Quote:
Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek
It's great to see that Fort Richmond is absolutely booming rn. This is an amazing infill location because it has every single amenity you could possibly need in the Fort Richmond Plaza and surrounding commercial strips. Not to mention it is across the street from the Blue Line.
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I agree. Every time I drive north down Pembina from the Perimeter to Bishop Grandin, the area feels like it is steadily growing and well taken care of. The projects in recent years that have ranged from road renewals to condos in St. Norbert to the redevelopment of the Fort Richmond mall to the Arc and other major apartment buildings gives this area a good vibe. Of course, all of this is due to the "suburban" UofM that many of you love to harp on so much - without understanding that the UofM was founded in 1877 as an agricultural college on that land well before much of the city existed.
The international student population at the UofM is a major driver of the growth we see in this area, including several 5+ story apartment blocks that have been built or are under construction here. The overall large student counts at the UofM also drive renewal in the area as more shops and businesses pop up to cater to them.
It's a good area, and in my opinion we should be cheering on the renewal occurring in parts of our city that aren't just downtown. Yes, I know most of you think everything should be downtown and all private investment concentrated there, but I think it's healthy to spread around some of the growth and investment and concentrate it in areas like central corridors that run throughout our city.