Winnipeg Construction IX

[dmacc]

Originally Posted by buzzg

I think with new signage going up it'll make a big difference, it's not too bad during the day (see link). Would be cool to have some sort of art go up on the right "tower" part – it's just a concrete wall. Definitely could could look stunning at night with some creative lighting to show off all its lines and design features.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.8948017,-...2PCHg0qKGgkX-auc0OrFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



The entire building is parking except the main floor and the vertical "tower" part on the left. Each condo unit (left side) is an entire floor, so there's only 5. Remember seeing a pics of one of them a while back and it was beautiful. I think they were in the $500-750k range IIRC. There's ppl willing to pay nearly $1m to live on Portage – incredible.

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The Sterling building is filling in the cut out in the building you can see here here with an emergency staircase – will be interesting to see how they finish it on the outside.

I'd love to see the dollarama on portage disappear.

[Urban recluse]

I am at the point where it can exist there, but that building needs to be replaced by something modern, and taller.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by buzzg

The entire building is parking except the main floor and the vertical "tower" part on the left. Each condo unit (left side) is an entire floor, so there's only 5. Remember seeing a pics of one of them a while back and it was beautiful. I think they were in the $500-750k range IIRC. There's ppl willing to pay nearly $1m to live on Portage – incredible.

There were units on the market seemingly forever... from what I could tell maybe one sold right away and the rest lingered for a long time. No question that people want to live around there (consider the Lindsay and Avenue Building conversions nearby), but that price point is a much tougher sell.

I always found it a little odd how that building could never find tenants in its original office building incarnation. The Dreman family business occupied a floor for years, but through the late 90s and 00s it was mostly empty.

[Roger Strong]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Remember seeing a pics of one of them a while back and it was beautiful. I think they were in the $500-750k range IIRC. There's ppl willing to pay nearly $1m to live on Portage – incredible.

At least a couple units made it onto the MLS. If I recall correctly one was finished, and the others were stripped to the cement. The buyer would finish it to their own specs.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

The owners painted part of it black not too long ago. I think it would pop if painted a burnt orange color. The parkade portion, well, that needs a lot more than paint IMO.

Yeah. A fairly simple, nice upgrade could be just to install some coloured decorative panels over certain portions. Liven it up a bit while respecting its classic lines. Unfortunately as I'd imagine the bulk of the revenue comes from parking, it's probably fairly unlikely (until retail rents start to balloon on Portage)..

Originally Posted by dmacc

I'd love to see the dollarama on portage disappear.

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

I am at the point where it can exist there, but that building needs to be replaced by something modern, and taller.

Yeah it's not the nicest obviously, but at this point it's low on my list as it's an active, busy storefront open later than most retail in the area, and there's still numerous empty CRUs on Portage, and a former-park-turned-gravel-surface-lot.

I'd love to see CentreVenture purchase the old JellyBean Park and make it into a park again until a developer comes along – if it's not part of whatever the new Boyd plans are.

[Urban recluse]

Even something like this would make it more modern:


https://www.booking.com/hotel/my/ipoh-downtown.html

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

I am at the point where it can exist there, but that building needs to be replaced by something modern, and taller.

I work downtown and occasionally need to pick up various inexpensive items (measuring tape, cheap candy, an extra pair of mitts). Where else downtown could someone go to find these things?

I know the Portage Avenue Dollarama draws a customer base that looks like a Dickens novel (but with activewear and chronic obesity). I get it. But any useful retail store is better than another ground floor office.

People can scoff at the Giant Tiger on Donald and Ellice as they drive home to the suburbs, daydreaming about when a Whole Foods will magically appear downtown. But the reality is, for people who actually live in the Exchange District or on Portage Avenue, Giant Tiger is their nearest and best grocery store option.

But yes, would totally love to see the Dollarama building leveled and a multi-storey building replace it, with or without Dollarama on the ground floor. The fact that a one-storey stucco box could be built on Portage Avenue is a testament to how grim the late '90s/early '00s were.

[Urban recluse]

All true.

Downtown is no different than any other neighborhood: it needs to cater to everyone, and that includes having discount retailers. I am a frugal Ukrainian, and I have shopped at GT.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by wardlow

I work downtown and occasionally need to pick up various inexpensive items (measuring tape, cheap candy, an extra pair of mitts). Where else downtown could someone go to find these things?

I know the Portage Avenue Dollarama draws a customer base that looks like a Dickens novel (but with activewear and chronic obesity). I get it. But any useful retail store is better than another ground floor office.

People can scoff at the Giant Tiger on Donald and Ellice as they drive home to the suburbs, daydreaming about when a Whole Foods will magically appear downtown. But the reality is, for people who actually live in the Exchange District or on Portage Avenue, Giant Tiger is their nearest and best grocery store option.

But yes, would totally love to see the Dollarama building leveled and a multi-storey building replace it, with or without Dollarama on the ground floor. The fact that a one-storey stucco box could be built on Portage Avenue is a testament to how grim the late '90s/early '00s were.

I'm of two minds on the whole situation. As a former downtown resident and current downtown worker, I appreciate the non-glamorous but very functional stores like Dollarama and Dollar Tree. I find them useful for buying random small items at lunch instead of having to make a special trip in the evening. But at the same time I recognize that having a single-storey big box dollar store on what is supposed to be our main drag is not really the greatest thing when it comes to the city's image.

Giant Tiger is fine given that it's a block off Portage and really isn't that visible. Even Dollar Tree is no big deal given that it's at the base of a big building with other things in it. But Dollarama is a bit of a monument to the bad old days. I suppose the best case scenario is to have the site redeveloped into a new building and to have Dollarama move somewhere else nearby, like maybe to the main floor of Cityplace or in the mall area at Winnipeg Square. And hey, if you think that's unlikely, just remember that the building's owner, Gendis, developed another one of its downtown discount store sites into what is now Manitoba Hydro Place.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by wardlow

I work downtown and occasionally need to pick up various inexpensive items (measuring tape, cheap candy, an extra pair of mitts). Where else downtown could someone go to find these things?

I know the Portage Avenue Dollarama draws a customer base that looks like a Dickens novel (but with activewear and chronic obesity). I get it. But any useful retail store is better than another ground floor office.

People can scoff at the Giant Tiger on Donald and Ellice as they drive home to the suburbs, daydreaming about when a Whole Foods will magically appear downtown. But the reality is, for people who actually live in the Exchange District or on Portage Avenue, Giant Tiger is their nearest and best grocery store option.

But yes, would totally love to see the Dollarama building leveled and a multi-storey building replace it, with or without Dollarama on the ground floor. The fact that a one-storey stucco box could be built on Portage Avenue is a testament to how grim the late '90s/early '00s were.

Dollartree. Giant Tiger. Dollarama in Portage Place.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by cheswick

Dollarama in Portage Place.

Both Dollaramas are very busy, there is clearly demand for more than just one.

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by esquire

Both Dollaramas are very busy, there is clearly demand for more than just one.

A&B sound building was going to be turned into another dollar store before centreventure stepped in. The demand is there no doubt. My point is, discount retailing the downtown does not lack. If that Dollarama shut down tomorrow there are other current options downtown that would fill the need just fine.

[buzzg]

I've seen numerous Dollarama locations on major streets in big cities like Montreal, TO, Van that have main floor entrances that lead directly to basement or up to second level. Eventually, as vacancies on Portage and surrounding area get filled, and property values/rent increase – this will become more viable and no doubt Gendis will look at making more out of their property. At this point though, it's easy to see why they don't want to make a big move just yet. Things are changing and this increased demand is rising, albeit slowly, but it will happen.

[bomberjet]

The point is the single storey, suburban type Dollarama on Portage Ave in downtown. Waste of space. But it serves the purpose as others mentioned.

[Roger Strong]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

The point is the single storey, suburban type Dollarama on Portage Ave in downtown. Waste of space.

So, between 300 and 360 Main then, where the grocery store and hotel were both proposed and rejected.

(I just want to see the artists' renderings with the Dollarama signs in place.)

[trueviking]

I don’t mind the existence of dollar stores downtown but I do mind that there are only dollar stores downtown.

[Tacheguy]

I wonder how many people here make a point of trying to shop at the Bay downtown.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by Tacheguy

I wonder how many people here make a point of trying to shop at the Bay downtown.

I've always thought that if I could afford to shop at any Bay I'd shop at the one downtown

[Tacheguy]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I've always thought that if I could afford to shop at any Bay I'd shop at the one downtown

It's actually a pretty good store. I stick to the frequent sales.

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by buzzg

I've seen numerous Dollarama locations on major streets in big cities like Montreal, TO, Van that have main floor entrances that lead directly to basement or up to second level. Eventually, as vacancies on Portage and surrounding area get filled, and property values/rent increase – this will become more viable and no doubt Gendis will look at making more out of their property. At this point though, it's easy to see why they don't want to make a big move just yet. Things are changing and this increased demand is rising, albeit slowly, but it will happen.

This. I've always found it a bit strange the hate Dollarama gets being on Portage. It's always active, and is quite handy for those living/working downtown. I sometimes wonder how many people here have actually visited urban cities downtowns. Like you said, There are several Dollaramas in downtown Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Most of them are in 2 or 3 storey buildings, and many are on main drags like Yonge or Ste Catherines. In fact, most of the buildings along those urban stretches of downtowns are 2 or 3 storeys.