Winnipeg Construction

[1ajs]

guys need to relax

[Only The Lonely..]

Originally Posted by trueviking

where is the low vacancy on Portage Avenue exactly?...is there even a single empty storefront from main street to polo park?.....maybe one?

not much question that downtown isn't what it was 30 years ago, but its miles ahead of what it was 10 years ago...i spend 8 hours a day there...i can attest to the change....it is staggering....i used to eat lunch in old market square completely alone and wonder where everyone was...i used to park for free under the canopy of the abandoned steam plant...now there are 10 condo buildings there, more being built and new hotel going up.

ten years ago i would stand at the corner of albert and mcdermot and think how could every one of these buildings be empty?....today?...not a single one is.

Sydney australia is one of the greatest cities on earth.....to make the argument that Winnipeg's downtown is still in decline because we don't match Sydney is pretty ridiculous.

remember what i said.....i didn't say winnipeg's downtown is perfect, or made any judgement of its quality.....i simply said anyone who thinks it is in decline.....that is to say becoming worse than it previously was, is an idiot....i stand by that comment....anyone who thinks downtown is worse off than it was 5 or 10 years ago has not spent any time there and is making that judgement based on ignorance.

you compare us to Sydney....i just got back from Phoenix and came back thinking Winnipeg has 10 times the urban quality....in fact, I'd put our downtown up against 90% of north american cities.....especially ones under 1 million people....

i am not making a judgement compared to the great cities of the world..i am making comparison against what winnipeg was.....it is FAR better off than it was when there were dozens of empty units along Portage, when the exchange was completely vacant.....that was not long ago....i don't see how anyone can walk through the exchange district today and say downtown has declined from 5-8 years ago.

you point to the ham fisted planning driven by centre venture and i wont argue that point at all...i totally agree....but for every WRHA there is a union tower redevelopment...for every government office in the Birk's building there are three condo redevelopments.....yes, i wish the storefront of the avenue was a boutique shop or trendy restaurant, but there are 30 of those in the exchange today that did not exist 6 years ago.

and if we are going to talk about perception of the typical suburbanite, which is where this all started, they would probably think that north main is a million times better than it was a few years ago when it was empty lots and derelict buildings....you and i know it was a mistake, but if we are talking about perception, i don't think you remember what it looked like before.


btw, what do you have against hydro moving 2000 workers downtown and the expansion of the U of W?....both huge positives in my books....how many new restaurants are there within a block of the U of W now?....

I'm not making a comparison of Winnipeg to Sydney per se, or even Winnipeg to Minneapolis for that matter.

My main argument, is that low vacancy doesn't equal vibrancy.

Too much of our downtown has been redeveloped by well intentioned civil servants looking to fill empty buildings with government workers under the guise that they might buy a hot dog from a street vendor on some friday afternoon.

Maybe this year will be different, but we need more projects like the Yuki sushi in the Hotel McLaren or the Metropoitan theatre redevelopment for that matter.

I find that too often on this forum if your against anything Winnipeg related your against the board.

I'm only arguing against taxpayer subsidized redevelopment, at some point the private sector will need to lead the charge.

May 2013 be different.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by The Jabroni

Bring on 2013! I'm sure that there will be more ambitious and exciting projects coming up in the new year, I just know it!!

i can promise you that there will be.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Only The Lonely..

I'm not making a comparison of Winnipeg to Sydney per se, or even Winnipeg to Minneapolis for that matter.

My main argument, is that low vacancy doesn't equal vibrancy.

Too much of our downtown has been redeveloped by well intentioned civil servants looking to fill empty buildings with government workers under the guise that they might buy a hot dog from a street vendor on some friday afternoon.

Maybe this year will be different, but we need more projects like the Yuki sushi in the Hotel McLaren or the Metropoitan theatre redevelopment for that matter.

I find that too often on this forum if your against anything Winnipeg related your against the board.

I'm only arguing against taxpayer subsidized redevelopment, at some point the private sector will need to lead the charge.

May 2013 be different.

i totally agree with this....we need way more small business and less megaproject...its very frustrating that the people who matter don't seem to understand the value of small scale, organic growth....

the residential TIFF was a great public incentive that will likely be repeated....

we will see some good private investment in the downtown in the near future.

we have a long way to go, but we have come a long way in 10 years...it happens so slowly that i think we don't remember what it was like then.

[h0twired]

Originally Posted by Riverman

`

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.

Glenelm is hardly Elmwood.

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by trueviking

i totally agree with this....we need way more small business and less megaproject...its very frustrating that the people who matter don't seem to understand the value of small scale, organic growth.

I said the exact same thing when someone recommended we demo the 4Play building and add it to "megaproject" there.

Developers will build what they get the best profit with. If they make more money doing these megaprojects, they will, and it's up to the Civic and Legislative governments to make sure that what is proposed is best for the City or Province.

The problem is our civic government will bend over backwards for growth (of any kind), and even with no planning, engineering, or any background at all, councillors can (and do -- see Corydon drive-thru) veto what the trained professional planners recommend.

But I guess that's what you meant when you said people that matter. I'm not one of those people.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by h0twired

Glenelm is hardly Elmwood.

Yes it is, but that's a whole 'nuther discussion.

[bomberjet]

Back to the Palliser Re-development in NK. Looking around online this AM and seems like the NIMBY's in the area scaled this down to one tower at Gateway and Lexington. From what I can make of it. Info from two open houses this past year. Included pretty pictures and maps. Latest open house was Oct. 3.

http://www.palliser.com/furniture/AboutUs/major-redevelopment-site.html

Reasons: Tall buildings are scary!!!! For real!! That was the third highest ranked response. Pretty sad.

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Back to the Palliser Re-development in NK. Looking around online this AM and seems like the NIMBY's in the area scaled this down to one tower at Gateway and Lexington. From what I can make of it. Info from two open houses this past year. Included pretty pictures and maps. Latest open house was Oct. 3.

http://www.palliser.com/furniture/AboutUs/major-redevelopment-site.html

Reasons: Tall buildings are scary!!!! For real!! That was the third highest ranked response. Pretty sad.

I wish I heard about this before now... I would have loved to have gone to this open house. I think I'm a bit of a Masochist that I like to sit through these types of "town hall" meetings where no real planning gets done and it's just a bitch fest.

After reading through those comments on the exit survey I am fairly certain I had nothing in common with any of those people aside from the City I live in. The top 4 comments were all about density too high and traffic too busy/loud. Do the people in the neighbourhood think they are not part of the problem when they drive to work every day?

"My car doesn't make noise, but those motorcycles... and those hotrods, get them outta here." "Everyone else on the road is causing problems. If they would just stay home every morning, I would have an easy commute." "I am all for the City giving me everything I want -- police service, fire service, water and sewer service, roads, swimming pools, arenas, community centres -- but when they try to find ways to pay for it without raising taxes, I'm against every time." and my personal favorite "I wish the city would fix the roads with the decreasing value of the dollar, and the raising cost of construction, all without raising my taxes."

[urbandreamer]

Originally Posted by headhorse

from: http://westenddumplings.blogspot.ca/2012/12/open-house-burnells-former-canada-bread.html

Just read on that blog:

The consortium is looking to convert both buildings (the main bakery and stables/garage) into 80 rental units with 4 retail units on the main floor. The main floor of the garage will be parking.

A majority of the units will be smaller, around 600 sq feet, though there will be a few 2 bdr as well. Each will have an interior balcony so the outward appearance of the building doesn't change much.

and

Grey Goose garage ... I herd a rumour that it has been conditionally purchased (based on the owner getting zoning changes and independent confirmation of the contamination cleanup) by Sandhu Developments for a condominium development.

So that's the site of their next development: "A Condos"?

----------

That Palliser proposal looks hot!

[bomberjet]

Had a look through some of the "concerns not addressed" slide at Palliser and people are so worried about height and obscuring the view. View of what?

Details still TBD I guess. The round looking building adjacent to Chief doesn't have a height associated with it. Says 4-8 units per floor. Also may be possible for additional future tower at Gateway on the proposed podium condos.

[rrskylar]

Merry Christmas, happy holidays and all the best in 2013 guys!

[armorand93]

Heres an idea, the next people to argue gets banned for Christm- oh wait, we're finally back on topic. Yay.

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Heres an idea, the next people to argue gets banned for Christm- oh wait, we're finally back on topic. Yay.

So debating is not allowed, or is looked down upon on this forum? Isn't that what forums are for, debate and discussion?

[vid]

Debating is only allowed if it's within the moderator's political tolerance.

[roccerfeller]

Merry Xmas everyone!

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by Riverman

So debating is not allowed, or is looked down upon on this forum? Isn't that what forums are for, debate and discussion?

no its when people are getting testy with one another i just step in to tell u guys to relax a bit


anyway merchychristmas guys

tomarrow is a idle no more gathering at st vital mall at 3

[headhorse]

here's a better rendering of that Mistecture project at 373 Stradbrook


from: http://www.facebook.com/MISTECTURE

[h0twired]

Is that ground level parking?

[headhorse]

Originally Posted by h0twired

Is that ground level parking?

yeah, I think so. the whole thing needs some work, especially the front facade. brutal.