Winnipeg Construction IX

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by drew

https://www.google.com/maps/@49.8969135,...TlW0k3uNNK0hLMjNrym0g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Charming, narrow street this is not.

I count ONE door facing the street from the old Custom's building.

The grain exchange has zero.

Further down you have a parkade, surface parking.

Next, you progress to what is functionally the 🞵🞵🞵 end of Ship Street, and the Bricks building and National Bank building.

What am I missing here? What kind of tsunami of development unseen in Winnipeg in 100 years would have to happen to get this street into a "charming" narrow street a la Boston?

So I suppose we should contribute to the current blight, and not transform it. One kick-🞵🞵🞵 residential infill here could make a world of difference.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

The Bertha St. apartment block isn't great but at least it has more than just parking on the main level. So to that extent it has a leg up on this McDermot proposal.

Is there any chance that the city can play a role in ameliorating the parking situation? Instead of every new development getting built with parking on levels 1 and 2, perhaps a larger parkade could be built to serve several developments? You can reach an awful lot of buildings from that area within a 5 minute walk.

About a month ago the decorative steel around the CRU went up and it looks fantastic. When looking at the renders, it appears it's the same design that was supposed to go up as the faux balconies instead of the red prison bars. IMO if they went with these, it would look f'in awesome.

Wonder if someone filed a complaint with the city if they'd force them to fix it – just like what happened with the residential building on Maryland? It's clear they didn't finish the building as planned.

Side note, I heard it's possible the Impark building could come down as soon as fall to make room for another apartment building, likely 6 stories.

Originally Posted by Kris22

I personally would rather that lot stay surface parking until the end of time than have that atrocity go up. Other than being built to the sidewalk it will contribute NOTHING to the urban fabric of the east exchange. Yes that block is a little bleak right now but putting this there would condemn it to being bleak forever. Not to mention that just a block away is a thriving street...

At least with a surface lot we can hang on to some bit of hope or delusion!

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

So I suppose we should contribute to the current blight, and not transform it. One kick-🞵🞵🞵 residential infill here could make a world of difference.

Exactly. Currently the block has only 50% frontage taken. If the remaining 50 were built with "proper" or active fronts, that's a pretty damn good block by our standards. We have some fully developed blocks with ZERO street activity, so we're doing OK. The reason why it's currently dead is because there isn't active retail – it doesn't have to be that way.

Rather than kill it forever, let's leave opportunity open. Some of the window bays in Grain Exchange could easily be converted to entrances (stairs up or down) in the future if it demanded – but if we kill the block, we lose that opportunity forever.

I've always hoped that this whole lot (including Bannatyne side right to 140) would actually be divided with a lane going perpendicular to McD/Bann, to connect the two streets mid block. You continue the John Hirsch lane through to McDermot and all of a sudden you have this AMAZING alleyway system through the East Exchange, with active alleys like the biz and city are pushing for. Imagine JHP streetscaped like the new part, running all the way from Confederation building to here.

[Urban recluse]

Exactly! CRUs could be built in every building that currently does not have. It is just a matter of demand. Accepting some nasty-🞵🞵🞵 parkade is not an option.

[buzzg]

^Yup, and if we start improving the street and area now, maybe in 10-15 years land becomes valuable enough to make that abomination of a parkade get torn down to build a tower.

[headhorse]

I also imagined that lot and the lot facing bannatyne being filled with live/work units on the ground floor or even townhouses... not saying retail will work everywhere but there are much better uses than parking.

[buzzg]

I’d hate to see townhouses on the Bannatyne side. That block has the best chance in the whole Exhange to be amazing on both sides. Should be commercial ground floor the entire block. I’d be a little less concerned on McD but still think townhouse style should be reserved for the streets further north. The townhouses in Porter building are so weird. I’m confident they would have leased out retail there on Rorie very quickly.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by headhorse

came across this disaster today... 129 Mcdermot


from collierscanada.com

I guess the parkade across the street set a precedent

.. ground floor of this building is also going to be completely devoted to parking. that entire stretch of Mcdermot is basically going to be parking garages all along.. quite the score for the neighbourhood. 3 parking garages within 1/2 block of one corner.

It’s not real. Was a proposal for an rfp. Maybe MLCC?

Phew.

[trueviking]

Someone mentioned the one storey building at the end of market. I wouldn’t expect to see any new build residential downtown without a TIF program. There will be conversions but nothing new. I can’t see how the economics would work.

[buzzg]

It's not like they broke the bank on materials and finish of 98M, haha. He already owns the property. As of February I heard it was still planning to go ahead.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by trueviking

It’s not real. Was a proposal for an rfp. Maybe MLCC?

Phew.

For what it's worth, Colliers is actively marketing it.

[Wigglez]

Originally Posted by trueviking

It’s not real. Was a proposal for an rfp. Maybe MLCC?

Phew.

Oh thank god... I was already looking at other parts of the city I could have hope for, because that was tanking my hope/faith for a great exchange district lol

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by esquire

For what it's worth, Colliers is actively marketing it.

Yeah. Better than a photo of a parking lot maybe. I can’t imagine anyone buying the site and building a rendering.

[Biff]

I'm not loving it, but I'm sure with some tweaks - it is not an actual building, rather than a proposal of what could be built for a new client(s). I disagree with those that would rather it stay a parking lot until something better comes along. This proposed building has 4 to 6 leasable floor plates which could put 100-200 people on the streets before, during and after work on a street which is completely devoid of any life what-so-ever.

I like it....with some tweaks.

[esquire]

^ Is there a way to mitigate the impact of the parking? I get that plenty of parking is going to be part of whatever ultimately happens on that site, but can there be some way to design the building + parking such that the entire frontage isn't dominated by parking as shown in the rendering?

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Is there a way to mitigate the impact of the parking? I get that plenty of parking is going to be part of whatever ultimately happens on that site, but can there be some way to design the building + parking such that the entire frontage isn't dominated by parking as shown in the rendering?

Two basics, as far as I'm concerned:

• Have the parking entrance/exits off the back lane wherever possible. If there’s no back lane, the driveways should be as few and as narrow as possible.
• Have as much of the ground level facing the sidewalk be active uses: commercial or residential, or even just the lobby. Commercial might be a big ask of developers, and it may sit vacant for a long time… but remember this parkade's commercial units sat vacant for several years, but are now leased and made that block a hub of activity in the Exchange.

The downtown zoning bylaw makes ground-level parking a conditional use when there’s no other uses (eg, commercial) along the street edge. So that means it's up to the City planners/designers to determine if they can live with it. Of course any owner who knows a thing or two about the way things work in Winnipeg can just appeal the decision of the City, which means they get to plead their case to the Council committee for downtown development and get whatever they want.

[BuildUpWpg]

Originally Posted by ywgwalk

The worst thing about the east exchange right now is the amount of cars, parked and driving. As someone who lives and works there I'm all for increasing density, but I want nothing to do with anything but a decrease in cars.

More people can start carsharing, taking the bus, and using active transportation. Less available and more costly reserved parking spots would go a long way towards making that a reality.

But this is Winnipeg...people will stay at home in the suburbs if they can't use their big SUV's to find parking in the exchange. That will turn hurt the bottom line of the arts groups and restaurants in that area.

[BuildUpWpg]

A summary of upcoming apartment construction in the south Pembina area:

http://janicelukes.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-AGM_FRUH_Apts.pdf

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by BuildUpWpg

But this is Winnipeg...people will stay at home in the suburbs if they can't use their big SUV's to find parking in the exchange. That will turn hurt the bottom line of the arts groups and restaurants in that area.

Do you think most arts groups and restaurants in the Exchange actually depend on SUV-driving suburbanites who have unrealistic expectations about parking in an urban environment? I doubt it. If you're already living that much of a car-oriented life, you're not coming downtown for anything but Jets games anyway.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by wardlow

Have as much of the ground level facing the sidewalk be active uses: commercial or residential, or even just the lobby. Commercial might be a big ask of developers, and it may sit vacant for a long time… but remember

The only issue I have with this argument for this project is the complete lack of anything at all on this block - both sides. I agree in an ideal world it is how it should be, but CRU's in this building might sit vacant for a very, very long time.
I think a better fit would be to have some office space on the first floor even if only on the street half.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Biff

The only issue I have with this argument for this project is the complete lack of anything at all on this block - both sides. I agree in an ideal world it is how it should be, but CRU's in this building might sit vacant for a very, very long time.
I think a better fit would be to have some office space on the first floor even if only on the street half.

Disagree, The Excelsior on Waterfront sat empty for years, again would rather the cru's are there and empty rather than eliminating that potential forever.