Winnipeg Construction

[Riverman]

Portage Place has retail? Oooook...

I used to do ALL my xmas shopping exclusively at The Bay/PP because it was so easy for me. But even with my simple tastes and limited shopping needs there I had to go elsewhereas there is almost NO selection and it is all so run down it is downright depressing. And in case you haven't noticed, two grocery stores have closed in the core area recently and the Bay is just a mere prescence with almost nothing to offer.

My point is that the general impression of the downtown is that it is still on the decline. I know that there is a great deal of effort to change this and the answer is always more residential as has been seen elsewhere. But my question is will those with $$$, retirees and empty nesters see an investment in this desireable in a downtown that really isn't there yet? I'm not sure but I hope for success.

I'm also coming from having just witnessed a good friend going through the process of /wow urban condo great idea/bought pre-construction/great honeymoon period/gee the common areas are deteriorating quickly/contact condo board/do some research/wow building is almost all renters/gotta get out of here/whew thank goodness it sold/.

That tends to colour one's opinion a bit.

[lilwayne]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Portage Place has retail? Oooook...

I used to do ALL my xmas shopping exclusively at The Bay/PP because it was so easy for me. But even with my simple tastes and limited shopping needs there I had to go elsewhereas there is almost NO selection and it is all so run down it is downright depressing. And in case you haven't noticed, two grocery stores have closed in the core area recently and the Bay is just a mere prescence with almost nothing to offer.

My point is that the general impression of the downtown is that it is still on the decline. I know that there is a great deal of effort to change this and the answer is always more residential as has been seen elsewhere. But my question is will those with $$$, retirees and empty nesters see an investment in this desireable in a downtown that really isn't there yet? I'm not sure but I hope for success.

I'm also coming from having just witnessed a good friend going through the process of /wow urban condo great idea/bought pre-construction/great honeymoon period/gee the common areas are deteriorating quickly/contact condo board/do some research/wow building is almost all renters/gotta get out of here/whew thank goodness it sold/.

That tends to colour one's opinion a bit.

home boy relax u have no argument

portage place offers a decent amount retail options

shoppers drug mart
staples
some clothing retail stores
and grocery wise there isnt that many options but theres enough where as if someone was to move into the core it wouldnt be an issue.
like we have said over and over once the downtown area has generated enough residential growth you will see a bigger grocery outlet in the area.. Until than what ever is already available is more than adequate

dt on the decline r u kidding me... 90 percent of the construction in the area is still in process.. u baffle me son.. trust me the dt we had 10 years ago only had only one direction to go and thats up.. please ban urself

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by lilwayne

home boy relax u have no argument

portage place offers a decent amount retail options

shoppers drug mart
staples
some clothing retail stores
and grocery wise there isnt that many options but theres enough where as if someone was to move into the core it wouldnt be an issue.
like we have said over and over once the downtown area has generated enough residential growth you will see a bigger grocery outlet in the area.. Until than what ever is already available is more than adequate

dt on the decline r u kidding me... 90 percent of the construction in the area is still in process.. u baffle me son.. trust me the dt we had 10 years ago only had only one direction to go and thats up.. please ban urself

Geez all that at Portage Place, I will talk to my realtor friend today, list my home and move from the 'burbs to down-town Winnipeg, what a fantastic opportunity. Wait, this is 2028 right?

[lilwayne]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Geez all that at Portage Place, I will talk to my realtor friend today, list my home and move from the 'burbs to down-town Winnipeg, what a fantastic opportunity. Wait, this is 2028 right?

pshhhh

u guys r rediculous

no one is arguing that downtown is the place to be at the moment, but downtown is making progress and its a slow process but eventually downtown will be vastly improved. The fact that investors are gambling and taking the risk of investing downtown, and more and more people are choosing downtown to live will create the type of positive energy and momentum the core needs to develop that type of identity. No one can deny that downtown has improved considerably over the past 10 years, and with centerpoint, wcc and condo project underway its only going to get better.I promise within a few years there will be way more grocery, and retail options in the core. There is no way that with all the new residential building the core is adding that they wouldnt add more services and stores in the area.

[Shinook]

Guys, I think we need to accept that there will always be those that will never see anything positive about the downtown. Ever. No matter what happens. My educated guess is most of those here who bitch about it are of the older generation. Most of my friends in the city are seeing that things are improving. Yes, there are still issues. What do you expect, perfection? It appears like its the same old people on here that complain, with no constructive criticism to give, and it seems this is just a place for them to whine. While I won't name names, I'm sure they know who they are. Even with being away from Winnipeg for less than a year, several of my friends have invested in downtown living, and are thoroughly enjoying every moment of it. So, my point is that while there will always be those that do nothing but complain, there will be many others that take the bull by the horns and actively seek to make a difference. And its working.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by lilwayne

dt on the decline r u kidding me... 90 percent of the construction in the area is still in process.. u baffle me son.. trust me the dt we had 10 years ago only had only one direction to go and thats up.. please ban urself

Building stuff doesn't do anything. Winnipeg Square and Portage Place were supposed to "save downtown". Remember how well that worked?

Ban urself? What does that mean?

[lilwayne]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Building stuff doesn't do anything. Winnipeg Square and Portage Place were supposed to "save downtown". Remember how well that worked?

Ban urself? What does that mean?

lol thats the point were making wat dt needed all this time was residential growth and that what thier creating now..... woww

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by Shinook

My educated guess is most of those here who bitch about it are of the older generation.

And why is that? Because life is not all roses and lollipops and the "older generation" you speak of has likely travelled more and has seen and experienced more failures. Nobody is complaining or bitching here, just offering another opinion to the rah-rah-rah downtown love side.

I said I wanted it to work, I just don't think it will.

[esquire]

In my personal experience from the circles that I travel in, the majority of Winnipeggers who a) get excited about the thought of living downtown and b) actually do it tend to be the under-30 crowd. Even then it's a small minority of the whole, many (if not most) of whom take the first opportunity to buy a home in the 'burbs, quite often in the same area that they grew up in themselves.

So you're really talking about a niche market, but it is a niche market that exists and clearly there is a response to this demand which we're seeing in the form of new high-rise condo projects and apartments like Heritage Landing. Obviously the fact that there is only a small handful of them going up as opposed to the reams of suburban homes that are built each year tells you how limited the market is, but there are clearly enough people with enough faith in downtown to pony up for a condo or an apartment, otherwise these buildings wouldn't be proposed or built in the first place.

Frankly, I doubt that middle-aged boomer suburbanites factor into the assumptions behind new downtown residences at all, except possibly as non-resident investors. There is no chance that the Riverman and rrskylar types of the world would ever be persuaded to give up their plot of suburbia. But that's OK, because they are not the market for those projects.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by esquire

In my personal experience from the circles that I travel in, the majority of Winnipeggers who a) get excited about the thought of living downtown and b) actually do it tend to be the under-30 crowd. Even then it's a small minority of the whole, many (if not most) of whom take the first opportunity to buy a home in the 'burbs, quite often in the same area that they grew up in themselves.

So you're really talking about a niche market, but it is a niche market that exists and clearly there is a response to this demand which we're seeing in the form of new high-rise condo projects and apartments like Heritage Landing. Obviously the fact that there is only a small handful of them going up as opposed to the reams of suburban homes that are built each year tells you how limited the market is, but there are clearly enough people with enough faith in downtown to pony up for a condo or an apartment, otherwise these buildings wouldn't be proposed or built in the first place.

Frankly, I doubt that middle-aged boomer suburbanites factor into the assumptions behind new downtown residences at all, except possibly as non-resident investors. There is no chance that the Riverman and rrskylar types of the world would ever be persuaded to give up their plot of suburbia. But that's OK, because they are not the market for those projects.

Good post esquire, bang on. Although I wouldn't be against down town living but just not in Winnipeg, sorry.

[1ajs]

guys relax...

please....


downtowns not on a decline the bay is being miss managed pritty obious when ever u go in there...

portage place does kinda suck........... but its not dead

theres what maybe 1 vacant store front on portage right now? 5yrs ago we had 20 plus

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Good post esquire, bang on. Although I wouldn't be against down town living but just not in Winnipeg, sorry.

`

Agree with you too Esquire and with Skyler, I crave DT living just not here.

And I live in Elmwood which I don't consider the 'burbs.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

guys relax...

please....

There are no rules on SSP about dissenting opinions. We are allowed to make them.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

guys relax...

please....


downtowns not on a decline the bay is being miss managed pritty obious when ever u go in there...

portage place does kinda suck........... but its not dead

theres what maybe 1 vacant store front on portage right now? 5yrs ago we had 20 plus

I think what we are doing is called "debate" in a forum there are those with differing views and opinions and it is probably why forums like this exist in the first place. What do some of you want us to say down-town is great, living down-town would be great, everything that they have tried to revive down-town Winnipeg has worked, those would all be lies. Things are happening but there is a long way to go.

Sure Portage Place has shown some signs of life as of late but how long has that taken and the Bay down-town seems to be on it's last legs.

MB Hydro HO down-town, Centrepointe are steps.

[Bdog]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Common sense would dictate that because one has to feed oneself, one would want to live near a grocery store. People with money that would buy one of these units (older people) have the sense to take that into consideration before buying.

I think they will be a hard sell until more amenities arrive.

Realistically, services/retail always follow residential, and the lag can be long. It was 15 years before residents of Whyteridge, Lindenwoods, etc. had a grocery store even remotely close by. That didn't stop them from moving into the area though...

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by Bdog

Realistically, services/retail always follow residential, and the lag can be long. It was 15 years before residents of Whyteridge, Lindenwoods, etc. had a grocery store even remotely close by. That didn't stop them from moving into the area though...

I understand Bdog but people who initially bought in Whyteridge were not expecting a walkable lifestyle in the least bit.

[vid]

OK, all of you guys hating on Portage Place, come to Thunder Bay and I'll bring you to Victoriaville and you can see what a downtown mall looks like when it really is a piece of shit. Because compared to our downtown mall, Portage Place is the fucking Eatons Centre. Its food court has more than three restaurants in it, and the vacancy rate is less than 80%. It's a success as far as downtown malls in crappy cities go.

[1ajs]

just trying to break the tension that apeares to be building guys relax

merry christmas

[vid]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

merry christmas

You think Katz gets Christmas cards? If he does, does it offend him the way Christians think it does when non-Christians get Christmas cards?

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

In my personal experience from the circles that I travel in, the majority of Winnipeggers who a) get excited about the thought of living downtown and b) actually do it tend to be the under-30 crowd. Even then it's a small minority of the whole, many (if not most) of whom take the first opportunity to buy a home in the 'burbs, quite often in the same area that they grew up in themselves.

[cut]

Frankly, I doubt that middle-aged boomer suburbanites factor into the assumptions behind new downtown residences at all, except possibly as non-resident investors. There is no chance that the Riverman and rrskylar types of the world would ever be persuaded to give up their plot of suburbia. But that's OK, because they are not the market for those projects.

I think you might be surprised. I think there is definitely a market for the empty nesters to be moving downtown too, especially ones that are looking at five to ten years before retiring and are still working downtown. Ones where having a large yard for their young children to run around in doesn't matter as they are already grown and on their own. There is also the size thing where an average house is 1600 to 1800 sq ft with a quarter of that being extra bedrooms that really are not getting used anymore.

I think one of the big things for condos to target a market that is residents and not rental units is covered and secured parking, ideally heated too. My thinking is that people don't want to spend over $200k on a place then pay condo fees and be left to cover parking rental at market rates which would be $200/month or more for an underground spot and that is based on only weekday usage. A 24 h reserved spot is going to be even higher.