WINNIPEG | Portage Place Redevelopment

[bomberjet]

Blow away the atriums. Re-connect the street in one, put the pedestrian/community/whatever space in the other. Carve the rest up into sperate pieces (which seems like the plan anyways).

Not to beat the dead horse. But really too bad PP didn't work out.

[esquire]

Still kind of baffling considering that on paper, it had everything. I wonder if it might have worked out better had downtown been a little less spread out and with Portage Place closer to the employment hub of Portage and Main?

[bomberjet]

That's Winnipeg's problem in general. Too spread out.

[Wigglez]

Originally Posted by esquire

Still kind of baffling considering that on paper, it had everything. I wonder if it might have worked out better had downtown been a little less spread out and with Portage Place closer to the employment hub of Portage and Main?

Biggest mistake in Winnipeg's history was assuming we would be as big as Chicago and needed a downtown big enough to support that... A mistake we are paying for now and will continue to pay for long LONG into the future.

It's too bad that Covid hit when it did. I doubt the federal government is really looking to fund random buildings at this time with the current state of things.

[DirtWednesday]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Blow away the atriums. Re-connect the street in one, put the pedestrian/community/whatever space in the other. Carve the rest up into sperate pieces (which seems like the plan anyways).

Not to beat the dead horse. But really too bad PP didn't work out.

Not sure you can reconnect a street with the parking lot below. Not without additional bridge-like engineering underground.

[GreyGarden]

Originally Posted by Wigglez

Biggest mistake in Winnipeg's history was assuming we would be as big as Chicago and needed a downtown big enough to support that... A mistake we are paying for now and will continue to pay for long LONG into the future.

I find I really notice these mistakes when I consider how wide streets like Portage and Main are. Much wider than their counterparts out East imo.

[ywgwalk]

Originally Posted by GreyGarden

I find I really notice these mistakes when I consider how wide streets like Portage and Main are. Much wider than their counterparts out East imo.

This is due to ox carts, not future planning.

According to Berton, the street owes its considerable width — the downtown street is the widest of its kind in Canada — to its historic use as an ox cart trail. At its height, the muddy rut-rife passage through town was wide enough to accommodate up to 20 carts at once.

https://skyrisecities.com/news/2017/...section-canada

(just happened to be the first source I came across)

[T'Cona]

Originally Posted by esquire

Starlight is still waiting on Federal money, apparently

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/federal-...ment-1.5306588

Given the way the Trudeau Government spends money, this really should not be an issue.

[esquire]

I don't think the width of Portage and Main would be such a big deal if there was enough dense development to support it... for instance, no one bemoans the width of the Champs-Elysee.

In hindsight what really hurt downtown was not so much the westward expansion towards HBC in the 1920s, but the southward expansion in the post-war years. But I'm not sure how anyone could have stopped it given that the residential area between St. Mary and Broadway was pretty diladpidated by the 50s, and there was a sense in those years that the downtown area would grow dramatically, so demolitions ensued. But looking back at it, that added way more space than normal growth could hope to fill. Here we are over 50 years later and we're just starting to make a dent in all of that space.

[drew]

We are slowly chipping away at the "too large" downtown by filling in the fringes with residential conversions.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by DirtWednesday

Not sure you can reconnect a street with the parking lot below. Not without additional bridge-like engineering underground.

Right.. Maybe the roof is able to support vehicles like the rest of the parkade would. But ya, not suitable for a city street.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by Wigglez

Biggest mistake in Winnipeg's history was assuming we would be as big as Chicago and needed a downtown big enough to support that... A mistake we are paying for now and will continue to pay for long LONG into the future.

It's too bad that Covid hit when it did. I doubt the federal government is really looking to fund random buildings at this time with the current state of things.

I actually thing the current state of things is a feather in the cap for this project. The government has been announcing a ton of stimulus funding and this type of projects seems to align with what they want, green, future-friendly, pedestrian/health/etc oriented and reinvigorating urban areas. Also the feds prefer to fund things when provinces and cities are also putting money in, like this project.

I think the money for this when they're talking billions is a no brainer, probably just sorting things out.

Originally Posted by DirtWednesday

Not sure you can reconnect a street with the parking lot below. Not without additional bridge-like engineering underground.

I don't think we should reconnect the streets for traffic – leave them as pedestrian only. With the way the current mall is setup, could be a fantastic walkable area.

[WinCitySparky]

Looks like things are not going well for this proposal

https://globalnews.ca/news/7670618/p...pardy-funding/

[(sub)urban]

It'd be a real kick in the nuts if it's the feds getting in the way of this one proceeding...

Like there is literally no time like the present to open up the pocket book and stimulate economic development. Not to mention the fact that Winnipeg isn't going to make any use of the new federal transit funding program lol. Get Jim Carr back on the phone, Bowman, this shouldn't be this difficult

[Only The Lonely..]

This project feels too 'Skycity' to me.

Not enough real money chasing it.

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by WinCitySparky

Looks like things are not going well for this proposal

https://globalnews.ca/news/7670618/p...pardy-funding/

What Skyline is really saying...

Give us Portage Place and the underground parking structure for FREE and $20,000,000. We will move forward on redeveloping this elephant of a site on some basis. The federal government is looking for some guarantee of development and rent geared housing plus 10,000ft of community space before moving forward. (Did I hear Development Agreement?)

If Portage Place with a contiguous parking component and a fairly modern structure including development tower pads in place is having a difficult time making the proforma work, notwithstanding the Real Estate is given to them for free and $20,000,000, it’s important to really understand the challenges The Bay will have...

How much government money are we really going to throw at this?

Think St Charles and the Peck Bldg times 10....

Don’t be surprised when The Bay stops paying their realty taxes and turns off the water to ensure pipes don’t freeze.

I’d rather throw $60,000,000 into 50 buildings in The Exchange to upgrade their life safety systems and elevators to ensure upper floors in these structures are leasable.

[OTA in Winnipeg]

Originally Posted by Labroco

What Skyline is really saying...

Give us Portage Place and the underground parking structure for FREE and $20,000,000. We will move forward on redeveloping this elephant of a site on some basis. The federal government is looking for some guarantee of development and rent geared housing plus 10,000ft of community space before moving forward. (Did I hear Development Agreement?)

If Portage Place with a contiguous parking component and a fairly modern structure including development tower pads in place is having a difficult time making the proforma work, notwithstanding the Real Estate is given to them for free and $20,000,000, it’s important to really understand the challenges The Bay will have...

Can't say I disagree with this. I'd like to see all the plans in place and everyone hired for the two towers to immediately begin to rise. Huge risk with the wrong people. Yeah, Skycity.

I haven't checked but I hope/assume this company has a significantly better track record. The ask is big without a very clear, laid out plan.

[bomberjet]

What I find quite funny is the deadline. Give us money by 5pm or else!! Like the feds will be so upset about not giving them money.

If they "havent heard back", then they didnt have a deal to begin with.

I havent heard back from Taylor swift on my proposal 3 years ago. Im a stand up guy with good intentions. Guess the deal will fall through.

[Wigglez]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

What I find quite funny is the deadline. Give us money by 5pm or else!! Like the feds will be so upset about not giving them money.

If they "havent heard back", then they didnt have a deal to begin with.

I havent heard back from Taylor swift on my proposal 3 years ago. Im a stand up guy with good intentions. Guess the deal will fall through.

Did you give her a firm timeline to respond? Maybe, much like the feds with this project, she's waiting for a very specific day to respond finally?

[pegcityboy]

With this being on our major thoroughfare along with the Bay wouldn’t it be prudent maybe if the feds are not coming to the party ( no idea why not $20 million is nothing to Trudeau Government) that the city and province give an extra 10 million each so this plan can come to fruition ? As long as Starlight have their ducks in a row and credible ! Would not like to see boarded up Bay building AND rundown Portage Place would be a bad representation of downtown and Winnipeg to visitors and traveling business people! Any thoughts ?