Winnipeg | Osborne Village & Corydon area

[esquire]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Interesting tidbit in the Sun article is that the BIZ is doing some streetscaping (outside of sidewalk renewals) including redoing the clock tower plaza.

About time... much of the 90s-era streetscaping treatments around Osborne Village are looking pretty tired.

I know I've said it before but I really wish something would happen with the fire station and clock tower plaza... that intersection has such potential being at the centre of one the city's most interesting neighbourhoods, but the City just sits on two of the four corners there.

[LilZebra]

Interesting that I posted on my blog about the Inn just two weeks ago, saying that it's one of my personal Winnipeg eyesores and that it should be replaced by something nicer. As of today there were only 7 views of that post, so perhaps it was just coincidence.

http://lilzebra1968.blogspot.ca/2015...-winnipeg.html

My list included:

1. Osborne Village Inn
2. Sherbrook Inn
3. Outdated (1970s-ish) paint job on the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre.

I imagine a ~6-storey hotel, something along the lines of the Humpty Dumpty Inn built at the OV site. If they tastefully used stone, like at the HD Inn, it could look quite impressive.

One down, two more to go...

[esquire]

^ Haha, good point about the paint job on the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre. That could stand to be updated. I learned recently that the building was once a supermarket (a Dominion, I think?)... it makes sense when you look at it.

And I think you're thinking of the Humphry Inn on Main Street? That hotel is appropriately scaled, but personally I'd like to see something a bit more modern-looking for Osborne Village. In terms of its exterior appearance, I'd say that the Humphry looks better suited to an airport suburban location...

[LilZebra]

Fort Rouge Leisure Centre t'was an Economart before.

[esquire]

^ Thanks!

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Haha, good point about the paint job on the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre. That could stand to be updated. I learned recently that the building was once a supermarket (a Dominion, I think?)... it makes sense when you look at it.

And I think you're thinking of the Humphry Inn on Main Street? That hotel is appropriately scaled, but personally I'd like to see something a bit more modern-looking for Osborne Village. In terms of its exterior appearance, I'd say that the Humphry looks better suited to an airport suburban location...

Yeah I'd hope for something that has a restaurant/cafe right on the street like now, plus another lounge/bar/venue in there would be great. Praying for "Mere meets Drake Hotel (t.o.)."

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ I'd be satisfied with a low-rise 3 to 6 storey building that hugs the sidewalk... that alone would be an improvement. However, a one-storey strip-mall along the lines of the TD building further north would be a major letdown...

The issue here is that land is generally sold at its greatest entitlements, not the most feasible. And this is generally why legitimate and knowledgeable developers have opted to stay in the suburbs for the most part. The reason I brought up the Winter Club lands is because it's a very similar situation. The vendor and its representatives look at the very basic entitlements associated with the property and derive from there how many units one can squeeze out. They then assign a land value per unit based on comparable sales, multiply it out, and out of a very simple hat comes a price.

The problem with doing something like this is that it leaves aside most of the variables that go into determining the value of land. That is, requirements for easements, rights-of-way and setbacks, certain engineering constraints, required parking, and our very favorite, costs of construction. The land actually becomes less valuable as the costs of construction rise because the consumer rarely differentiates between wood frame and concrete for the price they're willing to pay for a unit of similar layout and spec. So while realtors think that valuing property is as easy as comparing two similar addresses with similar entitlements, it doesn't work that way at all.

And that's why lots sit undeveloped. If you're paying for land that accommodates 100 units but you're a chasing a rate of return that doesn't exist, you don't have a project. And that's what's happened on the Winter Club land. You'll never sell 100 units and you can't build to rent them at sustainable revenue streams, so they hit the market waiting for the next greater fool to come along.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by jimj_wpg

Fort Rouge Leisure Centre t'was an Economart before.

And before that it was a Loblaw's.

It was almost the same design as the Loblaws/Penners/Sobey's that use to be on the north side of the Northdale Shopping Center on Henderson before that shopping center was changed.

There is also the former Loblaw's at Pembina and McGillivray which is still standing and was home to the south Winnipeg KEG for years.

[cutchemist42]

http://globalnews.ca/news/2158202/os...otor-inn-sold/

[optimusREIM]

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/mani...ttee-1.3268276

Yay or nay

[bomberjet]

Is there a render for this? Same project that was proposed, and floated around on here, a few years back?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/mani...ttee-1.3268276

Yay or nay

Yay. Let me explain.

I support the best possible development for Winnipeg. Quite often that means forcing new projects to look elsewhere if there is a significant heritage building in the way, but in this case I don't think that the threat of losing Dennistoun House is so great that this project should be axed by council.

There has been so little construction activity in Osborne Village in the last 30 years that it is laughable to hear some of the critics claiming that the area has been supposedly overrun by construction. As though a dozen 4 or 5 storey buildings are somehow going to fundamentally alter the character of an area filled with 70s and 80s-built highrises.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Is there a render for this? Same project that was proposed, and floated around on here, a few years back?

Vike just happened to stumble upon an ad in the Free Press for the project which he took a picture of and posted a month or two ago... it's definitely back but looks a bit different than the previous iteration.

[rypinion]

Originally Posted by esquire

Vike just happened to stumble upon an ad in the Free Press for the project which he took a picture of and posted a month or two ago... it's definitely back but looks a bit different than the previous iteration.

Here's some renders:

http://roslynfaq.ca/

[Cyro]

Esquire, here's the previous info posted...

Originally Posted by trueviking

Yeah, its completely different. It is 7 stories now.


edit: an image from the site posted above http://roslynfaq.ca/files/roslyn-boards.pdf

Originally Posted by Cyro

^ Pretty much all you need to know about this project can be found here, parking included...
Not able to post or convert any plans, photos, etc...at the moment for posting..

September 16, 2015 City Centre Community Committee Regular Meeting Agenda

Scroll down to hearings 6:00 pm #10 #9 # 8...#10 gives you the most info if interested..

http://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/View...onId=&InitUrl=

OptimusREIM.Yes.

[bomberjet]

Ah, thanks.

[trueviking]

if we are going to start caring about protecting old houses because they are old, we should have started in a location where a collection created a streetscape....wellington crescent as an example. This house is very nice, but it is alone, wedged up against the blank wall of a safeway. It doesn't have heritage value as part of a collection and doesn't have any specific value on its own beyond it being old and nice.

Most of the opposition has nothing to do with the house itself.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by trueviking

if we are going to start caring about protecting old houses because they are old, we should have started in a location where a collection created a streetscape....wellington crescent as an example. This house is very nice, but it is alone, wedged up against the blank wall of a safeway. It doesn't have heritage value as part of a collection and doesn't have any specific value on its own beyond it being old and nice.

Most of the opposition has nothing to do with the house itself.

I would argue that we long lost the push to protect old housing. Pretty sure must here have figured out I rarely speak against parking but the surface lot behind Great West Life and the alone home left on the east side and what that street once was and is not a surface parking lot is purely depressing. They could easily have preserved that row of housing and built a multi floor parking structure behind their complex and had a lot more positive impact on the community. Instead they ensured they were the top bidder and removed the older homes.

Along those same lines there are still a few hints that between Broadway and Portage, Main and Osborne, there used to be single family residential. Now that is some of the ugliest areas of downtown. It is sad to think what might have been if more effort was put into preserving those houses.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

I would argue that we long lost the push to protect old housing. Pretty sure must here have figured out I rarely speak against parking but the surface lot behind Great West Life and the alone home left on the east side and what that street once was and is not a surface parking lot is purely depressing. They could easily have preserved that row of housing and built a multi floor parking structure behind their complex and had a lot more positive impact on the community. Instead they ensured they were the top bidder and removed the older homes.

Along those same lines there are still a few hints that between Broadway and Portage, Main and Osborne, there used to be single family residential. Now that is some of the ugliest areas of downtown. It is sad to think what might have been if more effort was put into preserving those houses.

This is what I was getting at with my earlier comment about supporting the best possible development. Ultimately each case has to be judged on its merits.

In this case, the homes on Roslyn slated for demolition are not coming down to make way for a parking lot. They will be replaced with an apartment building, and in my view this will lead to an improvement to the area. The houses themselves do not appear especially well kept and are in need of extensive and costly renovation... is anyone really prepared to sink hundreds of thousands of dollars into fixing these places up as an alternative to new development? Because that's likely what it boils down to here.

[drew]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Pretty sure must here have figured out I rarely speak against parking but the surface lot behind Great West Life and the alone home left on the east side and what that street once was and is not a surface parking lot is purely depressing. They could easily have preserved that row of housing and built a multi floor parking structure behind their complex and had a lot more positive impact on the community. Instead they ensured they were the top bidder and removed the older homes.

I hold out hope that eventually GWL will relent and allow some development along that stretch. Although the houses were demolished, there seems to be enough space left over to rebuild something there - obviously an expansion of the parking lot isn't happening.

I have often been tempted to try and build a case to get that last remaining house from GWL. I seem to remember reading about a process a citizen can undertake in situations were a property remains derelict.

Something similar to this.

Someone get on it.