Winnipeg Construction VIII

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Biff

I always found that little house one of the oddities in downtown as a holdover from what that neighborhood once was a century ago.

One of the last SFHs in the downtown box bounded by Portage, Main, Broadway and Memorial, although it looks as though it has been used as an office for quite some time.

It's hidden away by the billboard to the north... I'm sure many people drive by every day without realizing that it's there!

I presume it will become part of an expanded parking lot?

[cllew]

I think years ago Impark's Winnipeg parking office was in there

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by esquire

One of the last SFHs in the downtown box bounded by Portage, Main, Broadway and Memorial, although it looks as though it has been used as an office for quite some time.

It's hidden away by the billboard to the north... I'm sure many people drive by every day without realizing that it's there!

I presume it will become part of an expanded parking lot?

Another on Fort Street... Mid block between Broadway and York being used as offices. Google Streetview linking isn't working, but it's right here.

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/130+For...!1s0x52ea715053c8134b:0xd3e382565334ad70

[1ajs]

the hydro substation lot on inovation ally and notre dame is fenced off and the parking stall fences are being removed laying in a pile of scrap wood

[CoryB]

Lots of people here must be happy about the surface lot on Notre Dame going away. The substation will add about the equivalent of about three stories of height to the area and get rid of one of those much hated surface lots. Sounds like a win-win.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Lots of people here must be happy about the surface lot on Notre Dame going away. The substation will add about the equivalent of about three stories of height to the area and get rid of one of those much hated surface lots. Sounds like a win-win.

That depends on:

a) the existing substation being repurposed to something and not just demolished with nothing built in its place, and

b) the Luke's Machinery building not being demolished, but it sounds like its fate is sealed.

If we end up getting a substation on one side of the street and a new parking lot on the other, then downtown is no further ahead.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Lots of people here must be happy about the surface lot on Notre Dame going away. The substation will add about the equivalent of about three stories of height to the area and get rid of one of those much hated surface lots. Sounds like a win-win.

clearly you haven't been following along. They want to tear down the adjacent block of buildings to replace the surface parking the substation is taking.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by esquire

That depends on:

a) the existing substation being repurposed to something and not just demolished with nothing built in its place, and

b) the Luke's Machinery building not being demolished, but it sounds like its fate is sealed.

If we end up getting a substation on one side of the street and a new parking lot on the other, then downtown is no further ahead.

it is further behind. Replacing the parking lot with a blank wall substation and giving up an active set of commercial buildings is not an equal trade off. Its not just about the surface parking lot. Its about what replaces it.

You are also right about what they do with the existing station. It could be a double loss. I guarantee they will propose demolition. Two new surface parking lots and one inactive block is no a win for anyone,.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by trueviking

it is further behind. Replacing the parking lot with a blank wall substation and giving up an active set of commercial buildings is not an equal trade off. Its not just about the surface parking lot. Its about what replaces it.

You are also right about what they do with the existing station. It could be a double loss. I guarantee they will propose demolition. Two new surface parking lots and one inactive block is no a win for anyone,.

@TV — try and raise more of a stink about it! Also (not to toot my own horn) but I really think my idea of putting the electrical museum in there and on Innovation Alley no less!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by trueviking

it is further behind. Replacing the parking lot with a blank wall substation and giving up an active set of commercial buildings is not an equal trade off. Its not just about the surface parking lot. Its about what replaces it.

You are also right about what they do with the existing station. It could be a double loss. I guarantee they will propose demolition. Two new surface parking lots and one inactive block is no a win for anyone,.

Yeah, true enough... and on top of that, it sets a juicy precedent that everyone with an old downtown building will cite when they ask the City for permission to demolish.

Originally Posted by buzzg

@TV — try and raise more of a stink about it! Also (not to toot my own horn) but I really think my idea of putting the electrical museum in there and on Innovation Alley no less!

I like the idea of having it downtown, but realistically the Electrical Museum already has a home and I doubt anyone will spend good money to move into a different location.

[CoryB]

I thought the new substation was for an expansion of capacity and not a replacement of the near by substation.

The fate of the buildings on the other side of Notre Dame is far from set as they will require demolition permits which have not been issued yet.

This forum often loses sight that parking, roads and even substations are needed pieces of infrastructure. They might not be a sexy 20 story tower but without them that is going to be a fairly empty building.

I am still surprised no one has started to worry about what is happening to the old Gio's site on Donald. It is immediately next to a different Hydro substation that was being looked at for expansion itself.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I thought the new substation was for an expansion of capacity and not a replacement of the near by substation.

The fate of the buildings on the other side of Notre Dame is far from set as they will require demolition permits which have not been issued yet.

This forum often loses sight that parking, roads and even substations are needed pieces of infrastructure. They might not be a sexy 20 story tower but without them that is going to be a fairly empty building.

I am still surprised no one has started to worry about what is happening to the old Gio's site on Donald. It is immediately next to a different Hydro substation that was being looked at for expansion itself.

No one doubts that some parking is needed, but look at a Google Map satellite image of that area... there is a sea of parking around there and it is far more than could be reasonably said to be necessary.

I agree with you re: the old Gio's. I was thinking about it the other day as I drove by. It looks like an abandoned building now... is something actually going to happen with that site anytime soon?

[CoryB]

I have no issue with removing surface parking but really think steps need to be put in place to ensure new developments provide adequate parking. Look at the SkyCity proposal. It is going to induce a lot more vehicles to require parking downtown due to the residents it plans to attract. The parking lot it sits on now is not completely empty in the day either. Will the project include a net increase in parking to both meet the demand it generates and offset the spots that were lost?

I recall the "One Portage and Main" proposal was taking approximately 75 spots which were in use at the time out of service, adding some condos and hotel rooms but not adding a single spot of parking. That is the type of thing we really need to avoid.

Regarding Gio's it was sold a couple years back but it was never really disclosed to who or what their plans were for the site. This happened after the uproar over the plans for the hydro substation expansion in the Exchange. How quiet that transfer has been makes me wonder if it might be a numbered company acting on behalf of hydro to acquire the property for a future substation expansion. Keep it on the quiet until the shovels are already in the ground.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I have no issue with removing surface parking but really think steps need to be put in place to ensure new developments provide adequate parking. Look at the SkyCity proposal. It is going to induce a lot more vehicles to require parking downtown due to the residents it plans to attract. The parking lot it sits on now is not completely empty in the day either. Will the project include a net increase in parking to both meet the demand it generates and offset the spots that were lost?

I recall the "One Portage and Main" proposal was taking approximately 75 spots which were in use at the time out of service, adding some condos and hotel rooms but not adding a single spot of parking. That is the type of thing we really need to avoid.

No we really don't need to avoid that in the least. What makes you think that the current number of parking spaces is ideal? People pay for parking. If spots are removed and the demand then out strips supply the cost of parking will simply go up until an equilibrium is met. Do you think there's currently enough parking spaces for everyone who works downtown? No there isn't. People take the bus. Losing spots will simple increase the number of people who have to find alternative ways to get to work.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I have no issue with removing surface parking but really think steps need to be put in place to ensure new developments provide adequate parking. Look at the SkyCity proposal. It is going to induce a lot more vehicles to require parking downtown due to the residents it plans to attract. The parking lot it sits on now is not completely empty in the day either. Will the project include a net increase in parking to both meet the demand it generates and offset the spots that were lost?

I recall the "One Portage and Main" proposal was taking approximately 75 spots which were in use at the time out of service, adding some condos and hotel rooms but not adding a single spot of parking. That is the type of thing we really need to avoid.
.

I could not disagree with this statement more. We could lose 20,000 parking stalls and still not have to worry about a lack of parking downtown. In fact, even then I would not be worried about it. If we could do that (reduce the parking stalls by half), it would make transit investment a priority, it would improve the livability of downtown which would then be a healthy vibrant neighbourhood that doesn't require parking. The model of downtown being a daytime parking lot for suburban commuters is not the end goal.

Availability of parking is an inverse relationship to the quality of a city. without fail. There are no examples of the opposite.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by buzzg

@TV — try and raise more of a stink about it! Also (not to toot my own horn) but I really think my idea of putting the electrical museum in there and on Innovation Alley no less!

its a great idea....

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by trueviking

If we could do that (reduce the parking stalls by half), it would make transit investment a priority, it would improve the livability of downtown which would then be a healthy vibrant neighbourhood that doesn't require parking.

Like that is ever going to happen.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Like that is ever going to happen.

You're right in that if we just keep building roads and suburbia like it's 1972, it won't happen.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Regarding Gio's it was sold a couple years back but it was never really disclosed to who or what their plans were for the site. This happened after the uproar over the plans for the hydro substation expansion in the Exchange. How quiet that transfer has been makes me wonder if it might be a numbered company acting on behalf of hydro to acquire the property for a future substation expansion. Keep it on the quiet until the shovels are already in the ground.

When did the land get sold? Back in Apr 2014 the Free Press reported that Gio's land was owned by Lount Corp. who were looking at demolishing and redeveloping pending on resolving parking issues.

[CoryB]

Winnipeg already has businesses leaving downtown due to the "lack of parking". There are also many documented cases of condos being built in the Exchange where they are an extremely tough sale due to the "lack of parking". It definitely makes sense to then continue to reduce the available parking in the downtown area while also increasing demand. Running a quick search on Impark for monthly parking shows Winnipeg and Vancouver already have similar rates. Also sitting in your ivory tower suggesting people will find alternatives speaks volumes about how often you have actually taken public transit in Winnipeg. This is not Vancouver with a Skytrain network and we are a lifetime away from that. It has taken around 10 years and more than 30 years of talking before that to get a single rapid transit line built. Saying new developments downtown should be approved with little or no parking to replace surface lots is going to do far more to set the forward progress of Winnipeg back than tearing down a single story building every will. Saying any different is trying to present a textbook ideal vision rather than working to adapt to the local market conditions.