Portage Place Redevelopment
Location: 393 Portage Ave
Architects: ARK /
PETROFF
Developer: Starlight Investments
Status: In development stage
Media: Portage Place to undergo up to $400-M retrofit, multi-income residential towers added
Description: $400m+ retrofit of exisiting mall; two 20-storey rental residential towers with 500 to 550, new shopping, office spaces, and as a pedestrian-friendly courtyard
• Development of a Complete Community
| • Active Mixed-useUrban Landmark
| • Diverse Mixed-use Programthat integrates live, work,learn, shop and pla
• Local Markets,Pop-up Programming,Seasonal Events,Concerts and Gatherings
• Purpose-built Multi-Familyand Student Rentals;+/-600 units
| • Indigenous StudentFamily Housing• Seniors Aging-in-Place Model
• Purpose-built Market and Targeted Rental Housing as a catalyst forlive/work/play model increasing vibrancy, activity,security and safety in the downtown core
• CPTED principles
| • Street-related Retail
| • Illuminated Elevated Exterior Skywalk
| • Eyes and Ears on the Streetwith Outward Facing Retailand Commercial Spaces
| • Street Linkage
• Elevated Skywalk system relocates circulation from the building interior to the exterior public realm
• Ground-related Pedestrian Walkways relocates circulation from the building interior to the exterior public realm integrating street fabric and transit
• Grocery Store and Local Markets
| • Child Care and Elder Care
| • Community Health Hub and Professional Services
| • Community Gardens, Green Roofs, Urban Farm
• Commercial and Office Spaces
• Adaptive Re-use of Major Downtown Facility | • LEED Gold or Equivalent targeted | • Micro climate Support for year-round public comfort-wind, solar and shadow | • Green and Reflective Roof
• Locally Sourced Durable Materials | • Focus on Health and Well-being, Daylight, Building Orientation
• Local Markets, Pop-up Programming, Seasonal Events, Concerts and Gatherings
• Pedestrian linkages at grade reconnect the city and bring a human-scale to Portage Place, dividing the existing massing into distinct elements
• Existing street fabric –Kennedy and Edmonton Streets extend through the site as pedestrian connections knitting north and south Winnipeg together
• Urban Squares and Courtyards transform the new pedestrian connections into all-season public realm open space
• Landscaped Public Realm
| • Welcoming spaces and amenities for local community including public spaces for gathering, sitting,relaxing and visiting
Quote:
A downtown mall will soon see a major upgrade in hopes of alleviating its worsening woes.
Portage Place mall will be “retrofitted” starting in 2021, and replaced with two 20-storey rental residential towers. New shopping and office spaces, as well as a pedestrian-friendly courtyard, are also included in the plans.
In an exclusive interview with Global News and 680 CJOB, Starlight Investments, which bought Portage Place earlier this year, says it’s time the embattled downtown mall gets a major overhaul.
“Well, it’s exciting,” said Glen Hirsch, chief operating officer of Starlight Investments. “We are looking at a meaningful revitalization of the SHED (Sports, Hospitality, Entertainment District) district in Winnipeg.”
The retrofit and addition of the rental housing towers will cost anywhere from $300-400 million and take four to five years, said Hirsch, and the towers will have 500 to 550 rental units of varying sizes. Starlight is also looking at finding a grocery chain for the space, he added.
It’s their hope, he said, that the new development will connect both ends of the mall and bring communities together in a safe environment, said Hirsch.
The glass and glazing effect means that “you have no choice but to see the people around you, walking with you and walking on the street below you,” he said.
The skywalk system attached to the mall will stay, but will be placed on the outside of the structure, said Hirsch.
Other elements, like eliminating closed-off spaces, will make the area safer, he added.
Hirsch said despite the many issues with Portage Place, the mall does not need to be demolished.
“I would say that it needs a lot of work. We’ve got a lot of ideas of how to reconfigure the space, particularly as we look at the interior,” said Hirsch.
“The mall was built in the late ’80s. The utilization of space like that has evolved.”
Josh Kauffman, head of development and construction for Starlight Investments, said there is opportunity with rental apartments in downtown Winnipeg.
“We’re going after a diverse demographic,” said Kauffman. Community consultations will include feedback from various groups that may want to rent the apartments, including students, Indigenous families, downtown workers and more.
That feedback will help the group determine sizes for the apartment buildings and how many bedrooms there will be. As for rent costs, it will depend on sizes and consultation, according to Kauffman.
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