Winnipeg | 300 Assiniboine Ave / Heritage Landing | 86M | 25F | Completed

[Only The Lonely..]

In anticipation of good things to come I thought I would start a thread for this project. Hopefully we'll see some renderings soon!

[Only The Lonely..]

Green light given to downtown high-rise apartment tower

By: Bartley Kives - Winnipeg Free Press

10/06/2010 10:14 AM | Comments: 0

WINNIPEG -- City hall has given a green light to downtown Winnipeg's first high-rise apartment tower since the late 1980s.

City council's downtown development committee voted this morning to approve a 25-storey residential tower at 300 Assiniboine Avenue, a parcel of riverfront land the city sold to Crystal Developers in 2008.

Crystal, which previously wanted to build an apartment tower next to the Upper Fort Garry historic site, plans to build 209 units in a complex called Heritage Landing on Assiniboine.

The design calls for 19 townhouses to be built along Assiniboine Avenue along with a 25-storey tower with three floors of commercial space and 22 floors of residential units.

Most of the units will be high-end apartments, but some may be sold as condos. The developer is still working out the ratio, a spokeswoman for Crystal said.

The plan approved this morning follows previous attempts that were withdrawn due to concerns about the pedestrian streetscape and access to the riverfront.

The downtown development committee councillors said they are now satisfied that public access to both the riverfront and Bonnycastle Park has been assured.

Every member of the downtown development committee praised the project for bringing more residential units downtown.

Fort Rouge Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, the area councillor, said she's thrilled to see living space for 300 more people added to downtown.

Committee chairman Justin Swandel also encouraged the developer to explore city tax credits that may allow some of the units to be more affordable.

The last residential high-rises built in downtown Winnipeg were Fort Garry Place and the towers north of Portage Place, both built in the 1980s.

[Biff]

Harold Funk is designing this building.

[1ajs]

no offence but his stuff looks like bland chruches from his site
http://www.winnipeg.ca/CLKDMIS/ViewD...onId=&InitUrl= 2nd item on the agenda has the site plan

[trueviking]

^ can you post the site plan?...i cant seem to open it for some reason.

great news.

[1ajs]

how does one print screen on a mac at a friends atm

[rgalston]

An earlier design for this project called for a "20-foot high parkade wall" on ground level. Nice. PP&D thankfully sent that plan back to the drawing board, but just the same, I am not expecting this building to be a work of art, or make that neighborhood of downtown more vibrant.

Still, this is a good announcement for municipal tax coffers, and skyline photographers.

[Boreal]

Not sure this is deserving of its own thread, but what the hell, I like the lemonade you're serving, sir! *cheers*

[cityguy]

Glad to see people are beginning to live downtown again.

[RTD]

Awesome!!!!!!

Our downtown seems to be finally turning the corner for the better

[h0twired]

[1ajs]

theres some sorta comercial space on the ground floor

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by rgalston

An earlier design for this project called for a "20-foot high parkade wall" on ground level. Nice. PP&D thankfully sent that plan back to the drawing board, but just the same, I am not expecting this building to be a work of art, or make that neighborhood of downtown more vibrant.

Still, this is a good announcement for municipal tax coffers, and skyline photographers.

i'd say it looks pretty good to me...300 more people living downtown, a mixed use residential/commercial building with a combination of rentals and condo's, townhouses built to the sidewalk at a pedestrian scale....what more could you want?

i would take 30 more of these please....just hope it isnt ugly.

[1ajs]

i'm with viking keeps fingers crossed though from the site plan it prolly won't be a boxy thing will have some sorta lines to it

[j.online]

I know this is great news, but I gotta admit that i'm super nervous about this project... Have any of you seen Harold Funk's previous work?!? Let's just say, I'm not holding my breath judging from his previous residential work.

But even if he comes up with something that not straight outta 1989 and not butt fugly, when is the last time you've seen any of our high-end condo buildings bring any vibrancy to the neighborhood? The Edge "affordable" apartments on Princess brings more foot traffic than all of the "high-end" waterfront condos combined. 300 more people living downtown you say?... Waterfront brought 500+ yet Exchange Cafe a block away has to now close on evening/weekends cause high-end folks are too busy driving to other parts of the city to spend their money.

But I know, I know... it's good news and all... more people downtown... a shiny new tower.... yada-yada...

[trueviking]

speaking of skylines...

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by j.online

when is the last time you've seen any of our high-end condo building bring any vibrancy to the neighborhood?

i agree....but condo is better than no condo....hopefully developers start to get on the rental bandwagon as well...we really need both...it seems like it is begining to happen.

[j.online]

^ i hear ya...

that skyline shot should look impressive with the CMHR popping up as well.

[Winnipegger@Heart]

The design they had for the failed Main Street location was cool--let's hope for a repeat.

[1ajs]

lol vike u updated ur image

anyhow

Committee clears plan for riverside apartments

By: Bartley Kives
11/06/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 7




HAROLD FUNK ARCHITECT INC. Enlarge Image
An artist’s rendering of the $45-million Heritage Landing on Assiniboine, scheduled to be completed by 2014.

City hall has approved downtown Winnipeg's first new residential highrise in more than two decades but the first residents aren't expected for another four years.
City council's downtown development committee voted unanimously Thursday morning to allow Crystal Developers to build a 25-storey apartment building on a riverfront parcel of Assiniboine Avenue, between the Midtown Bridge and Bonnycastle Park.
The $45-million project, dubbed Heritage Landing on Assiniboine, will include 19 townhouses along Assiniboine Avenue and a 25-storey tower with three floors of commercial space and 22 stories of apartments, with 190 residential units and 200 indoor parking spaces.
Crystal originally planned to build a similar tower at the northeast corner of Fort Street and Assiniboine Avenue, but backed away from a deal to purchase surplus city land in 2008, after the Friends of Upper Fort Garry successfully lobbied to reserve the entire block for a new provincial historical park.
The following year, the city reached a deal to sell Crystal surplus land south of Assiniboine Avenue for $1.8 million to allow the company to build downtown's first residential highrise since the completion of Fort Garry Place in 1990.
The project will create a total of 209 residential units and house approximately 300 people once it's completed in 2014.
"It's been a long time since there's been a residential project in the downtown as significant as this one," Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz said Thursday.
Several setbacks in addition to the highly publicized Upper Fort Garry saga have plagued the project.
Soon after the city reached a deal to sell the land south of Assiniboine Avenue, a major hydro line -- forgotten following the sale of Winnipeg Hydro -- ran straight through the property. This forced the city to reduce the sale price by $200,000 and required architects to move the location of the tower.
Early versions of a site plan were rejected for not doing enough to respect the pedestrian-friendly character of Assiniboine Avenue.
But on Thursday, the downtown development committee praised the latest plan as being a good fit for the high-density Broadway-Assiniboine neighbourhood. Fort Rouge Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, who represents the area, said she's confident the design by Harold Funk Architect will protect public access to the Assiniboine river walk and Bonnycastle Park.
"We've worked very diligently with all the different city departments. That's why it was delayed over and over again, until we had all our ducks in a row," said Crystal Developers director Rubin Spletzer.
His company hopes to take possession by the end of the year, complete a detailed design in 2011 and get shovels in the ground in late 2011. Construction on the tower will take two years, Spletzer said.
Eight out of nine units on every floor will have river views, said architect Gareth Simons. The intention right now is for all of the units to be high-end rental apartments, though some may be sold as condominiums, he said.
St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel, who chairs the downtown development committee, encouraged Crystal to take advantage of city tax credits to allow some units to be more affordable. Gerbasi said Winnipeg must do more to stimulate the creation of affordable housing, but still praised Crystal for developing 300 apartments in a city with a severe shortage of rental units.
According to a city planning report, the project will destroy two trees and present geotechnical challenges for the tower's construction, due to its proximity to the Assiniboine River. But it will not require any traffic improvements on Assiniboine Avenue or the two-way bike boulevard slated to be built along the south side of the street this summer.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 11, 2010 B1