Winnipeg Construction IX

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by drew

I have some friends that live in Bridgwater and love it, especially the bike trails.

It is what it is. People who live in Bridgwater aren't going to be shopping for their houses within the city anywhere north of the Assiniboine anyway.

By living in Wolseley, we are certainly the outlier in our group of friends from High School/University who all live in the far flung burbs or bedroom communities.

There are pros and cons no matter where you live. Although I can't help my self-satisfied smile whenever the talk of lack of schools, or traffic and commute times comes up in conversation.

Yep, these are pretty much my thoughts as well.

And you've got to remember that for many recent Canadians, Waverley West is The Canadian Dream, especially after years of living in an old rental house on Victor Street or a crummy apartment on St. Anne's Road. There's less affinity to traditional urbanism/streetcar suburbanism, and less desire to spend thousands refinishing hardwood floors or raising sinking foundations.

If people want to sign up for the Bridgwater life, they can have at it. Never in a million years would I move there, but I get the appeal.

That said, I think it's very important that these new suburban areas are designed better. The above noted townhouses with driveways covering virtually all of the front yard are not just aesthetically sub-par to someone with an urban bias. They really have an impact on things like the ability to clear and store snow, the ability for land to properly drain, and for children to be able to actually walk on the sidewalk. How the developer was able to sneak these townhouses past the City planners and engineers I'll never know.

[windypeg]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Exactly.

The people that buy there buy there for a reason. It is a great neighbourhood. People seem friendly and some of the house designs are beautiful.

And who cares if it is "so far from downtown"? Most people see that as a good thing, including me. As someone who used to live close to downtown, it sure is nice not having to listen to sirens all night.

Who cares? Well commuters should for one. It's been scientifically demonstrated that the more time you spend in a car each week, the lower your level of health and general happiness. I'll take the odd siren off in the distance (really depends which street you live on) if it means I can keep having a 10-minute walk to work each morning. Stretch my legs, get fresh air, and save an hour of commute time while my colleagues sit in gridlock for an hour every morning and then wonder why they're miserable.

Second, I would say taxpayers care. Taxpayers who have to pay for many extra km's worth of infrastructure to service all that far-flung, low-density sprawl.

[michelleb]

Whoever runs the Bridgwater neighbourhood association Twitter accounts REALLY hates the word "sprawl" and will go ballistic if you say that they're low density suburban sprawl with just some nice recreational areas.

[optimusREIM]

Well it is sprawl. It may also be dense in areas but that doesn't mean it isn't sprawl lol

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by windypeg

Who cares? Well commuters should for one. It's been scientifically demonstrated that the more time you spend in a car each week, the lower your level of health and general happiness. I'll take the odd siren off in the distance (really depends which street you live on) if it means I can keep having a 10-minute walk to work each morning. Stretch my legs, get fresh air, and save an hour of commute time while my colleagues sit in gridlock for an hour every morning and then wonder why they're miserable.

Second, I would say taxpayers care. Taxpayers who have to pay for many extra km's worth of infrastructure to service all that far-flung, low-density sprawl.

What if you work at the university or any of the large industrial parks in the area? Or the huge employment centre west of the airport? Do you think everybody wants to work downtown? That is most peoples' personal hell!

The occasional siren in the distance? Try one every 3 minutes,150 feet from your house. Far more frequent on cheque day.

I used to think like you. I raised my kids in an inner city neighbourhood. I now know it was a bad decision, as a family we would have been far better off in the burbs. No doubt.

Funny that anyone would mention this as most people on here raising famlies in the Peg live in the burbs. Perhaps they should call themselves Burbanists.

[Urban recluse]

https://www.westerninvestor.com/news/sas...n-four-pillars-of-real-estate-1.23421127

The action this year may pivot towards downtown. Investors are looking at the historic Hudson’s Bay store as a possible purchase and refit opportunity.

Winn Adair, a commercial realtor with Sutton Group Kilkenny in Winnipeg, is quarterbacking a group that has raised more than $20 million to revitalize the building, which was built in 1926.

One possibility is building a tower on top of the existing structure, which could house up to 30 condominiums.

[scryer]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

https://www.westerninvestor.com/news/sas...n-four-pillars-of-real-estate-1.23421127

Making the Bay building into a condo tower will fucking ruin it. Redevelop one of the parking lots nearby. All of the other cities that have these historic Bay buildings respect its architecture and haven't, for the most part, ruined it. There are other solutions that should be explored before scarring a beautiful and powerful piece of history.

Do you think everybody wants to work downtown?

Whether the forum will admit it or not, Winnipeg has a weird design in that its major job centres are now sprawled across the city with a slight focus of offices in downtown. There's no real job centre area in the city. So wanting to work downtown absolutely has no relevance here.

[Spocket]

Originally Posted by scryer

Making the Bay building into a condo tower will fucking ruin it. Redevelop one of the parking lots nearby. All of the other cities that have these historic Bay buildings respect its architecture and haven't, for the most part, ruined it. There are other solutions that should be explored before scarring a beautiful and powerful piece of history.

Such as? One of the problems with the Eaton's building was that it just wasn't economically feasible to turn it into anything other than a department store. First you have to get it up to modern standards and then what can you do with it? Offices? Sure...if there's a market which doesn't exist in Winnipeg. The Bay's not much different. These guys have done their homework and now we can choose whether to have an ugly, empty eyesore, or a vibrant renovated building that gets new life with some additions. I know which one I'll take.

Originally Posted by scryer

Whether the forum will admit it or not, Winnipeg has a weird design in that its major job centres are now sprawled across the city with a slight focus of offices in downtown. There's no real job centre area in the city. So wanting to work downtown absolutely has no relevance here.

As opposed to where? Frankly, I have no idea what you're talking about. The decentralized office market is far more prevalent in the US and in Canada we're no different than anywhere else. In fact, as I recall, Winnipeg ranks rather well in terms of downtown employment percentage versus the suburbs. It's neither out of the ordinary nor is there "no real center" to it. That one is just an amazing comment. The office towers don't tell you where the center of employment in this city is? Is there some hidden concentration of office, institutional, and retail full of office and residential towers? Is that the other center? Are there more?

[blueandgoldguy]

From that article about the new fitness centre in Waverly West...

Among its amenities, guests will enjoy a Himalayan salt inhalation room, rock climbing complex and multi-lane Ninja courses.

Himalayan salt inhalation room!? Are there giant tables in this room with lines of crushed Himalayan rock salt that one snorts up their nose? Perhaps a healthy alternative to cocaine?

And multi-lane Ninja courses?! Is this like an obstacle course for which you dawn an all black outfit and throw Ninja shooting stars at various targets? Someone might get hurt!

As for Waverly West, that pic above is hilarious. Imagine the fist fights that will occur between neighbors throughout the winter as one shovels snow on to the other's driveway...where else do you put it? The frequency and intensity of those fights will only increase as winter carries on and the snow accumulates. lol, so poorly thought out.

Good luck getting anyone in South Pointe to take their bike or walk to get to the "city centre" for some shopping and dining. As far as I can tell there are no walking paths from there to the city centre so your only choice would be to use Kenaston. Try convincing anyone to walk or bike on an 80 km highway, especially in the winter. Walkable my ass!

[GeneralLea]

That is one bleak suburb....holy sh*t. I'm glad that, well, from what I heard they have some fair trails and parks....but those residential areas are like a London, Brampton mix of their worst traits, with a near uni-driveway. Do the architects think when they design these things?

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by scryer

Making the Bay building into a condo tower will fucking ruin it. Redevelop one of the parking lots nearby. All of the other cities that have these historic Bay buildings respect its architecture and haven't, for the most part, ruined it. There are other solutions that should be explored before scarring a beautiful and powerful piece of history.

An addition can grace the top without sacrificing the integrity of the building.
I would rather hollow out a section of the building than lose it. The redevelopment of the Bay store in downtown Victoria is a stunning project. I am just hoping HBC stays as a tenant.

[bomberjet]

The ninja thing is probably American Ninja Warrior style obstacle course.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by GeneralLeeTPHLS

That is one bleak suburb....holy sh*t. I'm glad that, well, from what I heard they have some fair trails and parks....but those residential areas are like a London, Brampton mix of their worst traits, with a near uni-driveway. Do the architects think when they design these things?

I still don't understand how those driveways were approved. Might as well have paved over the entire thing instead of leaving 1' strips of grass in between.

[Bluenote]

Originally Posted by windypeg

Who cares? Well commuters should for one. It's been scientifically demonstrated that the more time you spend in a car each week, the lower your level of health and general happiness. I'll take the odd siren off in the distance (really depends which street you live on) if it means I can keep having a 10-minute walk to work each morning. Stretch my legs, get fresh air, and save an hour of commute time while my colleagues sit in gridlock for an hour every morning and then wonder why they're miserable.

Second, I would say taxpayers care. Taxpayers who have to pay for many extra km's worth of infrastructure to service all that far-flung, low-density sprawl.

Bahaha. My time to and from my jobs in Lasalle is the best part of my day. I don’t care about traffic. Turn up the radio. Enjoy life ffs. And just an FYI. I live off Kingston Row. So I’m pretty far from Lasalle and very close to DT. But as for this walkable part. Lol again. I guess I can walk to the BDI for groceries...... otherwise it’s like everyone else here and that’s get in your car amd drive to superstore.

I’m sorry folks not everyone lives beside the local store.

As for another persons comment about mixing retail all over a development...... that works all so well In Windsor park didn’t it. All the little places that had stores or malls are offices or some election temp office. I think all that Windsor park has left is a Macs and 7/11 that was part of the original names.

Gone are Safeway and it’s now offices get me is a Foodfare. Now offices. Gone is 4 gas stations. The list goes on and on. This is WHY sage creek and Bridgewater have town centers. I don’t see any town design in Canada that doesn’t have a core.

This area not long ago was just mid roads and farmers fields. It was supposed to take 40 years to fill. It’s the size of Brandon population wise. Where where you going to squeeze all these people closer to downtown? Let’s be realistic here.

Amd those paths are not meant for grocery shopping. They are meant for walking and cycling. Heaven forbid we design a development to get you outside and enjoy life rather then make it a chore.

[GlassCity]

Waverley West/Bridgwater is a pleasant place to hang out, and the trails and parks are nice and everything, but it's still very much a car-dependent suburb. It has a highway(s) running through its centre with buildings facing away from them, it has a curvilinear street network of loops and circles making effective transit service near impossible, and it's essentially cut off from the rest of the city aside from the three "gates" of Kenaston, Waverley and, in the future, Bison.

I'm not saying everyone should hate it, and if you don't mind the car-dependent lifestyle I can see how it would be appealing, but it is very much still a traditional suburb with all the problems that that carries. It is still very much a design we need to learn to move away from in the future.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by scryer

Whether the forum will admit it or not, Winnipeg has a weird design in that its major job centres are now sprawled across the city with a slight focus of offices in downtown. There's no real job centre area in the city. So wanting to work downtown absolutely has no relevance here.

wpg also has the highest downtown workforce percentage wise as well in the country from what i recal viking knows that stat better as hes the one that brought it up a few times

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

wpg also has the highest downtown workforce percentage wise as well in the country from what i recal viking knows that stat better as hes the one that brought it up a few times

Just by impression, I have a similar perspective. Winnipeg seems to have much less of its employment in the suburbs than Vancouver for instance.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Just by impression, I have a similar perspective. Winnipeg seems to have much less of its employment in the suburbs than Vancouver for instance.

its weird eh

wait till the move the rail yard peeps win their wining and the loss of jobs that will insue from that..

[GORDBO]

Tower crane was being set up today at the art gallery

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

An addition can grace the top without sacrificing the integrity of the building.
I would rather hollow out a section of the building than lose it. The redevelopment of the Bay store in downtown Victoria is a stunning project. I am just hoping HBC stays as a tenant.

My thoughts exactly – the Victoria HBC conversion is a stunning example of the possibilities, and how to respect the building while still making it useful in the present. What I don't understand about these early rumblings is them saying it may be a "tower" with 30 condos... is tower just a bad word choice, or are they thinking some extremely skinny tower with each floor having 2 units? I don't think they need to/should build on top of the building – use the parkade land for any additions needed to make a project feasible.

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Waverley West/Bridgwater is a pleasant place to hang out, and the trails and parks are nice and everything, but it's still very much a car-dependent suburb. It has a highway(s) running through its centre with buildings facing away from them, it has a curvilinear street network of loops and circles making effective transit service near impossible, and it's essentially cut off from the rest of the city aside from the three "gates" of Kenaston, Waverley and, in the future, Bison.

I'm not saying everyone should hate it, and if you don't mind the car-dependent lifestyle I can see how it would be appealing, but it is very much still a traditional suburb with all the problems that that carries. It is still very much a design we need to learn to move away from in the future.

Nailed it. Are people pretending there isn't Winnipeg freeways running on either side of the "town centre" and boxing it in – and that all the lots facing the "back entrances" of the retail don't exist in the way they do?

Originally Posted by GlassCity

Just by impression, I have a similar perspective. Winnipeg seems to have much less of its employment in the suburbs than Vancouver for instance.

Yeah – I can't think of a single suburban office building over 6 storeys, let me know if there are some. And there are very few even that are even 6.