Winnipeg Construction VIII

[Spocket]

Originally Posted by esquire

first it was the uncertainty as to whether the WCC would be expanded, then it was the fact that a hotel was going to be part of the expansion plan. Now that neither of those two things are obstacles, I wonder if they are reconsidering their plans?

I'm sorry, maybe I missed it but did the WCC expansion eventually decide not to bother with a hotel component ?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Spocket

I'm sorry, maybe I missed it but did the WCC expansion eventually decide not to bother with a hotel component ?

There was supposed to be one - the former Carlton Inn site was where it was going to go. But that part of the project fell through and there has been no announcement since. This WFP story from last fall has a bit of background on it.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/convention-centre-denies-delay-claim-224361661.html

[1ajs]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Sports centre soon to take shape
CEO hopes construction will begin by autumn
By: Geoff Kirbyson
Posted: 05/29/2014 1:00 AM

Jeff Hnatiuk believes Sport Manitoba is on the cusp of taking sports to an altogether new level in the province -- for high-level athletes and the community.
The CEO of the non-profit organization that runs amateur sport in the province hopes to see shovels go into the ground for the second phase of its Sport for Life Centre facility this fall.
Plans call for a three-storey, 140,000-square-foot building to be built near Sport Manitoba's current facility -- which is phase one -- on Pacific Avenue.
The main floor of the new space will be dedicated to courts, with the ability to bring out different flooring to accommodate basketball, volleyball or badminton players.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/sports-centre-soon-to-take-shape-261045191.html

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by esquire

There was supposed to be one - the former Carlton Inn site was where it was going to go. But that part of the project fell through and there has been no announcement since. This WFP story from last fall has a bit of background on it.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/convention-centre-denies-delay-claim-224361661.html

they are still required to do it, but being forced on to that site makes it non-viable.

the Lakeview hotel is not being resurrected....they are looking at other options.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

whys construction so high here so bizzar......... or is it everyone upcharging through the roof on everything???

our soil conditions are bad...foundation costs are way higher here than anywhere else...also a shortage of skilled trades...concrete costs are out of this world....pre-cast and poured in place....there is a bit of a monopoly that is being exploited.

there are not enough contractors that can do large projects so competition is low...that leads to inflated costs.

[esquire]

Anyone heard any news about the Michael Maltzan-designed addition to the WAG? Now that the CMHR is almost finished, I'm getting a little restless for our next architectural showpiece...

[Biff]

Originally Posted by esquire

Anyone heard any news about the Michael Maltzan-designed addition to the WAG? Now that the CMHR is almost finished, I'm getting a little restless for our next architectural showpiece...

Early 2015 start. Everything is apparently going well.

[trueviking]

there was an article about it in the WFP a while back.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion...e-north-249233971.html?viewAllComments=y

[esquire]

Originally Posted by trueviking

there was an article about it in the WFP a while back.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion...e-north-249233971.html?viewAllComments=y

I was actually thinking of that article when I asked my question... I don't seem to recall seeing any sort of rendering of the exterior, and I was wondering whether one has surfaced by now.

[drew]

^ I can confirm that preliminary foundation design work was being completed on that site to compare a larger footprint lowrise hotel of around 8 to 10 stories versus a smaller footprint highrise hotel of around 20 stories.

This was as of a few months ago. Not sure where this is at now.

[steveosnyder]

Don't know if anyone has seen the new mixed use commercial that is going up... So I figured I would link to it here (it's on the last page of the report). http://www.winnipeg.ca/CLKDMIS/ViewDoc.a...nitUrl=/CLKDMIS/Documents/rc/2014/a13613

I'm sure glad the build to lines are so close to the street and they are hiding the parking behind the building. It will make the #1 highway all that much more pedestrian friendly. Where is the common sense?

[bomberjet]

Sooo Steveo, not sure if you're just doing the anti-sprawl thing or my sarcasm detector is off today.

Having stores back onto major highways is a good use of land it would seem to me, if you're putting stores next to highways. I would only hope there is room for an access road there. But it might not even be needed here, really. Kind of get backed into a corner at Lag and again at the tracks to the east. I get the whole large parking lots in suburbia thing, etc. There's going to be a diamond interchange at some point 1000 years down the line at the access point to Fermor.

So similar to an interstate for example. Coming into a large (or small) city, there's usually hotels, stores, etc. right off the highway. Coming into Winnipeg from the east there is virtually NOTHING! That one hotel that recently re-opened and that's it. Literally. So doesn't seem like to bad of an idea to me.

Are you completely against suburban development. Or would like to see more of a promenade type development or something? Just a question

[esquire]

As far as suburban shopping areas go, that Dawson Road thing is about par for the course. At least they're paying lip service to urban form, which is something most of these types of developments don't even bother to do anymore.

But that said, is stucco-boxes-in-a-huge-parking-lot the only viable model of retail development left? Is it really out of the question for the city to lay out normal, gridded streets anymore, sell the land and let homes and businesses sprout the way they did from about 1880 to 1960?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

So similar to an interstate for example. Coming into a large (or small) city, there's usually hotels, stores, etc. right off the highway. Coming into Winnipeg from the east there is virtually NOTHING! That one hotel that recently re-opened and that's it. Literally. So doesn't seem like to bad of an idea to me.

There is a big shopping area in Southdale, so I wouldn't say that there's nothing. I'm not sure that it's a good thing to spread the sprawl along the Trans Canada.

[headhorse]

125 Cauchon St.

from 2architecture.ca

400 Wardlaw Ave

from 2architecture.ca

Longhouse - 293 Edison St.

from 2architecture.ca

[biguc]

Originally Posted by esquire

As far as suburban shopping areas go, that Dawson Road thing is about par for the course. At least they're paying lip service to urban form, which is something most of these types of developments don't even bother to do anymore.

But that said, is stucco-boxes-in-a-huge-parking-lot the only viable model of retail development left? Is it really out of the question for the city to lay out normal, gridded streets anymore, sell the land and let homes and businesses sprout the way they did from about 1880 to 1960?

I don't understand who's even building this kind of garbage, or that seasons of Tuxedo crap. Every indication is that retail is set for a huge contraction over the next few years. There's no way there's actual demand for this kind of junk.

[Danny D Oh]

Originally Posted by biguc

I don't understand who's even building this kind of garbage, or that seasons of Tuxedo crap. Every indication is that retail is set for a huge contraction over the next few years. There's no way there's actual demand for this kind of junk.

They're literally building strip malls down the street from failing strip malls with tons of space for lease. All development is good development?

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Are you completely against suburban development. Or would like to see more of a promenade type development or something? Just a question

I am not against suburban development at all. I am against bad development, and I don't think anyone here would argue that this is a great development plan.

And I suppose I put too much emphasis on the fact that this is the highway... I don't like this type of development on North McPhillips, Taylor, Sterling Lyon, or Portage Avenue either (all places where the exact same shit has already been approved too).

And if you want an example of good suburban development I would say the best examples in this City is Old Downtown Transcona and North St. Vital.

As an aside, I drove to my first ultimate game of the season and saw some great development along St. Mary's Road (at least the northern part... the southern part looks like any other suburban crap). The best type of development, incremental. A lot of the homes have been developed into work/live units, and a lot of 3 and 4 floor narrow buildings where single family dwelling were.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by headhorse

125 Cauchon St.

Love it. Beautiful.
This one is currently under construction.

[1ajs]