Winnipeg Construction X

[Winnipegger]

Originally Posted by joshlemer

Speaking of Waverley West, and I know it's been discussed before but I biked through the area last week and, except for I believe one business, each and every commercial occupant in the faux-town center (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.7984407,...o2gzHFAk01SjXUrgFolDA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) has blocked off the pedestrian-side "front" entrance and asks you to go around to the "back" entrance facing the parking lot.

I mean, even the anchor spots (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.7984937,...lv5rVDeG-WsVJct3fImuQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) with a bit more of a grand entrance are just the back fire exit, it's so depressing!

While I acknowledge the google street views are from last year, perhaps the entrance closures you saw from last week are COVID-related? Businesses might have an interest in limiting entrances and exits for health and sanitation reasons.

[bomberjet]

Seems like a similar thing to Sage Creek. Buildings at the sidewalk. but you need to go around to the big ox style parking lots in the back. Perhaps it's the divided roadways, and having Bison Dr go through there.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

While I acknowledge the google street views are from last year, perhaps the entrance closures you saw from last week are COVID-related? Businesses might have an interest in limiting entrances and exits for health and sanitation reasons.

no, they've been closed since day one.

I guess when you build a street in a car oriented neighbourhood and you put a 1,000 car parking lot on the other side of the buildings, you can't really expect that not to become the front.

[Authentic_City]

^To save money, perhaps developers should just put faux doors on the front, street facing side, just as a decorative element? Ya know, to make it look like a nieghbourhood high street and disguise the real function as suburban big box store.

[Kris22]

Ya it really is absurd. Why even bother with some faux "town" when it's just a strip mall in the suburbs. Totally ridiculous.

[buzzg]

Winnipeg’s newest parking lot is now under construction at Portage & Main!

[NewIreland]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Winnipeg’s newest parking lot is now under construction at Portage & Main!

I saw that... is it really going to be a parking lot?

[WinCitySparky]

Originally Posted by NewIreland

I saw that... is it really going to be a parking lot?

Sorry what are we talking about?

[buzzg]

The lot between 201 Portage and The Pal. Construction fencing is up as they got approved to turn the northern portion into more parking lot. Landscaping company has set up.

[WinCitySparky]

Originally Posted by buzzg

The lot between 201 Portage and The Pal. Construction fencing is up as they got approved to turn the northern portion into more parking lot. Landscaping company has set up.

Wow man, what an epic joke

[zalf]

Legitimate question: What are the economic incentives that make a surface parking lot the most profitable use of that land for its owners?

[Winnipegger]

Originally Posted by zalf

Legitimate question: What are the economic incentives that make a surface parking lot the most profitable use of that land for its owners?

Parking = low risk, low reward. People in North America want to park their cars and are willing to pay $100 to $200 a month to do so, especially in the CBD.

Large projects big enough to fill those lots would take a lot of capital to do right, and anything besides an apartment tower would be risky in Winnipeg.

From the land owner's perspective, its better to have your land making $250k/yr from people parking on it than it sitting idle and do nothing. They can always "temporarily" have the land generate revenue while they plan to do something with it in the future - either build or sell the land after its appreciated for some time.

Winnipeg's a growing city and at some point in the future a more productive use will be warranted, but for now downtown office space isn't really needed, condos aren't wanted, hotels are getting obliterated by COVID, and there is a lot of apartments in the building/planning stage for downtown so to have Harvard move on developing that land right now would be risky I think.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by zalf

Legitimate question: What are the economic incentives that make a surface parking lot the most profitable use of that land for its owners?

taxs are based on land value and building value.

if u just have parking ur just paying on land value instead of on a building as well. so u wind up with more profits cause ur forking out less for everything

[joshlemer]

Originally Posted by buzzg

The lot between 201 Portage and The Pal. Construction fencing is up as they got approved to turn the northern portion into more parking lot. Landscaping company has set up.

Surface lot or they're putting in a parkade?

[cllew]

Putting in a legal parking lot is going to take away temporary parking for the movie trucks when the movie compaines do scenes in the Exchange district. Now they will be taking street parking stalls away from paying customers.

[1ajs]

this would be cool here

https://external.fyyc6-1.fna.fbcdn.net/s...&cfs=1&ext=jpg&_nc_hash=AQCR5qyDy5wx0SuD

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by cllew

Putting in a legal parking lot is going to take away temporary parking for the movie trucks when the movie compaines do scenes in the Exchange district. Now they will be taking street parking stalls away from paying customers.

Or the movie trucks just pay to use the lot. Most of the west side of Albert (Notre Dame to ~Albert Hotel) was converted to back in angle parking this week.

[Spocket]

What's the fuss about the parking lot? It's just a gravel lot now, isn't it? Hell a parking lot might actually add something to the area in this case.

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by joshlemer

Speaking of Waverley West, and I know it's been discussed before but I biked through the area last week and, except for I believe one business, each and every commercial occupant in the faux-town center (https://www.google.com/maps/@49.7984...7i13312!8i6656) has blocked off the pedestrian-side "front" entrance and asks you to go around to the "back" entrance facing the parking lot.!

WOW, look at all that pedestrian activity! So VIBRANT! Is this Winnipeg or Copenhagen??

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

Parking = low risk, low reward. People in North America want to park their cars and are willing to pay $100 to $200 a month to do so, especially in the CBD.

Is that true when 1/2 the downtown workforce is still working from home and will be for the foreseeable future?

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

Large projects big enough to fill those lots would take a lot of capital to do right, and anything besides an apartment tower would be risky in Winnipeg.

Well as you mentioned right below this there are a bunch of other apartment projects already going on in the neighbourhood.

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

From the land owner's perspective, its better to have your land making $250k/yr from people parking on it than it sitting idle and do nothing. They can always "temporarily" have the land generate revenue while they plan to do something with it in the future - either build or sell the land after its appreciated for some time.

Winnipeg's a growing city and at some point in the future a more productive use will be warranted, but for now downtown office space isn't really needed, condos aren't wanted, hotels are getting obliterated by COVID, and there is a lot of apartments in the building/planning stage for downtown so to have Harvard move on developing that land right now would be risky I think.

How is it going to make $250k when there's no one to park there? Even BEFORE covid, the parkade on Albert that's literally 10 metres away was never, ever full.