Winnipeg Construction

[Boreal]

Oh okay, thanks. I've long thought Fort Richmond could support more condos/apartments, given the great access routes (Pembina, South Perimeter, Waverley, Bison Drive and easy connetion onto Route 90), is home to many desirable amenities, and is one of the most culturally diverse neighbourhoods west of Toronto (though my knowledge of Calgary and Vancouver neighbourhoods is admittedly spotty at best), yet much of Pembina south of Bison Drive remains with some remarkable gaps along the street scape, or with some questionable establishments that you wouldn't necessarily expect in this middle-income+ neighbourhood (Queen Bee Motel, anyone?).

Anyways, glad to hear about the new condos going up, its a great area. Fort Richmond still perplexes me.

[Mininari]

Residential.

Maybe residential space is less densely used than office space, but I'd much rather see an increase in the population to make it feasible for more businesses and restaurants to stay open later, and have weekend hours. It is simply depressing how dead and deserted the downtown, exchange and waterfront neighborhoods become on weekends, particularly Sundays. Granted we won't change that overnight, but I think a residential boost would do wonders for the vibrancy. More office people just makes for a busier M-F 9 - 5 period.

Originally Posted by h0twired

Offices.

Boosts condo development throughout the downtown, adds demand for parking/transit, adds 2000-3000 (assuming 100 people per floor) more shoppers to Winnipeg Square along with the thousands of lunches and after work drinks at downtown restaurants.

[dpenner]

more residential more restaurants, more pubs, anything to get people on the streets past 5pm

North waterfront needs to be heavily developed, more condos along with the M2 engineering project and you cube. Somebody needs to take over the vita foam building and convert it same with the Hunter wire property. I understand that this destroys the theory of true mixed use but both are such eyesores. Argyle and Heaton st area would be nice to see more multi family residential. Would love to see some brick 2-4 store side by side townhouses with basement and attic apartments in there somewhere like they have in Ottawa, but thats just personal preference.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the Connelly signs building on Heaton. Wicked building that would also make a nice conversion (that is of course if it is plausible, I'm not architect or engineer)

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by Mininari

Residential.

Maybe residential space is less densely used than office space, but I'd much rather see an increase in the population to make it feasible for more businesses and restaurants to stay open later, and have weekend hours. It is simply depressing how dead and deserted the downtown, exchange and waterfront neighborhoods become on weekends, particularly Sundays. Granted we won't change that overnight, but I think a residential boost would do wonders for the vibrancy. More office people just makes for a busier M-F 9 - 5 period.

Thank you! Been to Winnipeg Square 2 pm on a Saturday, NOTHING is open. Not even the McDonalds of all things...

[Chadillaccc]

CMHR


http://www.humanrightsmuseum.ca/building-museum/museum-progress/construction-web-cams/west-view


I just like seeing it on this forum

[roccerfeller]

Whoa sweet pic! I can't wait to see thing thing myself soon

[Enjoy03]

Wow, I can't believe how gorgeous it looks. Can't wait till they install the first windows.

[Chadillaccc]

looks like they're gonna start installing the windows mighty soon!

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Thank you! Been to Winnipeg Square 2 pm on a Saturday, NOTHING is open. Not even the McDonalds of all things...

Go to almost any mall housed in an office tower in any city in Canada and you will have the same thing.

These shops cater to those that work in the area since few live right in the area. When I was living in Calgary all of the food courts downtown shut down in the afternoon and weren't open on weekends either. In Toronto most of the PATH system is closed in the evenings and weekends too.

These are in cities with VERY large downtown residential populations.

Winnipeg Square will NEVER be another Polo Park. Even if you have another 1000 people living nearby. If anything you might have longer hours from Monday - Wednesday at Portage Place. However even then you would probably need another 10,000 people living in the core.

I have said it time and time again. If you want X more people living in the core you first need 10 times more people working in the core. The more people you have working in the core, the more likely people are going to get tired of sitting in traffic and paying high prices for parking. This is what will ultimately drive the demand for condos downtown.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by Mininari

Residential.

Maybe residential space is less densely used than office space, but I'd much rather see an increase in the population to make it feasible for more businesses and restaurants to stay open later, and have weekend hours. It is simply depressing how dead and deserted the downtown, exchange and waterfront neighborhoods become on weekends, particularly Sundays. Granted we won't change that overnight, but I think a residential boost would do wonders for the vibrancy. More office people just makes for a busier M-F 9 - 5 period.

More offices drive the demand for more housing downtown as traffic gets worse and parking increases in cost. If you were paying $300-400/month for a parking spot and were spending a hour each direction to and from work wouldn't you consider a downtown residence?

There is a reason why in Calgary the cost of housing the closer you get to downtown goes up dramatically. The houses aren't bigger or fancier, its the location that is in high demand.

[Winnipegger@Heart]

One of the results of a misguided social policy to create "project" like housing for the poor downtown: the further you get away from downtown Winnipeg, the pricier the housing. The housing stock at the periphery of downtown Winnipeg is embarrassing. To think the area around Central Park was very high end so many decades ago...so much of these areas need to be razed becsause at the current pace of redevelopment, we are talking maybe 50 years by the time these areas look good...and I am being generous.

Forget Winnipeg Square. The focus needs to be on densifying Waterfront redeveloping any underutilized buildings downtown including the Exchange. Where other cities have developers with vision to convert stagnant office space into residential, we seem to lack this ingenuity. Redevelopment of the west end and west broadway needs to be fast tracked because the housing stock there still consists of too much derelict housing.

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger@Heart

One of the results of a misguided social policy to create "project" like housing for the poor downtown: the further you get away from downtown Winnipeg, the pricier the housing. The housing stock at the periphery of downtown Winnipeg is embarrassing. To think the area around Central Park was very high end so many decades ago...so much of these areas need to be razed becsause at the current pace of redevelopment, we are talking maybe 50 years by the time these areas look good...and I am being generous.

Forget Winnipeg Square. The focus needs to be on densifying Waterfront redeveloping any underutilized buildings downtown including the Exchange. Where other cities have developers with vision to convert stagnant office space into residential, we seem to lack this ingenuity. Redevelopment of the west end and west broadway needs to be fast tracked because the housing stock there still consists of too much derelict housing.

Agreed, the West Broadway housing makes me shudder whenever I go by on the 16/18/60. As for hotwireds malls comment, Bankers Hall and the Core are open on weekends. As for evenings, no idea

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Agreed, the West Broadway housing makes me shudder whenever I go by on the 16/18/60. As for hotwireds malls comment, Bankers Hall and the Core are open on weekends. As for evenings, no idea

The Core and Bankers Hall is more like the equivalent of Portage Place and not Winnipeg Square.

Both The Core and Bankers Hall are tied heavily into the pedestrian area of Stephen Ave and The Core has some MAJOR stores in the mall that bring in regular shoppers.

The Shops of Winnipeg Square is a collection of services and merchants selected primarily for the offices workers in the immediate area during regular working hours. There is really nothing unique to Winnipeg Square that cannot be found at a suburban strip mall.

Compare that to something like The Core in Calgary that has a 3 floor Holt Renfrew (formerly Eaton's/Sears), 2-floor Harry Rosen, Brooks Brothers, 2-floor H&M (coming soon), Lacoste, BCBG, Banana Republic, Aritzia etc.

If you want the Shops of Winnipeg Square to be anything like that you will need to see Portage Place undergo some MAJOR shifts in shopping first. And if Calgary is a model you wish to emulate, Winnipeg will need a few major office towers built and occupied near Portage and Main and a beltline development (Exchange, West Broadway, Waterfront, St. B., Centennial, Assiniboine, Osborne etc) with an additional 30-40 thousand people living there.

Take a look at the Toronto PATH website.

http://www.torontopath.com/view/Home.aspx

You will notice that even in downtown Toronto there are many underground shops that are only open M-F during business hours.

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by h0twired

The Core and Bankers Hall is more like the equivalent of Portage Place and not Winnipeg Square.

Both The Core and Bankers Hall are tied heavily into the pedestrian area of Stephen Ave and The Core has some MAJOR stores in the mall that bring in regular shoppers.

The Shops of Winnipeg Square is a collection of services and merchants selected primarily for the offices workers in the immediate area during regular working hours. There is really nothing unique to Winnipeg Square that cannot be found at a suburban strip mall.

Compare that to something like The Core in Calgary that has a 3 floor Holt Renfrew (formerly Eaton's/Sears), 2-floor Harry Rosen, Brooks Brothers, 2-floor H&M (coming soon), Lacoste, BCBG, Banana Republic, Aritzia etc.

If you want the Shops of Winnipeg Square to be anything like that you will need to see Portage Place undergo some MAJOR shifts in shopping first. And if Calgary is a model you wish to emulate, Winnipeg will need a few major office towers built and occupied near Portage and Main and a beltline development (Exchange, West Broadway, Waterfront, St. B., Centennial, Assiniboine, Osborne etc) with an additional 30-40 thousand people living there.

Take a look at the Toronto PATH website.

http://www.torontopath.com/view/Home.aspx

You will notice that even in downtown Toronto there are many underground shops that are only open M-F during business hours.

Too bad all the riff-raff lay around Portage Place. That might be the biggest problem to its success. Suburbanites don't exactly like to get stabbed, or asked for change/cigarettes by various panhandlers or listen to the word "—" 101 times while waiting for a bus. SPEAKING OF BUSES:

- 153 is in
- D901 #107 was out of the garage and got a few pictures

[flatlander]

Originally Posted by h0twired

I have said it time and time again. If you want X more people living in the core you first need 10 times more people working in the core. The more people you have working in the core, the more likely people are going to get tired of sitting in traffic and paying high prices for parking. This is what will ultimately drive the demand for condos downtown.

Gotta disagree with you. I'm too lazy to find the studies, but I recall reading a backgrounder for Our Winnipeg that indicated that Winnipeg (and Calgary if I recall) had one of the highest percentages of jobs being located downtown. And also two of the more boring downtowns. And in Vancouver, concern was expressed that housing was actually driving out office jobs to the suburbs. I had a couple of friends who lived downtown (Yaletown actually) and the west end but worked in Burnaby and Richmond.

While it certainly helps to have jobs downtown, it doesn't necessarily lead to a vibrant downtown. There is more to downtown living than convenience. It's a lifestyle decision (part of which is convenience).

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by flatlander

Gotta disagree with you. I'm too lazy to find the studies, but I recall reading a backgrounder for Our Winnipeg that indicated that Winnipeg (and Calgary if I recall) had one of the highest percentages of jobs being located downtown. And also two of the more boring downtowns. And in Vancouver, concern was expressed that housing was actually driving out office jobs to the suburbs. I had a couple of friends who lived downtown (Yaletown actually) and the west end but worked in Burnaby and Richmond.

While it certainly helps to have jobs downtown, it doesn't necessarily lead to a vibrant downtown. There is more to downtown living than convenience. It's a lifestyle decision (part of which is convenience).

You're correct - Winnipeg has one of the highest percentages of downtown workers on the continent. About 75,000 of the 410,000 workers in the city work downtown (or just under 20% of all workers, which is huge!). Your'e also right about the Vancouver situation, which is starting to be seen in Toronto as well to a lesser extent. Almost all new development in downtown Toronto is residential (mostly condo), and there are very few office projects u/c or in the works. This has lead to more and more reverse commuting (as you mention), where people living in downtown highrises are heading out to Mississauga, Markham and Vaughan every morning...

[1ajs]

hampel & ave reno's


cmhr

[Chadillaccc]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

hampel & ave reno's


cmhr

Thanks 1ajs!

Do you know the estimated completion date of the Hampel and Ave. buildings?

and would you also know the ETA on glass for the CMHR?

[1ajs]

no and no i don't

[Winnipegger@Heart]

Increasing the height of the Hample Building to that of the Ave Building improves the appearance of the streetscape a lot.

As for downtown Calgary, considering it has high end shopping, it is doing just fine thank you. There are many areas of Manhattan that are dead after 5pm, just like a lot of other cities. Downtown Calgary is far from boring; that would be Winnipeg. You do not see an overabundance of organizations trying to save downtown Calgary, while in Winnipeg, there are organizations aplenty attempting this very feat, which is taking a very long time. Downtown Calgary has texture with a variety of architecture styles, as well as density, not a plethora of empty lots, and dreary landscapes like we have. The NDP has done nothing to attract investment, and the proof is in the lack of interest in our downtown office market. Also, you know what I never, ever hear when in downtown Calgary? "Eh, buddy, got some money dere"?