Winnipeg Construction X

[EdwardTH]

Originally Posted by Labroco

The property was purchased for the existing 43 stall parking lot. The building will be demolished and the parking will slowly encroach onto the balance of the site.

We will see who the purchasers are but my guess the adjacent property owner.

Why though? What demand is there for parking with 50% of people still working from home? Even pre-pandemic most of these surface lots had plenty of spaces open on a workday.

[Highwayman]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

Gotta say it's a bummer that they didn't go with white to complete a nice complete string of white buildings - Buhler Centre, Downtown Commons, this, Muse Flats... apartment-block Santorini

This is the type of densification we need downtown. This area is becoming as dense as Osborne Village. Hopefully True North does the same with that mall down the street lol.

Btw has anyone heard when the southern cheifsw are going to get going on the Bay?

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

So the city allows you to buy a property with a parking lot and a building, demo the building, and turn the entire property into a parking lot with no approvals, variances, anything?

And what adjacent property owner? That side of the block has Mitzi's (the chicken place), a convenience store, a little class C 2-storey office, and another parking lot. This isn't like there's a giant office tower next door.

Agree with Sparky that there needs to be some serious tax disincentives from people just parking (ha ha) their money in surface lots

I am envisioning someone will build a residential , likely apartment rental building 15 - 25 floors on this property.

[BAKGUY]

Originally Posted by Biff

Supposed to start in late fall.

With the cost of everything so high as well as interest rates, I wonder if they still plan to develop 634 Portage Ave? Another 20 floor residential. so needed in that area to get it going.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by EdwardTH

Why though? What demand is there for parking with 50% of people still working from home? Even pre-pandemic most of these surface lots had plenty of spaces open on a workday.

Anecdotal. But I work near the new apartment building going up on St. Mary Ave. The new build took over a surface lot.

Pre-pandemic, that lot was full and the other 2 lots west side of Donald were usually full. It was hard to find a spot most days if you weren't there earlier in the morning.

Now, even with that lot gone, there is always parking in the lots west of Donald. Easy peasey. Still $14 per day though. No change in price.

[WinCitySparky]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

With the cost of everything so high as well as interest rates, I wonder if they still plan to develop 634 Portage Ave? Another 20 floor residential. so needed in that area to get it going.

I’m sure it will happen, Canada just added 1 mil new people, and Manitoba apparently saw a record population increase last year. If that rate keeps up, they won’t be able to build towers fast enough, even in ol Winnipeg. Perhaps 634 will be delayed until their other big items in Wpg are wrapped up and starting to see cash flow. But I’m sure it will happen eventually.

[cllew]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

With the cost of everything so high as well as interest rates, I wonder if they still plan to develop 634 Portage Ave? Another 20 floor residential. so needed in that area to get it going.

Its still on PPP's web page as a project to be built

[bomberjet]

Curious if anyone knows more about this school construction program by the Province.

https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.ht...ted=2023-03-24

Specifically this line here:
The bundled procurement model, applied successfully in recent years in Alberta and Saskatchewan, will allow the Manitoba government to build the nine schools through a single tender and thereby complete the construction faster and with optimal value, Teitsma added.

Building 9 schools through a single tender? Or is this each school will just be one tender?


Side note. My god the press releases. "We are totally, fully, and bigly extra completing what we said we'd do." type words. Every press release is like this.

[CoryB]

In the post war boom era I am pretty sure there was a base plan for new school builds and from there they did modifications as needed on the builds.

If they are actually going to build nine schools it would make sense to do one design that could be adapted with minimal changes to each of the nine builds instead of paying all the clean sheet costs for a new design.

Reality is schools have a real utilitarian purpose and there is no reason each one needs to have a unique and costly design.

[bomberjet]

I'd agree with that within reason. Different schools have different purposes. A vocational school would have more shops vs an academic focused school. Shops could just be tacked on the side of a boiler plate design though.

I was more thinking of the construction. They don't plan on tendering 9 schools for construction as part of 1 contract, do they? That seems like bad news bears.

Also they are going with a P3 type model for these schools. Not sure about that either. Does anyone know how the local police station P3 model has been working out?

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by CoryB

In the post war boom era I am pretty sure there was a base plan for new school builds and from there they did modifications as needed on the builds.

If they are actually going to build nine schools it would make sense to do one design that could be adapted with minimal changes to each of the nine builds instead of paying all the clean sheet costs for a new design.

Reality is schools have a real utilitarian purpose and there is no reason each one needs to have a unique and costly design.

Three Toronto libraries (all Carnegie libraries). Ignore all the various renovations and expansions -- the original libraries themselves were near identical.

[sleepyeyed]

Speaking of parking lots, I see the "market lands" site is now being used as one.

[wags_in_the_peg]

Originally Posted by sleepyeyed

Speaking of parking lots, I see the "market lands" site is now being used as one.

film shoot parking, same as last summer. better place for cars and trailers to be than taking up streets

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

film shoot parking, same as last summer. better place for cars and trailers to be than taking up streets

It has become a de facto unauthorized and unapproved parking lot.

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by borkborkbork

So the city allows you to buy a property with a parking lot and a building, demo the building, and turn the entire property into a parking lot with no approvals, variances, anything?

And what adjacent property owner? That side of the block has Mitzi's (the chicken place), a convenience store, a little class C 2-storey office, and another parking lot. This isn't like there's a giant office tower next door.

Agree with Sparky that there needs to be some serious tax disincentives from people just parking (ha ha) their money in surface lots

The real question to ask is WHO owns the adjacent property…

Not what is currently on it…

As for your other comment, one cannot disproportionately tax a property owner to construct a building that cannot be leased profitably.

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by WinCitySparky

We need some heavy handed new rules on existing surface parking lots, like a 10% tax on new owners of existing lots, or even a ban on an existing lot downtown being used as a surface lot again once sold.

Well that would cause parking lots to be placed into stand alone corporations. If a beneficial owner really wanted to monetize other than refinancing, the company would be sold and no change of title would occur at land titles. No new owner to trigger your draconian and discriminatory taxations.

If one wants less parking lots, create financial conditions to encourage more downtown construction. There have been a few residential developers downtown moving forward with ambitious projects. I respect and admire them all.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Labroco

The real question to ask is WHO owns the adjacent property…

Not what is currently on it…

As for your other comment, one cannot disproportionately tax a property owner to construct a building that cannot be leased profitably.

Who owns it?

[Labroco]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Who owns it?

I have not searched title recently but the whole block comprises of 5 titles.

The northerly 3000ft2 may be owned by T.N. along with property across the street. The southernly 18,000ft2 lot is owned by L.A.B.

My guess the buyer is T.N. or Sabino. Both very large holders of parking in the area.

The historic Vendor’s licence is of interest and could lead to a demo of the hotel and refurbishment of the one story building. Quite a promising vendor with proper drive up parking and loading…

A very good hold and property amalgamation / consolidation.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by Labroco

It has become a de facto unauthorized and unapproved parking lot.

Nope. Not a parking lot. Temporary staging for film production.

[trueviking]

I don’t think the Windsor has actually been sold.