Winnipeg Construction VIII

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by JamieDavid Exchange

In the free press, why was one of the reasons the city rejected the proposal due to the design not fitting in with the surrounding future transit oriented development? It will take a total of almost 18 years to complete the first stage of Rapid Transit. It will be another 15 years before they connect the first stage and run the line behind Union Station out to Transcona. Earls would need another new building by then anyways.

I'm not sure why they used the transit oriented development reasoning. Buzzword of the day I guess.

BRT going up on the rail line will likely happen sooner rather than later though.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by trueviking

I got an direct email from the admin assistant of centre venture. Not sure what got me on the list.

Friendly press, my man. I guess CentreVenture is of the opinion that anybody who castes themselves an urbanist must believe in their mandate.

And I am not Brian Bowman. Perhaps fortunately.

I was laughing when Mathieson couldn't even pronounce his name, though. And I was laughing even harder at the fact that this Mathieson woman - arrogant and dismissive as can be - still hasn't figured out that her benefactors have just installed her to be a pin-cushion for the press and administration. My personal opinion is that the existing structure can't survive the audit and requirement for a new funding agreement with the city. The board will sacrifice that lamb before they will themselves and one day we'll all be having a good laugh at her expense.

Just helps to remember that nothing is forever and a little bit of pubic humility goes a long way.

[1ajs]

^^ yea lol

anyhow the baricades are down at alt just pylons now

[Labroco]

I have been told CV's Main Street offices have been sold to numbered architects...

Does anyone know if the building was put up for sale with proper notice, call for proposals or was the sale unsolicited? Do we know what it was sold for?

Thanks

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by eman

Earl's should be the main floor of a real mixed use tower. With a parkade to the 5th floor,, office from 6 to 12 and condos 12 to 30 floors. The three floor bylaw really doesn't go far enough,, if Earl's wasn't smart enough to know what urban is they just received an expensive lesson. Did Earl's even try to find partners to build something better than a single storey cinder block?

I like branded mixed use: Nordstrom is building a new flagship store in NYC,, at the base of Nordstrom Tower and the roof will be taller than One World Trade. Obviously NYC and Winnipeg are different,, instead of 94 floors, 20 to 30 will do,,but if we said yes to single floor Earl's then we are moving towards downtown Regina. Next Tim Hortons will want a single floor drive through on the parking lot at Portage and Main. Earl's owns the land, they should be able to play ball with a developer.

So a two storey building isn't acceptable but a new fugly gravel park with wooden walkways a couple blocks south on Main is? Any kind of structure to hide Bergen's faux abomination behind the fugly park would have been a plus!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

So a two storey building isn't acceptable but a new fugly gravel park with wooden walkways a couple blocks south on Main is? Any kind of structure to hide Bergen's faux abomination behind the fugly park would have been a plus!

I agree with your point regarding the Upper Fort Garry park. If anything, the screwup there makes it even more imperative that the rest of South Main be developed properly.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by Labroco

I have been told CV's Main Street offices have been sold to numbered architects...

Does anyone know if the building was put up for sale with proper notice, call for proposals or was the sale unsolicited? Do we know what it was sold for?

Thanks

Wasn't listed by the city for sale because it forms part of CentreVenture's assets.

It's a beautiful old building and was done very well inside. It's a shame they decided that blowing tens of thousands of dollars renovating leased space inside of CityPlace was preferable, but if they weren't wasting resources I'd be worried everybody in the office died of a gas leak.

So it's nice to see everybody is still fulfilling the mandate.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by esquire

I agree with your point regarding the Upper Fort Garry park. If anything, the screwup there makes it even more imperative that the rest of South Main be developed properly.

If I were Sabino I would tell John Garcea to park a couple concrete pumpers and and excavator on the site and just use it as a central equipment yard.

If anybody were confused as to the value and strategic proximity, that should straighten it out.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by eman

Earl's should be the main floor of a real mixed use tower. With a parkade to the 5th floor,, office from 6 to 12 and condos 12 to 30 floors. The three floor bylaw really doesn't go far enough,, if Earl's wasn't smart enough to know what urban is they just received an expensive lesson. Did Earl's even try to find partners to build something better than a single storey cinder block?

I like branded mixed use: Nordstrom is building a new flagship store in NYC,, at the base of Nordstrom Tower and the roof will be taller than One World Trade. Obviously NYC and Winnipeg are different,, instead of 94 floors, 20 to 30 will do,,but if we said yes to single floor Earl's then we are moving towards downtown Regina. Next Tim Hortons will want a single floor drive through on the parking lot at Portage and Main. Earl's owns the land, they should be able to play ball with a developer.

I like they way you are thinking and this type of proposal would be ideal for South Main. I would also hope that is what could happen. However, Earl's being a restaurant chain first might just not want to get into that kind of investment, unless they can find someone else to partner with. Again, the idea of a 20 - 30 floor tower would be great but at this time they are reluctant to build a second or a third floor. Mixed use towers might be the only way to get some built for the next few years and achieve a few 20 - 40 floor buildings. I notice even larger cities such as Vancouver and TO do a few mixed use towers and that is actually great so there is always some traffic. With PLR reverting back to apartments, that means even if true North goes ahead ,we are still short 314 rooms so another mixed use tower with hotel and either office or condo space could rise. Something like the now dead former Westin proposal for 416 Main street would be ideal!

[Ando]

Originally Posted by Biff

I solved it, the only person I saw leave was Mayor "Baoman" as was introduced by Angela Matthiesen.

Therefore Simplicity is Brian Bowman.

Gotcha, I knew I should work for the CIA

He's definitely someone with a gigantic chip on his shoulder - I don't think Bowman has developed one anywhere near that big yet.

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Wasn't listed by the city for sale because it forms part of CentreVenture's assets.

It's a beautiful old building and was done very well inside. It's a shame they decided that blowing tens of thousands of dollars renovating leased space inside of CityPlace was preferable, but if they weren't wasting resources I'd be worried everybody in the office died of a gas leak.

So it's nice to see everybody is still fulfilling the mandate.

Was it listed for sale in any public way or just sold to who ever they wanted like Carlton?

Does anyone know how much it was it sold for?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by Labroco

Was it listed for sale in any public way or just sold to who ever they wanted like Carlton?

Does anyone know how much it was it sold for?

I've certainly never seen a public listing for it. Have a realtor pull a SABRE search on it to see if it's disclosed on title.

[bomberjet]

So all you folks are okay with losing the only link to the cities beginnings because you think the park is stupid? But in the next breath you're all about winnipeg and pushing it forward? So what do you want?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

So all you folks are okay with losing the only link to the cities beginnings because you think the park is stupid? But in the next breath you're all about winnipeg and pushing it forward? So what do you want?

I actually don't have an opinion about the park, but let's not kid ourselves about why that park exists. The Manitoba Club only cared about Upper Ft. Garry the moment the threat of an apartment block was on the horizon. They just didn't want it in their backyard. And how better to move that agenda than by pretending it had something to do with protecting history and nothing to do with their opinion of filthy apartment dwellers even while that monument sat buried behind a gas station and mostly abandoned for the 100+ years the Manitoba Club has sat there.

[biguc]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

So all you folks are okay with losing the only link to the cities beginnings because you think the park is stupid? But in the next breath you're all about winnipeg and pushing it forward? So what do you want?

It's not really a dilemma. We can all take positions more nuanced than either one you propose.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

So all you folks are okay with losing the only link to the cities beginnings because you think the park is stupid? But in the next breath you're all about winnipeg and pushing it forward? So what do you want?

The gate area (the only actual historic part left) could've easily remained, the way it's been forever, while still redeveloping the rest of the site to be high-ceiliinged Earls & Joeys.

[kenny]

Labroco & Simplicity,

That building was never owned by CV. They were tenants like everyone else in the building. It was a private sale, no controversy required.

Originally Posted by Labroco

Was it listed for sale in any public way or just sold to who ever they wanted like Carlton?

Does anyone know how much it was it sold for?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by kenny

Labroco & Simplicity,

That building was never owned by CV. They were tenants like everyone else in the building. It was a private sale, no controversy required.

I don't think anybody was suggesting there was controversy around the sale - there were just no details. It seemed strange given the state of the block when they took it over and fact that they owned half of the Exchange that they didn't own their own building. Probably explains why they'd leave it so easily.

Anyway, seems like a lot of space for a firm that pumps out poorly executed, wood-frame, low-rise construction in a market that's demanding less and less of it every day, but I guess they stole it.

[trueviking]

so, apparently if Earl's doesn't come back, the northernmost property reverts back to the City. That would be good, if they cant figure it out.

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by trueviking

so, apparently if Earl's doesn't come back, the northernmost property reverts back to the City. That would be good, if they cant figure it out.

I don't see how that's good. Sabino and Earls are still sitting on the most strategic of the strip and the city's land is essentially worthless without theirs. The City's lot is just over 12K square feet. It represented less than 15% of the total development lands. The city isn't getting anything of any value back for itself and this only increases the likelihood that lot just carries on as a gravel patch.