The corner lot at Osborne Village’s southern gateway has a pulse after resting lifeless for more than two years.
The Osborne Terraces, a six-storey multi-use residential building located on the west side of Osborne Street, at the corner of Gertrude Avenue, broke ground on Friday and will be erected by July 2024.
The development at 197 Osborne St. will consist of 90 residential units, 14 of which will be deemed an affordable-living option by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and seven commercial spaces on its ground level; it will run 24 per cent above the national standard’s energy-performance rating.
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A rendering of Osborne Terraces, which broke ground on Friday. The six-storey multi-use building will consist of 90 residential units and seven commerical spaces.
“Growing up, I had a lot of really good memories in this neighbourhood — coming to the old Dutch Maid (ice cream parlour), going to the old Gags Unlimited — so it was always a staple in my life,” said Adam Sharfe, president of Sharfe Developments, at the project’s soil-turning. “When the opportunity came up to purchase a piece of such an incredible neighbourhood, I jumped at the opportunity.
“Especially to put up a new building that’s gonna please the esthetic of the area, bring more residents to the area and give more small businesses an opportunity to lease space in a new building.”
Sharfe could not confirm the pricing of any residential units, which will range from studios to two-bedroom suites.
The half-acre of land was claimed by Sharfe in September 2020 after the existing buildings on the lot were demolished that July.
Most recently, the space was divided into four units — occupied by Gags Unlimited, AAA Consignment, Village Laundry and Peg City Yoga — which were viewed as an eyesore to some, and a crucial piece of the Village’s history to others.
Friday’s ceremony was a monumental moment for Sharfe, personally, it was his first soil-turning ceremony as a developer. Along with architects, builders and engineers, he was joined by a few friends and his parents, Lorne and Cheryl, on the snowy morning.
Sharfe said the development’s approval process was smooth sailing, for the most part, aside from cost of construction skyrocketing.
“We had to value engineer probably four or five times to keep the budget under control, because I want these suites not to be out of the reach of the average Winnipeg local,” he said, referring to a process of analyzing the function of components and materials to lower costs.
Through Landmark Planning and Design Inc., Sharfe conducted three rounds of public consultations with local businesses, residents and stakeholders in the area to obtain feedback on their thoughts of a multi-use building being added to the area.
“Pleasantly, there really was not much negativity,” he said.
“…But I think it’s important to engage the public, to take their feedback into it. It’s their neighbourhood. Honestly, I haven’t really run into that much negativity. I have a lot of really excited people for cleaning up this lot, specifically — for bringing more residents, for bringing more businesses, so it’s been very encouraging.”
The Osborne Terraces are just the latest instalment in the rapidly shifting Village. Since March 2020, 25 new businesses have set up shop in the area that now hovers around 13,000 residents.
Another mixed-use development, the Zu — formerly the Osborne Village Inn — is also under construction and expected to add another 200 units of residential and commercial space into the heart of the neighbourhood.
“It’s huge,” said Lindsay Somers, executive director of the Osborne Village BIZ, of the Osborne Terraces. “It’s in a prime gateway location, just north of Confusion Corner. And it really fills the model for mixed-use development in terms of bringing more businesses — more people — all in one parcel of land. We can have huge economic, social and environmental return … it will have a huge presence in the neighbourhood, visually.”
“As we’re coming out of the pandemic and understanding how we can build a more sustainable city, this is where we can do that.”
Somers, who said Osborne BIZ is in the process of developing a master plan for the neighbourhood, confirmed she hasn’t received any negative feedback on Sharfe’s development, emphasizing that Osborne Village is the “densest neighbourhood in Winnipeg.”
“There is a value system once you’re in Osborne Village that you understand we are going to share space and we are going to have mixed-use. Like, a building can’t just be one thing, we need to share this building’s use… that is a critical piece of Osborne Village, because, within two square kilometres, how else can you have 13,000 people and over 150 businesses if there isn’t a model for density?” she said.
“I’m thrilled to see this investment into the neighbourhood. We want to attract new business and a sale within this structure. We want to have more people living here with a variety of options to live. We want to have the character buildings, the high-rises and now a six-storey apartment building with rooftop terraces. We want to have more housing diversity and this is how we do that.”
Charles Garinger, co-owner of the Hive, a family-owned salon of 13 years that’s less than a minute from the development, is compelled to view the Osborne Terraces as a plus but is partially reluctant to let go of the history of the Village.
“It’s mixed feelings because a lot of these businesses have been around for even longer than us,” Garinger said. “You get a little sad when you see things go that were a part of the fabric of the Village, but, I mean, especially since COVID, a lot of them just aren’t as viable now.
“And the changing landscape of retail, I think it’s kind of inevitable. Maybe it’s great for us. Because there will be a lot of people living in the Village.”
The Hive is currently the only salon in the neighbourhood, outlasting two others that were previous mainstays on the strip. Despite his business, like many others, experiencing labour shortages, Garinger warmed up to the idea of an increase in clientele as he continued to speak.
“What else are you gonna do?” he asked. “You can’t preserve the Village as it was in the ’90s, ya know?
“Things change, and it’s probably a positive thing.”
joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @jfreysam
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