SkyCity Centre Winnipeg | 45F | 575 Ft | 175.26 M | Cancelled

[oftheMoon]

I'm a single empty-nester that works downtown and has lived in the East Exchange going on 2 years now. I had a car and rented spot for the first year, but I've since ditched the car and use Car Co-op to get around.

I still do a weekly or so grocery run (Superstore, Safeway, Sobey's and No Frills), but I am absolutely looking forward to the day when I can replace these runs with a stop on my walk home from work.

If there was a convenient grocery story (SkyCity or TNS or in the actual Exchange) I can say with certainty that I would try to buy 100% of my groceries there.

In the meantime, my set up works fine for me, but a well-placed downtown grocer would enhance downtown living without a doubt.

[robertocarlos]

Skycity to Family Foods on Donald is a 10 minute walk. Notice I am not exaggerating like the real estate people who want to sell you a 500k condo in front of a bus-stop on Portage by claiming it is a 5 minute walk to everything.

PS. I walk 25 minutes to St. B to shop at a proper bakery.

[buzzg]

I drive most places here in Winnipeg as (for now) I live in River Heights, still fairly central but it's easier to drive or in summer bike. When I was in Boston and I walked 25 mins to work every day and it didn't bother me at all, even in winter. Why? because there were actually things to see and activity walking there. Passed lots of stores, restaurants, residential buildings, PEOPLE. That makes a walk like that seem less long/out of the way/awful.

Walking an entire block in Winnipeg's downtown is mostly gonna yield a block long solid wall with one door, 4 lane highway, and a lot of wind. Unless you are in the Exchange or on Portage, walking downtown just seems long often because there's nothing along the walk. But like walking from P&M to The Bay actually doesn't seem nearly as long as it is because there's activity and storefronts all around you.

Hopefully these new developments help a lot. The City really needs to start being a lot more strict on how buildings interact with the street. Portage side aside, Hydro Place is pretty bad for that, for example. And for god sakes put proper bike lanes on the streets people actually use.

[LilZebra]

...

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by emeraldeyes

Certainly what Winnipeggers seem to be expecting in a downtown grocer is much different than what the reality probably should be and what would be most meaningful for really building a community.

"should be" (read expect) one of these...

[LilZebra]

Originally Posted by esquire

Define "large" and "downtown"
Really, this debate is not about places to buy groceries because those clearly exist. It's about a full scale suburban-style big name chain supermarket.

Toronto has a metro supermarket (nee A&P Dominion) at Front St. Market (Church at Front) and is very close to the St. Lawrence Market. It's very similar in size to most Sobey's.

http://www.metro.ca/find-a-store/details.en.html?id=218

[Spocket]

^But that's an unrealistic expectation for anybody in Winnipeg. The people to support a market that size simply aren't living downtown.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by jimj_wpg

Toronto has a metro supermarket (nee A&P Dominion) at Front St. Market (Church at Front) and is very close to the St. Lawrence Market. It's very similar in size to most Sobey's.

http://www.metro.ca/find-a-store/details.en.html?id=218

There is also one in College Park at Yonge and College, big one too. Lots of good size grocery stores downtown.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by esquire

Define "large" and "downtown"

There is a Family Foods on Donald that is probably bigger than what most small town residents in Manitoba use on a regular basis, but because it's not Superstore sized with a parking lot to match, it doesn't count. Same with Giant Tiger.

There is a Safeway on River that you can see from downtown and easily walk to from the southwestern corner of downtown, but because it's south of the Assiniboine River, it doesn't count. Same with the other supermarkets just outside downtown like Safeway on Sargent, or Extra Foods on Notre Dame/Marion.

There is a Young's Foods on William which has a good assortment of basics but because it's an ethnic grocery, it doesn't count. Same with other ethnic grocers like Sun Wah.

Really, this debate is not about places to buy groceries because those clearly exist. It's about a full scale suburban-style big name chain supermarket.

Yeah, I've always wondered why the Family Foods store on Donald was always excluded from being called a downtown grocer!

[CoryB]

^^ Exactly. The Food Fare on Donald seems much more like what will happen in SkyCity than the Superstore on Bison Dr that most people seem to be picturing opening in downtown. Essentially the store will be mostly outside aisle foods (produce, meats, dairy, bakery) and more limited selections of those. For example you aren't going to have eight different varieties of apples to choose from, you might have two. You are going to have premium beef, regular beef, regular pork, and halal pork in the meet section. You can completely cross off that fresh seafood counter too.

The best hope would be that whatever ends up at SkyCity is aligned with a major chain and offers a click and collect depot. You can then go online and order from the full line of the store out in the suburbs, pick it up downtown and also grab a selection from the fresh items in store.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by CoryB

^^ Exactly. The Food Fare on Donald seems much more like what will happen in SkyCity than the Superstore on Bison Dr that most people seem to be picturing opening in downtown. Essentially the store will be mostly outside aisle foods (produce, meats, dairy, bakery) and more limited selections of those. For example you aren't going to have eight different varieties of apples to choose from, you might have two. You are going to have premium beef, regular beef, regular pork, and halal pork in the meet section. You can completely cross off that fresh seafood counter too.

The best hope would be that whatever ends up at SkyCity is aligned with a major chain and offers a click and collect depot. You can then go online and order from the full line of the store out in the suburbs, pick it up downtown and also grab a selection from the fresh items in store.

Sounds fantastic. Does Family Foods do this?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

For example you aren't going to have eight different varieties of apples to choose from, you might have two. You are going to have premium beef, regular beef, regular pork, and halal pork in the meet section.

I doubt you'll be able to find halal pork downtown anytime soon

[Urban recluse]

The idea of having to walk one or two blocks for groceries is what many people entertain when an urban lifestyle is embraced, and that cannot be censured; it is understandable. Unfortunately, the lack of densification has resulted in no grocery store built closer to Waterfront Drive, or the Exchange. As long as the residential developments continue to emerge, this will change. Patience will be needed, as with all of the new residential in the area just starting/about to start, it will be a while until we see the bakeries, butchers, etc which will follow the occupancy of these new developments.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

The idea of having to walk one or two blocks for groceries is what many people entertain when an urban lifestyle is embraced, and that cannot be censured; it is understandable. Unfortunately, the lack of densification has resulted in no grocery store built closer to Waterfront Drive, or the Exchange. As long as the residential developments continue to emerge, this will change. Patience will be needed, as with all of the new residential in the area just starting/about to start, it will be a while until we see the bakeries, butchers, etc which will follow the occupancy of these new developments.

I think the Exchange District and, with all this new residential development, the Portage Avenue area of downtown could probably each support new grocers. However, I think they'll likely be at most Family Foods-scaled. I would simply not expect a full-on supermarket... I don't think the population is there to support that.

But surely having a mid-size grocer within walking distance nearby will work for most people... it might mean having to go out to Superstore or whatever once every month or two to get some of the items a small store doesn't carry, but that's a pretty minor inconvenience IMO, and nothing worse that what any surburbanite has to deal with.

[Urban recluse]

I would agree. Obviously, expansion could occur if grocers are finding success.

[Bluenote]

Winnipeg sun online has posted that Skycity wants to get shovels in the ground 2017. It's a
A larger article. But it's in conjunction with the recent tower on main. Seems they are a lot more sure it's going to get built sooner then later.

[design25]

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2016/04/07/sk...oo?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[NK59]

None of these other developments are getting any money for a public square... surprised they don't at least try and design something for "public space" near the base of the tower on True Norths precedent and ask for some cash to make it happen.

Where is Centre Venture in all this? Why not support all these hi rises and somehow link them together with public space, or at the least a face lift of Graham Ave. What is happening in Winnipeg is a exciting and they should be finding ways to encourage sales of these condos, commercial development, office space commitments, etc. RIDE THE EXCITEMENT! It's all tax dollars. If private companies invest a 700 million in new buildings in the next 5 years, why not 50 million of public money into downtown.

Ohh, and start charging tolls for suburbanite that drive to work in the city every day! $1 to enter the city every morning between 7am-9am.

[Urban recluse]

The grocery store is going to be 25k sq ft rather than 10k? That is good.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by NK59

RIDE THE EXCITEMENT! It's all tax dollars. If private companies invest a 700 million in new buildings in the next 5 years, why not 50 million of public money into downtown.

Ohh, and start charging tolls for suburbanite that drive to work in the city every day! $1 to enter the city every morning between 7am-9am.

Word. Seriously the toll thing is a good idea but would only work if you could make some routes limited access. Or make a congestion tax like london has. Idk