Winnipeg | St Boniface | Developments & Discussions

[WildCake]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

The wild card is the fallout from Covid, will people still need office space in existing quantities going forward?

Part of the project is to build a new office for Manitoba Possible and maybe build excess space to rent.

The unknown future demand for commercial space might shape that part of the development.
.'

While I know these projects take years to prepare, and I'm sure moreso for a not-for-profit, Covid has been going on for almost a year now.. If their needs will substantially change in a greater WFH world, then they had plenty of time to pivot on their plans.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

Barcode did the conceptual renderings, it should turn out 'interesting.'

Heh heh heh...

[Jeff]

a tiny rendering posted on Matt Allard's facebook shows a building wrapping around the west side of the current old city hall building. anything to soften the edges of that awkward clunker Caisse Populaire building would be a huge bonus for the strip. hopefully this spurs an uptick of interest in Provencher overall. i walked down there the other night and it is so depressing with the old shell lot back up for sale, the office building that had a fire boarded up and the empty lot of the old auto repair shop.

[bomberjet]

Judging by Allard's post, him and the residents of St. B will quickly NIMBY this proposal. How dare the City of Winnipeg sell St. B's heritage!

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Judging by Allard's post, him and the residents of St. B will quickly NIMBY this proposal. How dare the City of Winnipeg sell St. B's heritage!

This is misleading – he's saying he likes the proposal and wants the city to sell them all the rest of the land and buildings for development except the City Hall building. Seems like a conversation worth dialogue.

This is coming from someone (me) who normally says F the St. B NIMBYs and do what's right.

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Judging by Allard's post, him and the residents of St. B will quickly NIMBY this proposal. How dare the City of Winnipeg sell St. B's heritage!

On Friday, this was the gist of the anti-development argument at city hall.

Originally Posted by buzzg

This is misleading – he's saying he likes the proposal and wants the city to sell them all the rest of the land and buildings for development except the City Hall building. Seems like a conversation worth dialogue.

This is coming from someone (me) who normally says F the St. B NIMBYs and do what's right.

It's tricky,

Pulling the St.B city hall building out of the RFP would have forced the city to issue a new RFP, which would have killed the MB Possible project; they have a hard deadline to vacate their current office space.

There were no other bidders for the site.

The city sold the old St.B city hall for $10,000, partly because nobody wanted it because of its heritage costs.


There's also no guarantee that a new developer would magically appear in a second RFP.

As the old saying goes..

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

[Wigglez]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Judging by Allard's post, him and the residents of St. B will quickly NIMBY this proposal. How dare the City of Winnipeg sell St. B's heritage!

I've spoken with Allard in the past and mentioned this before:

Allard is not interested in working with the City of Winnipeg, he's interested in recreating the City of St. Boniface

[Jeff]

as someone who has lived in St. B for over 10 years now I just don't understand this push to preserve whatever old essence there is to the area. by all metrics St. B is underdeveloped, dated and somewhat shabby. yes I still get the anti-anglo sentiment from the old guard french population but they don't even seem that interested in moving the area forward from it's historic stagnation when it was stunted and in the shadow of winnipeg from the pre-unicity days.

[trueviking]

I’m surprised they were the only bidder. There were lots interested at one point.

[Only The Lonely..]

Speaking only for myself..

There's obviously a lot of people who want to keep old St.B frozen in time.

However, when I see the developments on this thread, I can imagine that in thirty years, Old St.B could be one of Canada's great neighbourhoods and a true peer to Osborne/Corydon in form, function, and density.

What better way to honour Franco Manitoban culture than by creating a place that everyone wants to live in.

[bomberjet]

The City and St. B residents have had like what 60 years since merger to figure it out? And someone wants to take it over with a great plan but the residents are scared because of their heritage? Seriously though, wtf.

And this isn't a private developer going to bait and switch and demo the building. It's an association for disabled people! The St. B cultural thing is astonishing. What do they want?

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

The City and St. B residents have had like what 60 years since merger to figure it out? And someone wants to take it over with a great plan but the residents are scared because of their heritage? Seriously though, wtf.

And this isn't a private developer going to bait and switch and demo the building. It's an association for disabled people! The St. B cultural thing is astonishing. What do they want?

Stasis

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Jeff

as someone who has lived in St. B for over 10 years now I just don't understand this push to preserve whatever old essence there is to the area. by all metrics St. B is underdeveloped, dated and somewhat shabby. yes I still get the anti-anglo sentiment from the old guard french population but they don't even seem that interested in moving the area forward from it's historic stagnation when it was stunted and in the shadow of winnipeg from the pre-unicity days.

It is truly weird how they want to hang on the sorry state of their neighbourhood. Any new development that happens around there usually squeaks through in spite of Old St. B interests, not because of them. I don't think there's a neighbourhood in Winnipeg that can match Old St. B for sheer failure to live up to its potential.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

What do they want?

They wanted a French organization or business to be awarded the property. Want want want but always on someone’s else’s dime.

[T'Cona]

Originally Posted by Jeff

a tiny rendering posted on Matt Allard's facebook shows a building wrapping around the west side of the current old city hall building. anything to soften the edges of that awkward clunker Caisse Populaire building would be a huge bonus for the strip. hopefully this spurs an uptick of interest in Provencher overall. i walked down there the other night and it is so depressing with the old shell lot back up for sale, the office building that had a fire boarded up and the empty lot of the old auto repair shop.

It definitely needs developments.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

On Friday, this was the gist of the anti-development argument at city hall.



It's tricky,

Pulling the St.B city hall building out of the RFP would have forced the city to issue a new RFP, which would have killed the MB Possible project; they have a hard deadline to vacate their current office space.

There were no other bidders for the site.

The city sold the old St.B city hall for $10,000, partly because nobody wanted it because of its heritage costs.


There's also no guarantee that a new developer would magically appear in a second RFP.

As the old saying goes..

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

There were four submission to the RFP.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Jeff

as someone who has lived in St. B for over 10 years now I just don't understand this push to preserve whatever old essence there is to the area. by all metrics St. B is underdeveloped, dated and somewhat shabby. yes I still get the anti-anglo sentiment from the old guard french population but they don't even seem that interested in moving the area forward from it's historic stagnation when it was stunted and in the shadow of winnipeg from the pre-unicity days.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by esquire

It is truly weird how they want to hang on the sorry state of their neighbourhood. Any new development that happens around there usually squeaks through in spite of Old St. B interests, not because of them. I don't think there's a neighbourhood in Winnipeg that can match Old St. B for sheer failure to live up to its potential.

Maybe they like it the way it is and see the potential you speak of as the potential to further anglicize the one remaining somewhat francophone neighbourhood in a large urban centre in western Canada.

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Why would the university of St Boniface not make a large pitch to the federal government for funding and acquire the site? I love seeing public funds spent on education for young people. They must have a francophone champion in Winnipeg to open federal educational purse strings? Create roads with understanding and education not asphalt..

[pegcityfan]

I think many on this thread need to read about the history of how Franco-Manitobans were treated in the past, the history of St. Boniface, and more importantly speak to living Franco-Manitobans (no matter the generation). Seeing a lot of ignorant comments, preconceived ideas & opinions on what Franco-Manitobans & residents think, want & see.