Winnipeg | Downtown | The Forks Market | Railside at The Forks - Page 59

esquire · #**1161** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 1:45 PM**

^ Kind of a depressing rationale, though, if a major downtown intersection becomes dominated by a huge parkade. Side streets OK, but way less ideal for Main Street.

I do trust FNP to get it right because they often do, but it will be a challenge to build a big parkade without having it looming over the corner like this...

esquire · #**1162** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 1:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pspeid

Amazon Opens First Space in Winnpeg-Abigail Turner, April 5, 2019

This just posted today on the Global Winnipeg website:

https://globalnews.ca/news/5132622/amazon-opens-first-space-in-winnipeg/

Looks like another nice tech boost for the city. Could this add some urgency to start the residential space at The Forks? I would imagine the people working here might like to live close as well?

That's pretty cool, being at The Forks will be a great perk for the employees and it could certainly help out with the railside residential developments.

Wpg_Guy · #**1163** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 5:35 PM**

Here are some images of FNP new(ish) office space in Union Station:

https://www.westlandconstructionltd.com/project_details.php?id=6

headhorse · #**1164** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 5:37 PM**

lol that looks terrible

Wpg_Guy · #**1165** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 5:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Kind of a depressing rationale, though, if a major downtown intersection becomes dominated by a huge parkade. Side streets OK, but way less ideal for Main Street.

I do trust FNP to get it right because they often do, but it will be a challenge to build a big parkade without having it looming over the corner like this...

The key will be for it to NOT look like a parkade, even more importantly being located directly next to one of the finest stately buildings in the city, that would most certainly have to be taken into consideration.

Wpg_Guy · #**1166** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 5:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pspeid

Amazon Opens First Space in Winnpeg-Abigail Turner, April 5, 2019

This just posted today on the Global Winnipeg website:

https://globalnews.ca/news/5132622/amazon-opens-first-space-in-winnipeg/

Looks like another nice tech boost for the city. Could this add some urgency to start the residential space at The Forks? I would imagine the people working here might like to live close as well?

Quote:

Check out some of the photos of this 13,000 sf office that can accommodate up to 100 people!

We’re thrilled to be at the launch event of the new @awscloud @thinkboxsoft space @TheForks. Thinkbox has provided tools & pipeline technology for some of the world’s largest films like @HarryPotterFilm and @PacificRim and now their team can grow in this beautiful new space.

https://twitter.com/EDWinnipeg/status/1114211851074789376

Tacheguy · #**1167** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 6:10 PM**

Rumours going around that Amazon is looking at some other investments in Winnipeg.

esquire · #**1168** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 6:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by headhorse

lol that looks terrible

Well... as buzzg said, it's temporary office space. You can only do so much with it.

I remember when that used to be VIA Rail's waiting room!

wardlow · #**1169** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 6:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzzg

They don't want to use up prime land right in The Forks for more parkades, when there's a ton available on Main Street. Also you can build way taller on Main, so hypothetically a new 5-6 storey parkade could have a 20 storey tower on top of it if there was a market. Putting a new parkade in The Forks proper would mean all those cars still have to drive into The Forks. Having it on Main means much better access and ingress/egress, especially during special events or busy seasons (which are starting to become all the time).

The whole idea here is to have minimal parking "on site" in the prime land. Build it on Main, and people can walk in to The Forks, through many different ways – one being through Union Station. Once Railside South is developed, parking on Main and walking in won't feel so "far" and onerous, because you'll be walking into the heart of an active, human-scale neighbourhood, as opposed to walking through a sea of windswept parking lots.

This lot is about 50 metres closer to the heart of the Forks (ie, the Market building) than Parcel 4 if you walked through Union Station. Plus, 90 or so of those metres are through a beautiful and weather-protected space.

Not that I think this is a good site for a parking structure to go...

esquire · #**1170** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 6:33 PM**

^ Yeah, I am having a very hard time with the idea of a parkade on such a prominent corner. It's one of the key entrances to The Forks, and right next to one of the stateliest buildings in town. It will take some architectural magic to keep it from looking like a big eyesore.

dmacc · #**1171** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 6:53 PM**

I think the fact that they plan to put ground floor retail will be key and make the parking structure acceptable. If at street level you are able to interact with the building as a pedestrian it will be much less of a cold empty space.

esquire · #**1172** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 6:57 PM**

^ The picture I posted above has a parkade with ground floor retail, but it still looks like a big turd.

The parkade/ground floor retail thing is fine for a side street like Garry or Rorie, but it would not be a good choice for a main drag.

Wpg_Guy · #**1173** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 7:32 PM**

A couple of the things Westland Construction is working on at The Forks:

Forks Market Outdoor Commons
1 Forks Market Road (Spring 2019)
Creation of a new indoor/outdoor bar.

Forks Market - Loving Barber
1 Forks Market Rd (Spring 2019)
Creation of a new barber shop on the second floor of the Forks Market building.

LilZebra · #**1174** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

Well... as buzzg said, it's temporary office space. You can only do so much with it.

I remember when that used to be VIA Rail's waiting room!

Its not the railway part, its the furnishings FNP chose. Those chairs and tables look awful. Some of the chairs look to be too low to sit in. Are those tv trays they're using for tables? No imagination as to use of colour. Everything is bland "neutral".

Would you want to sit in these chairs? I'd be too skittish to do so, because the height of the chairs.

Maybe best for a ~ 6 yo.

The Amazon offices look nicer.

Wpg_Guy · #**1175** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 8:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Yeah, I am having a very hard time with the idea of a parkade on such a prominent corner. It's one of the key entrances to The Forks, and right next to one of the stateliest buildings in town. It will take some architectural magic to keep it from looking like a big eyesore.

Too bad this wasnt still there

Tacheguy · #**1176** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 8:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Too bad this wasnt still there

In the late sixties I had a summer job in the cn east yard. Every payday many of the boys would put down bets on the horses with a bookie who held court in the beer parlour there. I still managed to scrape together tuition lol.

Kris22 · #**1177** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 8:40 PM**

OMG I forgot about that hotel! What a loss. I thought it was further up on north main for some reason, not right next to union station. This was lost due to fire I believe?

OTA in Winnipeg · #**1178** Posted **Apr 5, 2019, 10:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kris22

OMG I forgot about that hotel! What a loss. I thought it was further up on north main for some reason, not right next to union station. This was lost due to fire I believe?

I don't think so. I think it became almost like a rooming house, certainly SRO then torn down 1980 or a little later maybe.

Here we go:

http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/empirehotel.shtml

blueandgoldguy · #**1179** Posted **Apr 6, 2019, 2:07 AM**

Damn, what a loss that hotel was.

I remember when the new parking structure on Hargrave was supposed to have ground level retail/office/restaurant space. Hopefully the same fate does not befall the Forks parkade proposal.

esquire · #**1180** Posted **Apr 6, 2019, 2:32 PM**

^ FNP has demonstrated its willingness to go the extra mile many times in the past, they have certainly earned a measure of trust. But building a parkade that is anything but a hideous, corner-deadening hulk is a tall order even for them.