Winnipeg | Downtown | True North Square | U/C - Page 157

Authentic_City · #**3121** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 12:40 AM**

^Tipping point is a hard concept to define. But I'm not sure we've reached it yet by any means. I spend everyday downtown and I see some bright spots, but still a long way to go before it feels like a vibrant place. More residential is key. TN is going to help for sure. Maybe your view from afar seems rosier than my view up close?

buzzg · #**3122** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:12 AM**

I just think the view from up close has to take account what that view was 10 years ago - then it's hard not to see what's happening.

Jets4Life · #**3123** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

^Tipping point is a hard concept to define. But I'm not sure we've reached it yet by any means. I spend everyday downtown and I see some bright spots, but still a long way to go before it feels like a vibrant place. More residential is key. TN is going to help for sure. Maybe your view from afar seems rosier than my view up close?

Absolutely. Residential is key. The people need basic necessities, considering a significant percentage will use transit. For groceries, what is available downtown? Is the old grocery store at the Bay closed? I was thinking with some redevelopment (get rid of the food court), Portage Place could house a compacted Sobeys. The Downtown certainly will need one if the population of the area increases.

buzzg · #**3124** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Absolutely. Residential is key. The people need basic necessities, considering a significant percentage will use transit. For groceries, what is available downtown? Is the old grocery store at the Bay closed? I was thinking with some redevelopment (get rid of the food court), Portage Place could house a compacted Sobeys. The Downtown certainly will need one if the population of the area increases.

I despise the Service Canada setup in Portage Place. Sure it filled a big space for now, but unless they move (so unlikely with government), that side of the Promenade is destined to be closed off, even if a lot of development happens on or near PP in the next while.

Jets4Life · #**3125** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzg

I despise the Service Canada setup in Portage Place. Sure it filled a big space for now, but unless they move (so unlikely with government), that side of the Promenade is destined to be closed off, even if a lot of development happens on or near PP in the next while.

Downtown really needs a supermarket (among other things) to make it practical to live there. I was thinking an ideal spot would be at Hargrave and York. If that does not pan out, why not fill in the grave parking lot at the Forks (north of York) with a Superstore or WalMart? It may entice more people that live along Waterfront Drive to stay, or attract new residents.

OTA in Winnipeg · #**3126** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

Absolutely. Residential is key. The people need basic necessities, considering a significant percentage will use transit. For groceries, what is available downtown? Is the old grocery store at the Bay closed? I was thinking with some redevelopment (get rid of the food court), Portage Place could house a compacted Sobeys. The Downtown certainly will need one if the population of the area increases.

Closed a few years ago. Never figured that out. They were obviously making money.

DEFINITELY KILL THE FOOD COURT. The whole thing is a drug den and worse.

Jets4Life · #**3127** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 2:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTA in Winnipeg

Closed a few years ago. Never figured that out. They were obviously making money.

DEFINITELY KILL THE FOOD COURT. The whole thing is a drug den and worse.

^This

The Food Court should have been closed 15 years ago. Any benefit it had to Portage Place was outweighed by the criminal element that loitered there. It was a huge black eye for the mall and surrounding area.

esquire · #**3128** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 2:33 AM**

^ The food court is the busiest and most profitable part of the mall... it isn't going anywhere. As someone who works in the area, I'd certainly miss it if it were gone.

So many downtown revitalization efforts are aimed at bringing people downtown...well, here's a downtown place where people meet and eat every day. And you guys want to shut it down?

Tacheguy · #**3129** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 2:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ The food court is the busiest and most profitable part of the mall... it isn't going anywhere. As someone who works in the area, I'd certainly miss it if it were gone.

So many downtown revitalization efforts are aimed at bringing people downtown...well, here's a downtown place where people meet and eat every day. And you guys want to shut it down?

I used to go there often for lunch before I retired. never found it as bad as people say. I kind of found it interesting actually..

Jets4Life · #**3130** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 3:03 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ The food court is the busiest and most profitable part of the mall... it isn't going anywhere. As someone who works in the area, I'd certainly miss it if it were gone.

So many downtown revitalization efforts are aimed at bringing people downtown...well, here's a downtown place where people meet and eat every day. And you guys want to shut it down?

If you cannot figure out why the Food Court should be converted into something else, then God help you.

As for the bolded statement, I should not even dignify that with a response. "Portage Place Food Court" is well known to even people outside Winnipeg, for all the wrong reasons. Winnipeg's answer to "Crack Mac's" in Calgary. Then again, Calgary actually addressed the issue by moving the CTrain platform away from it (after it took someone getting killed over a drug deal), surveillance, and increased Police presence also helped. All Winnipeg has is a bunch of Garda security officers harassing people to not sit on the planters.

Geebrr · #**3131** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 3:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ The food court is the busiest and most profitable part of the mall... it isn't going anywhere. As someone who works in the area, I'd certainly miss it if it were gone.

So many downtown revitalization efforts are aimed at bringing people downtown...well, here's a downtown place where people meet and eat every day. And you guys want to shut it down?

I find the people who have the strongest opinions about downtown are people who are never actually down there, cling to pre-conceived notions about what it is.

I love downtown, and it is getting better all the time. I've yet to visit a major centre downtown and not encountered homeless people (who are mostly harmless). Cripes, go to TO they have a great downtown...they also have little homeless outdoor apartments set up in front of Union Station.

Back to Portage Place...I will just never understand how a mall that size came to be with 3 malls in a relatively small area. Not department stores...malls.

It is just too big and there are no stores in it to really make people wanna go to it.

It is not that bad, but people won't go out of their way for it.

Roger Strong · #**3132** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 3:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jets4Life

If you cannot figure out why the Food Court should be converted into something else, then God help you.

Yay. Another hair salon.

Thanks, God.

Geebrr · #**3133** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 3:18 AM**

Here is a dumb question:

Is the current height of it basically what it finishes at?

esquire · #**3134** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geebrr

Here is a dumb question:

Is the current height of it basically what it finishes at?

Current height of what?

The Unknown Poster · #**3135** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:43 PM**

If I recall, didnt David Thomson own the land Eatons sat on? So he would have had an interest in its development. I think that was the original connection between him and Chipman.

Its always been speculated that Thomson's deep pockets allowed True North to pay for the thrashers. There was an interesting story going around that Ill have to look for. Supposedly the NHL tried to screw around with True North as it relates to buying an NHL team and Thomson snuffed it out.

Never a bad thing having a man that rich and powerful on your team.

Given the relatively minor return on investment of the Jets themselves, surely Thomson's interest wasnt just in hockey (though he is a big hockey fan). We're seeing the bigger picture now as True North and their related businesses expand throughout the downtown.

esquire · #**3136** Posted **Aug 10, 2017, 1:50 PM**

^ Yes, Thomson's company Osmington Inc. somehow came to own the Eaton's store on Portage Avenue. I don't remember exactly why they became the owners... I'm not sure if it was a deliberate acquisition or if it came in a bundle of former Eaton's properties or what. But the point is that he came to own it.

Then there was a convergence of factors that led to Thomson teaming up with the Chipmans to develop what is now Bell MTS Place. You have to wonder if the return of the NHL could have happened without all of those small coincidences... I mean, what if TNSE built its arena on the originally envisioned site south of the Convention Centre? Without Thomson and his massive financial resources, would TNSE have been able to wrestle the Thrashers away from Atlanta? I suppose it's possible, but it never hurts to have one of the richest guys in the world on your side.