asset that most people will ever own. Why would you risk it in a neighbourhood where pre-teen firebugs run rampant?

Sometimes one will bet on a 10-1 horse: one has a good feeling about that horse, and the payoff is better.

My brothers have worked at the Ross House these past few summers. I should know. The hookers at 9 am would at times be queued up in parade formation outside the house.

That's interesting. I've never seen or heard of these phantom hookers cruising Zuken Park. In fact, in the past three years, I have only seen or heard of girls working the corner of Euclid and Hallet on three, maybe four, separate occasions.

[Spocket]

Originally Posted by flatlander

Move on? Literally or figuratively? That's a pretty callous response. Tell that to the 30 families that are committed to living in SPD, trying to make it a better place. Tell them that their neighbourhood is expendable just so that you can get to work five minutes faster.

Obviously traffic isn't the only cause of decline. But it sure gets in the way of revitalization. I guess we should just move on from any area of decline that has occurred over the last 50 years?

That's being a touch unfair.

Freeways and the like have a negative impact on established neighbourhoods because it divides them and takes traffic away from local shops. That simply isn't and hasn't been the case in SPD for a very long time. In this case , the rail line is what divides the neighbourhood , not the overpass. That aside , there really isn't much "neighbourhood" to expend anyway. Actually, traffic volume is probably one of the saving graces of the area since it makes commerical revitalization a viable possibility.

[rgalston]

Editorials
A city of bridges (WFP)

1:00 AM | Comments (0)

THE city's decision to replace the aging Louise Bridge could not have come at a better time. It was only recently, for example, that civic and provincial leaders have agreed on the need for a development plan in South Point Douglas, a long-neglected area that wasn't on anyone's radar until a failed attempt to build a new football stadium demonstrated that the district had much potential. The design and location of a new span to replace the Louise, therefore, should be an important part of the discussion and it should be carried out in a manner that enhances the urban environment on both sides of the Red River. Bridges, in other words, are not just about moving cars, but about linking people and destinations.

The construction of a proposed four-lane span -- twice the size of the current bridge -- won't begin for another six or seven years, but the city's preliminary thinking involves the realignment of Higgins Avenue to create room for future development in what will eventually become an extension of Waterfront Drive. A bigger bridge, of course, means more traffic, but that won't necessarily conflict with plans to gentrify the area if Higgins is moved to the north and aligned with the CP Rail line.

The city is also looking at situating the bridge on a course parallel to the rail line and connecting Higgins directly with Nairn Avenue or even Kent Road, providing a swifter and seamless route from downtown Winnipeg to Transcona. Such a route also lends itself naturally to a dedicated transit corridor.

The east side of the Louise Bridge is a confusing corner now, with three roads linked to the narrow bridge. Removal of the bridge from that location would ease the congestion, eliminate the need for the underpass there now, and enhance the value of businesses, homes and riverbank property in the area.

And while they're at it, city planners should also consider whether the Disraeli Freeway, which cuts through all of Point Douglas like an ugly scar, should be brought down to ground level. Point Douglas once was a relatively cohesive, linked neighbourhood until the city erected the freeway nearly 50 years ago. A surface-level roadway would still need to go under the rail tracks and over the river, but it might be preferable to the aerial span that now exists.

The opportunity now exists to consider the total transportation needs of the area, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and bus users. Their needs, however, should not interfere with the important goal of building livable, sustainable neighbourhoods.

[MooseJets]

Originally Posted by rgalston

Editorials
A city of bridges (WFP)



And while they're at it, city planners should also consider whether the Disraeli Freeway, which cuts through all of Point Douglas like an ugly scar, should be brought down to ground level. Point Douglas once was a relatively cohesive, linked neighbourhood until the city erected the freeway nearly 50 years ago. A surface-level roadway would still need to go under the rail tracks and over the river, but it might be preferable to the aerial span that now exists.

Disraeli Freeway, should be "brought down to ground level"? for what, so the city can add more traffic lights?

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by MooseJets

Disraeli Freeway, should be "brought down to ground level"? for what, so the city can add more traffic lights?

hah! that would be even worse then it already is...

[1ajs]

By Avi Saper
Canstar News

Dec. 4, 2008



New houses are going up in old neighbourhoods across north Winnipeg as both the public and private sectors continue to develop infill lots.

Organizations such as the Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corp. and the Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative — an agency funded by all three levels of government — have built 20 new homes in the last year on infill lots in the Centennial and West Alexander neighbourhoods, and another 20 homes in the North End.

Dave Dessens, the city’s housing policy co-ordinator, said he’s hoping another 20 or so homes will be built in the same areas through similar partnerships in 2009.

The homes are built on lots the city makes available for $1.

According to Rob Neufeld, executive director of the North End Community Renewal Corp., the various neighbourhood residents associations help select which lots are to be rebuilt.

“We have just co-ordinated with the community 20 new lots for the North End — William Whyte and Point Douglas — for the coming fiscal year,” Neufeld said. “We’re hoping that by March the city will have facilitated the transfer of the lots so that construction can begin in the spring.”

Neufeld said the houses are being sold for between $60,000 and $80,000 to low-income families making less than $50,000 a year who qualify for mortgages. The relatively lower cost of housing in the North End is what has kept these infill projects viable, Neufeld said.

“Some houses in the inner city don’t go for as high a price as they would in other neighbourhoods,” he said. “The rougher the area, the lower the real estate.”

City of Winnipeg housing development manager David Stansen said the city first became involved in infill housing projects in the late 1990s, when there was a “market collapse” in the inner city.

“Where the market can function normally, we let it happen,” Stansen said. “Sometimes, in order to prevent an area from decline, there needs to be an intervention.”

As Winnipeg’s real estate market has boomed in recent years, housing prices in the inner city have seen a steep increase. This has made infill lots attractive for some private builders.

Joe Pereira, a realtor with Coldwell Banker, is marketing 25 new homes on the former site of Florence Nightingale School, at the corner of Manitoba Avenue and Shaughnessy Street. Pereira said he’s seen a strong market for privately built infill homes in north Winnipeg in recent years.

“There have been quite a few developed in the North End area. They’ve always sold very well and have been very popular,” he said.

“The typical buyer is someone who comes from the immediate area — people who are already renting in the area, or children moving out, or people who want new construction over existing construction.”

The Florence Nightingale project — with prices starting at $190,000 — is unique to the area because of its size, Pereira added.

Most private infill homes are built by tradespeople who can do much of the work themselves on a handful of properties a year. These houses are usually 800- to 900-square-foot bilevels, and sell for between $150,000 and $175,000, Pereira said.

Neufeld believes a mix of public and private development is healthy for the area.

“I think we need both, and we should do whatever the market can support,” he said.

But the rising cost of housing in the area is a problem, Neufeld said.

“If begs the question of how we can try to maintain getting lower income people into home ownership,” he said. “There’s a certain threshold where the budget will not support home ownership. And there’s still a need for rental housing.”

[1ajs]

Doer wants stadium deal ready for feds
By: Bruce Owen
Winnipeg Free Press

Dec 6/2008


A new stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers came closer to reality Friday as all but one of the main players met with Premier Gary Doer to hash out the final details.
"We are making steady progress," stadium proponent and businessman David Asper said. "If I could have deal tomorrow, I would."

Asper, Canwest Global Communications Corp.'s executive vice-president, and University of Manitoba officials met with Doer yesterday morning. Mayor Sam Katz was not at the meeting as he had a family commitment.

Asper also said the recent furor in Ottawa, and a vow by the Liberal-NDP coalition to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government after Parliament resumes Jan. 26, does not put added pressure on him to seal a deal with Ottawa on its role in the stadium project.

Doer said a day earlier the pressure lies on the provinces to get infrastructure deals in place soon to qualify for federal funding. The Harper government and the province are using building projects, including repairs to roads, highways and bridges, to create economic activity over the next two years.

"The ship has been in the harbour, but it's leaving the harbour," Doer told reporters after his speech to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. "And if the football stadium is not on that ship because there's some little disagreement, we've missed an opportunity. My job is to make sure we don't miss that opportunity."

The stadium project was announced almost four months ago and is to see Asper and his Creswin Properties Ltd. development company front a large part of the $135-million project at the U of M.

Asper has said he will commit up to $100 million towards the new home for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The province would contribute $20 million and Ottawa $15 million. It involves a 30,000-seat stadium for the Bombers and the U of M Bisons football team, improving the track and field facility at University Stadium and building a new fitness centre to replace the aging Frank Kennedy Centre.

The province estimates it can earn about $19.6 million back in taxes on the stadium and related construction alone.

Doer said he has met with federal Minister of Transport and Infrastructure John Baird to discuss the stadium plan and Ottawa's role in getting it built.

Harper has also asked for Canada's premiers to meet him in Ottawa Jan. 16 to discuss the economy. The hope is to have a stadium deal in hand by that time so it can get the green light. If it does, it may be ready for the 2011 CFL season.

The deal would also see the U of M provide the land for the stadium and Asper contribute more than the $40 million he pledged for the current Polo Park site of the Canad Inns Stadium. Asper's Creswin would develop that site for commercial and retail shopping. Asper would also take over ownership of the Bombers with an agreement he keep the team in Winnipeg.

[1ajs]

Harper coming for rights museum
By: Bruce Owen

Dec 6/2008

PRIME Minister Stephen Harper is to visit Winnipeg before Christmas to formally give his government's blessing to the construction of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
An exact date has not been nailed down as it has to fit into Harper's schedule, which opened up considerably this week with Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean's decision to shut Parliament until late January.

The are rumours Harper is to come to the city Dec. 12, two days after International Human Rights Day, for a sod-turning event for the $265-million project. Others say Harper's visit has now been pushed back several days.

"We're getting very close," said Premier Gary Doer earlier this week about the project. "We're on the cusp.

"I'm not going any farther than that. Never announce anything for the federal government. I'm just telling you I think we're closer than we ever were."

The Harper government has already committed $22 million annually for the museum's operating costs. The money is above the $100 million previously committed by Ottawa as a capital investment. The province is putting $40 million towards the project, to be built at The Forks, and the City of Winnipeg has approved a $20-million contribution in cash and in-kind donation in the form of land, infrastructure, and forgiveness of property taxes.

The museum is also now near the finish line in its private-sector fundraising drive with just $7.5 million short of the $105-million goal.

Museum spokesperson Kim Jasper said another fundraising announcement will be made soon.

The museum will be the first national museum outside the Ottawa region and Canada's first new national museum in 40 years.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring.

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by flatlander

Move on? Literally or figuratively? That's a pretty callous response. Tell that to the 30 families that are committed to living in SPD, trying to make it a better place. Tell them that their neighbourhood is expendable just so that you can get to work five minutes faster.

The damage was done a half century ago. Unless your planning on building a DeLorean to go back to 1956 there isn't much you can do about it.

Obviously traffic isn't the only cause of decline. But it sure gets in the way of revitalization. I guess we should just move on from any area of decline that has occurred over the last 50 years?

Ohh pleassee.. How can you take yourself seriously?

If I were to look up the definition of a bleeding heart i'd probably find your avatar in my dictionary.

Are you sure you're not secretly Gordon Sinclair?

Unfortunately real life doesn't always fit so nicely into the pages of the mouldy urban planning text you read back in grad school.

PD will be no different after the new Disraeli and Louise bridges open than it is now.

[trueviking]

^^^wow, amazing comments...


i agree with you rgalston and flatlander....cities across north america are filled with examples of what elevated freeways do to poor neighbourhoods...it may not have been the initial cause of point douglas' demise, but it certainly was the nail in the coffin....

thankfully that tiny bit of roadway is our only example of what has been an urban planning disaster across the continent (sorry OTL, it cant really be argued anymore)....it would be great if that roadway was brought to grade and would certainly be a huge boost to the reviatlization efforts in point douglas....obviously with our city being completely void of any real planning direction and with most people in this city only caring about numbers of traffic lights it will never happen....i mean our mayor ran on a visionary platform of synchronizing stop lights for goodness sake....there is no chance that they will recognize what is such an obvious cause of the continued plight of point douglas.

[trueviking]

hold the phone...i was just looking at that revised image of the WRHA project on main...does that parkade have a main street curb cut?...i assumed it would at least be accessed from a side street, not off main itself....please tell me i am wrong and the city didnt allow a parkade curb cut on main street.

whats with the trees in the background of the rendering?

[1ajs]

no viking theres no main st acces for cars


if u look closely u will see the parkade levels going up ... witch is how its built go take a drive and see
but looking at it that's about where the bus stop is.

as for the trees its just for looks lol

[Spocket]

Frankly I'm not buying into this argument that the Disraeli has anything to do with SPD's demise or the hindrance of its revitalization but I'll bite anyway.

So okay, if we tear it down and rebuild it at grade then what ? I'm not against the idea if there's some guaranteed benefit to it but whatever it might be , it's not jumping out at me here. People aren't shopping on North Main right now for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with traffic or overpasses. As well, there aren't any overpasses or even industrial blight in West Broadway and while things are changing , no bridge is at fault for the deterioration of that neighbourhood.
If we have a plan to redevelop all of SPD and part of that plan involves taking down the overpass then that's great but right now, to simply suggest we tear it down and that that will somehow help the area by itself just doesn't ring true.

As it is, it's my contention that this city has it backwards when it comes to renewal plans. You need the people before the shops will set up. As such I've never understood why the city figures that a few shops here and there will save downtown. Shopping has never been the problem. In SPD the first thing you need to do is get rid of the run down industrial that gives the neighbourhood such a grim look. I don't believe in the idea that any park is going to help the neighbourhood unless it's a complimentary component of some residential plan. Higgins at a grade-level Disraeli could act as neighbourhood focal point (perhaps a large traffic circle with a park or something in the middle) with shops and perhaps a small level of office buildings. Let's say you surround the corner with four or five storey buildings with retail on the bottom. THAT I'll buy into. Suburban housing with a 7-11 at the corner of Higgins and Disraeli is simply not worth it in my opinion.

Okay, to make a short story longer , either the whole area gets a radical makeover or we work with things as they exist today. Just my opinion.

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by Spocket

Frankly I'm not buying into this argument that the Disraeli has anything to do with SPD's demise or the hindrance of its revitalization but I'll bite anyway.

So okay, if we tear it down and rebuild it at grade then what ? I'm not against the idea if there's some guaranteed benefit to it but whatever it might be , it's not jumping out at me here. People aren't shopping on North Main right now for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with traffic or overpasses. As well, there aren't any overpasses or even industrial blight in West Broadway and while things are changing , no bridge is at fault for the deterioration of that neighbourhood.
If we have a plan to redevelop all of SPD and part of that plan involves taking down the overpass then that's great but right now, to simply suggest we tear it down and that that will somehow help the area by itself just doesn't ring true.

As it is, it's my contention that this city has it backwards when it comes to renewal plans. You need the people before the shops will set up. As such I've never understood why the city figures that a few shops here and there will save downtown. Shopping has never been the problem. In SPD the first thing you need to do is get rid of the run down industrial that gives the neighbourhood such a grim look. I don't believe in the idea that any park is going to help the neighbourhood unless it's a complimentary component of some residential plan. Higgins at a grade-level Disraeli could act as neighbourhood focal point (perhaps a large traffic circle with a park or something in the middle) with shops and perhaps a small level of office buildings. Let's say you surround the corner with four or five storey buildings with retail on the bottom. THAT I'll buy into. Suburban housing with a 7-11 at the corner of Higgins and Disraeli is simply not worth it in my opinion.

Okay, to make a short story longer , either the whole area gets a radical makeover or we work with things as they exist today. Just my opinion.

I agree .. that area needs a complete makeover ... the potencial is huge, but will require some drastic (non-winnipeg) line of thought. I definately see that area becoming a very desired location, but it will require alot of change.

Considering Winnipeg's fear of change that probibly won't happen.

As far as the Disraili goes .. I have no problem in it becoming an at grade expressway, as long as the industrial area is leveled. I would have no desire to drive past industrial decay every day. Of course I would also be against adding any new traffic lights to that span of roadway. Perhaps adding an unerpass or 2 would be required to keep the two sides of Point Douglas connected, without interfering with the Disraili.

At the end of the day I fully expect both the Disraili overpass and Point Douglas to remain status quo. Big changes are not tollerated in Winnipeg.

[1ajs]

making the disrealie into at grade would just further split the nieghborhood up cause now we can't just walk under the bridge now we gota get across a traffic threwfair... and how is this at grade going to change anything when all the buildings along it alread face away from it including a historic ukraian church... then theres the rail line..

[newflyer]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

making the disrealie into at grade would just further split the nieghborhood up cause now we can't just walk under the bridge now we gota get across a traffic threwfair... and how is this at grade going to change anything when all the buildings along it alread face away from it including a historic ukraian church... then theres the rail line..

very good points..

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by newflyer

very good points..

but if one wanted to make it at grade... they could just aline the bridge with anibela and then just slam it into higgins