Winnipeg - Surface Lots Downtown

[JayM]

It's pretty simple I think they(owners of lots) get away with doing such because they can and do.

[Bdog]

This article is from last month, but it will be interesting to follow the progress on the campaign pledge to develop some of our biggest downtown surface lots...

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...130179113.html

Selinger vows to build on four downtown lots
Mayor says it's his idea, developer applauds move
By: Larry Kusch, Mary Agnes Welch and Bartley Kives

Posted: 09/20/2011 1:00 AM

The NDP pledged Monday to build condos and apartments on four government-owned surface parking lots in downtown Winnipeg, the same lots many have called a scourge.

At a campaign announcement in front of the Winnipeg Convention Centre, Premier Greg Selinger said the NDP hopes to encourage the construction of another 1,400 condo and apartment units downtown in addition to 700 already underway.
.....

[Riverman]

The NDP pledged to build condos? Wow, I want to live there...

[jmt18325]

They didn't say that they would be the ones building them.

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Riverman

The NDP pledged to build condos? Wow, I want to live there...

Yeah, awkward wording by the Freep I guess. The actual press release made it clear that they are private sector units.

2100 more private sector housing units will be developed by extending and increasing the provincial contribution to the Downtown Residential Development Grant Program.

http://todaysndp.ca/news/selinger-do...-keep-building

[Authentic_City]

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
City OK's another parking lot
Needed for hotel's new yoga studio

By: Bartley Kives

Posted: 10/20/2011 1:00 AM

"Last October, during the waning days of the 2010 mayoral race, Sam Katz called downtown Winnipeg's plethora of empty lots an eyesore and a public safety hazard as he pledged to extend a moratorium on new surface parking in the city's core.

Less than a year later, city hall quietly approved the demolition of the 89-year-old Orpheum building on Fort Street to make way for a new surface parking lot to serve clients of Yoga Public, the Fort Garry Hotel's new four-studio yoga centre. Heavy equipment brought down the vacant building two weeks ago. In spite of the demolition, the mayor said he remains committed to reducing the number of vacant tracts downtown, as promised during his re-election campaign.

New incentives for developers who build on surface lots should come to council in early 2012, said Katz, who called the demolition of the Orpheum "a very unique scenario" because the new surface lot was required to support a $2.5-million redevelopment of the former Carleton Club, an even larger vacant building."

[...]

Full story: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...132223583.html

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
City OK's another parking lot
Needed for hotel's new yoga studio

By: Bartley Kives

Posted: 10/20/2011 1:00 AM

"Last October, during the waning days of the 2010 mayoral race, Sam Katz called downtown Winnipeg's plethora of empty lots an eyesore and a public safety hazard as he pledged to extend a moratorium on new surface parking in the city's core.

Less than a year later, city hall quietly approved the demolition of the 89-year-old Orpheum building on Fort Street to make way for a new surface parking lot to serve clients of Yoga Public, the Fort Garry Hotel's new four-studio yoga centre. Heavy equipment brought down the vacant building two weeks ago. In spite of the demolition, the mayor said he remains committed to reducing the number of vacant tracts downtown, as promised during his re-election campaign.

New incentives for developers who build on surface lots should come to council in early 2012, said Katz, who called the demolition of the Orpheum "a very unique scenario" because the new surface lot was required to support a $2.5-million redevelopment of the former Carleton Club, an even larger vacant building."

[...]

Full story: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bre...132223583.html

Funny how people who do yoga haven't heard of this thing called the BUS...

[Authentic_City]

Also funny how the developers of this project are saying that the expansion of surface parking was a condition of their financing. So who is dictating policy on downtown surface parking, the city, or lending institutions?

[bryanscott]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Funny how people who do yoga haven't heard of this thing called the BUS...

Don't blame the yogis. The smart ones won't even use this new lot; they'll park on the street where there's ample parking almost all the time.

[esquire]

Council approved the surface parking lot on the FoUFG site on Fort Street

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/05/2...ce-parking-lot

...but only for two years. (LOL)

Honestly, at this point they might as well just cut the charade and let FoUFG turn the entire thing into a surface parking lot until a billion dollars falls out of the sky so that they can build their "interpretive centre"

Disgusting. I knew the FoUFG thing was a mess from the get go, but I didn't think it would turn out this brutally for downtown. And another new surface parking lot downtown is coming up on Notre Dame on the site of Luke's Mechanical. Didn't we elect representatives at the municipal and provincial levels who said they were going to eliminate surface parking lots downtown?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by esquire

Council approved the surface parking lot on the FoUFG site on Fort Street

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/05/2...ce-parking-lot

...but only for two years. (LOL)

Honestly, at this point they might as well just cut the charade and let FoUFG turn the entire thing into a surface parking lot until a billion dollars falls out of the sky so that they can build their "interpretive centre"

Disgusting. I knew the FoUFG thing was a mess from the get go, but I didn't think it would turn out this brutally for downtown. And another new surface parking lot downtown is coming up on Notre Dame on the site of Luke's Mechanical. Didn't we elect representatives at the municipal and provincial levels who said they were going to eliminate surface parking lots downtown?

You can thank two of the city's preeminent heritage experts for this, John Orlikow and Jenny Gerbasi.

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by esquire

Council approved the surface parking lot on the FoUFG site on Fort Street

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2015/05/2...ce-parking-lot

...but only for two years. (LOL)

Honestly, at this point they might as well just cut the charade and let FoUFG turn the entire thing into a surface parking lot until a billion dollars falls out of the sky so that they can build their "interpretive centre"

Disgusting. I knew the FoUFG thing was a mess from the get go, but I didn't think it would turn out this brutally for downtown. And another new surface parking lot downtown is coming up on Notre Dame on the site of Luke's Mechanical. Didn't we elect representatives at the municipal and provincial levels who said they were going to eliminate surface parking lots downtown?

That pisses me off so much.

We could have had both a tall apartment complex AND the interpretive centre, but no! The "friends" did not compromise at all.

And now look what we have, a stupid parking lot.

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

That pisses me off so much.

We could have had both a tall apartment complex AND the interpretive centre, but no! The "friends" did not compromise at all.

And now look what we have, a stupid parking lot.

Well I guess we are getting a temporary parking lot on the Carlton site as well then. Just until the hotel gets built...

Is this the new financial model all these agencies are talking about?

Why am I suddenly competing with parking lots that pay no taxes and have no expenses?

How does this encourage me to continue to invest D/T?