Winnipeg's Exchange District | East/West | Development

[esquire]

^ It isn't always apartments... naturally offices are the most complementary use for buildings that have nightspots in them (pubs, lounges, clubs, etc.). This way the daytime office users tend to be leaving just as the evening crowd is showing up. A classic example is the old Wise Guys/Alive nightspot on Rorie. It's all offices above... it would be totally unworkable if there were people living on those upper floors. How would you ever get any sleep when Mustang Sally is pounding out of the speakers at 1:30 am?

[buzzg]

HUGE NEWS!

These long-abandoned buildings at Princess & Bannaytne have glorious SOLD sign that went up on them today! Haven't heard anything, but a redevelopment would be amazing.I would love to see them tear down the awful small building and build something modern and funky in its place, that contrasts the old buildings on both sides.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by buzzg

HUGE NEWS!

These long-abandoned buildings at Princess & Bannaytne have glorious SOLD sign that went up on them today! Haven't heard anything, but a redevelopment would be amazing.I would love to see them tear down the awful small building and build something modern and funky in its place, that contrasts the old buildings on both sides.

As someone who has gotten excited to see the sold sign go up on abandoned or underused buildings only to see the practice continue under the new owners, I'd be reluctant to send up a cheer until we know what if anything might be happening there.

[wardlow]

Originally Posted by esquire

As someone who has gotten excited to see the sold sign go up on abandoned or underused buildings only to see the practice continue under the new owners, I'd be reluctant to send up a cheer until we know what if anything might be happening there.

Well if someone found a way to make it work, my hat's off to them (more than it's off for anyone who develops in the Exchange). I remember doing a development proposal for this property when I was in university... the pro forma didn't come close to working, even with the revenue from the parking lot behind it which is part of the property. According to the real estate broker at the time, the building hasn't been heated since the Amy Street steam plant was closed in the 1990s.

[drew]

That property and buildings are interesting. Unless something has changed since my old firm did some work there:

- The property includes the buildings on Princess and wraps around to include the vacant land at the back of the Fairchild loft building
- That (ugly) 3-storey building in the middle does not have heritage protection and can be demo'd
- The building at the corner is essentially falling apart from the inside out due to neglect. However, the street facing facades need to be retained while the interior can be completely redone.

Re-purposing the property needs lotsa $$. The previous owner had some grants (TIFFs I believe) that expired because, even with them, he was unable to make it work.

[bomberjet]

Good news someone is making a go at it.

That parkade entrance on Bannatyne makes it a bit difficult to combine the whole lot into one development. I guess they could build over top. I'm thinking if those buildings are essentially demos, except for the façade, they could do something larger to make re-development more viable.

[Urban recluse]

I was just informed: office & residential.

[bomberjet]

Schweet.

[Tacheguy]

Originally Posted by Urban recluse

I was just informed: office & residential.

That's terrific news.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by Roger Strong

If you promote an area as the Next Big Thing for residential, if you zone it and give tax breaks for everyone to build apartments and condos, then those who move in are going to treat it like they live there.

A place where, among other things, they sleep before going to work in the morning.

What's so hard to understand and predict about this?

Because everywhere else in the world people understand that the city has a life of its own. Winnipeggers also travel a lot, see it in other cities, and get confused when it happens here

Originally Posted by bomberjet

And then when all the trees die everyone will complain how we did nothing about it. I for one think we should spend a ton of money on protecting our trees. Call me a tree hugger.

Tree hugger

Originally Posted by windypeg

Not entirely. When I was still in school my buddies were far more likely to go out to some crappy Canad Inns bar than to Osborne or the exchange. I moved to the village because it was close to work, close to all the bus routes and I didn't have a car at the time. I now have quite a few friends who all moved to Winnipeg in their 30s and set up in Osborne or the exchange because they moved here from places where the urban lifestyle was already very popular.

So, is everyone in the exchange or osborne an out of towner? Because then you'd be right.

Maybe your buddies went to Canadinns bars, my friends and I spent our entire 20s in the exchange and osborne. If people, no matter where in the city they live, want to have fun they'll go to the fun parts of town. Can't blame their parents for wanting a yard for their kids, calm areas to ride bikes and good school districts.

[Urban recluse]

Originally Posted by Tacheguy

That's terrific news.

Thank God. As much as I have given up on Winnipeg, this is great.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Which is exactly why we need a diversity of businesses and entertainment options, so there's something for everyone.



Maybe, but it's been winter for like 2 weeks. It's also on a low speed/traffic street, that always has parking buffering it (for 2/3 trees), so it's a little odd. They left one standing at the spot that would be the most affected by salt lol.

If its two years it could be salt spray from applications over the last few years as the snow melts and the vehicles kick the moisture in the air.

Friend of mine is 4 houses east of Pembina Hwy in old Ft. Garry and MB Hydro came out last year while I was over visiting because of intermittent power outages to the house and found the splices at the meter drop and pole line were salt corroded. The lineman said he had done a few other aerial service renewals up to 1/2 block off of the main roads for the same reason.

[buzzg]

A lot of the traffic lights in the Exchange are being replaced like what is happening in the rest of the city right now, with the new style (squared) poles and shiny unfinished poles... it looks so out of place and horrifying it kind of makes me sick. Corner of McDermot & Albert looks so brutal. Drives me nuts, and also can't be fun for movies filming in the area. I've said it before but it's so brutal that we can't do something nicer in our city's signature district... there's painted poles going up in other areas still.

And would it kill them to keep up with the Exchange-branded street signs. Such a mess of random styles, and I really think the new standard white-on-green ones look weird in the Exchange too.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by buzzg

HUGE NEWS!

These long-abandoned buildings at Princess & Bannaytne have glorious SOLD sign that went up on them today! Haven't heard anything, but a redevelopment would be amazing.I would love to see them tear down the awful small building and build something modern and funky in its place, that contrasts the old buildings on both sides.

I like the middle one!

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by optimusREIM

This is what I think is perplexing: in these great entertainment districts in cities around the world there is always a large population of permanent residents. The first floor of all these buildings in always a bar/club/restaurant/store but what do you think the other 5 or 6 floors are? Always apartments. Not sure what came first in terms of vibrancy or high desirability but what is certain is that living close to the action doesn't seem to be problematic in any other city in the world.

Similar problems in the entertainment district in Toronto. Exactly the same issues.

So we seem to be shifting from “downtown needs residential to survive” to “residential is killing downtown because, unbeknownst to us, humanoids apparently need sleep”.

[Glenn99]

Originally Posted by Wolf13

I don't mind the lack of parking, but dammit, $5m in trees? A pocket is being lined somewhere. Or use that money to make the opening of P+M nicer.

Trees are nice, but we're still doing alright in that department...

This will eat up the $5M ->http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Similar problems in the entertainment district in Toronto. Exactly the same issues.

So we seem to be shifting from “downtown needs residential to survive” to “residential is killing downtown because, unbeknownst to us, humanoids apparently need sleep”.

There is a middle ground: We need residential, and we stop complaining about non-issues. There will always be more noise in more dense areas. Law of urban nature. And considering the strength of Toronto, their problem isn't really a problem.

But seriously? How many of us have stayed in a busy downtown hotel, anywhere in the city or world, and had a good night's rest? All of us? Ok.

Originally Posted by Glenn99

This will eat up the $5M ->http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba

You've got to be kidding... My car is still on summer tires (winters ordered, delayed) and I haven't had any problems.

[cutchemist42]

Finally walked down and saw the improved underground at 201 Portage. What an improvement.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by cutchemist42

Finally walked down and saw the improved underground at 201 Portage. What an improvement.

It looks great down there, but damn, it's a huge loss of revenue... a lot less rent is being paid.

But what they've put there is quality, so I'm a fan.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Wolf13

There is a middle ground: We need residential, and we stop complaining about non-issues. There will always be more noise in more dense areas. Law of urban nature. And considering the strength of Toronto, their problem isn't really a problem.

But seriously? How many of us have stayed in a busy downtown hotel, anywhere in the city or world, and had a good night's rest? All of us? Ok.
.

If the people in question are complaining, they’re clearly not having a good night’s rest, though. The law of nature you cite is probably a law, but another law is that people arent likely to put their life’s savings into living in what is still a pretty dodgy downtown if that means they can’t sleep or have to listen to shouting and deal with drunks in the evenings.