Winnipeg: 2018 (and Beyond)
 

Looking ahead to the new year, what are some of the changes that may come to Winnipeg? What will stay the same? Things move so slow here that it's hard to make a meaningful prediction for just one year, so I've thought more about the new year, plus a couple more after that.

- Uber and/or Lyft begin operation in Winnipeg. This has little impact on the taxi industry, since everyone using rideshare apps had largely given up on trying to get a cab over the past 10-15 years. It becomes one more thing that moves some people, particularly younger adults, away from being so compelled to own a car. Fewer people drive drunk, at least in urban areas.

- The river trails and and the ice attractions at The Forks are wild successes, and so is the skating trails at Assiniboine Park. The attitude that winters in Winnipeg are something to be endured indoors becomes even more outdated.

- Barring the emergence of some kind of superstar candidate I can't think of, Mayor Bowman is easily re-elected in October. A somewhat credible candidate (eg, Councillors Browaty or Lukes) will run against him under some populist banner of "transparency" and opposition to Portage and Main pedestrians and impact/growth fees, etc. but it won't matter. Also some kind of woke activist/radical union hack will run and everyone will be amused.

- A few new faces change on Council, but generally things stay the same. Northeast Winnipeg remains a populist voting bloc opposed to everything. What will be interesting to see, with respect to the potential for infill development, is if Councillor Orlikow is re-elected. A more pro-development councillor in River Heights would likely mean we'd see the Parker Lands developed in short order, and more small-scale infill projects creeping into the less tony parts of Crescentwood and River Heights (eg, south of Grosvenor Avenue).

- The Exchange District and the Sherbrook Street area hum along, solidifying themselves as the clear winners of the Two Coolest Neighbourhoods in Winnipeg contest. Some new development projects are proposed or begin construction, but nothing major.

- Osborne Village and Old St. Boniface get a number of new mid-sized infill projects, but little new commercial development. Bedroom communities for urbanists.

- The Boyd Building joins the St. Charles Hotel as another high-profile heritage building with a very uncertain future. (I so hope I'm wrong about this one.)

- A modernist building is saved from demolition on the basis of its heritage value for the first time. (Spoiler alert: it won't be the Public Safety Building.)

- Construction of 300 Main gets underway, becoming Winnipeg's tallest building when completed.

- The future of the North End hangs over the city like a big question mark. What is the fate of that fairly continuous row of old buildings on the west side of Main between the CPR and Euclid? Will a critical mass of hipster artist types ever migrate to Point Douglas? Does Selkirk Avenue get anywhere close to living up to its potential?

What am I missing here?

SkyCity ends 2018 with 50% sold. The seven suites being resold on the MLS at the end of 2016 and 2017 are still there at the end of 2018.

The Funnelator achieves sentience. Despite trying to communicate by projecting patterns and imagery, no-one notices.

After the December 2017 cold snap, Winnipeg attracts tourism the following year by promoting "that special time of year when all the birds turn color and fall from the trees."

In late spring the mid-day sun hits TNS tower two. The curved surface reflects and focuses it into tower one. *That* curved surface in turn reflects and focuses it further into a death ray. This goes unnoticed until a couple years later when the newly-built Sutton Place Hotel has a problem with customers spontaneously combusting in suites along Carlton Street. Cleaning fees are added to their bills.

After several more inmate deaths, the Winnipeg Remand Center is closed. Two months later a press release announces Winnipeg's hottest new condo conversion project, The Remand.

The city needs to start in the near future heavily taxing parking lots and vacant buildings and dwellings. Also meters for street parking should be rolled out across the city not just downtown and the exchange. A bike network using the Bannatyne curbs should be implemented ASAP.

You can’t be serious? People should not have to pay to park on their own streets and that would also negatively impact a lot of businesses and contractors. Also taxing parking lots would mean a rate increase and they already cost too much. They do however need to stop charging parking at hospitals.

The Moose, Jets, Goldeyes, and Blue Bombers all win league championships.

Riverman and skylar finally move out of Winnipeg and both realize they should have done it years earlier!

If the Goldeyes win in their third championship next year, Hutchinson in the Moose completes a shutout and championship win in Calder Cup Finals, Laine scoring his upteenth hat trick as a game winner in the Stanley Cup final, and Nichols scoring a touch down in the final play of the Grey Cup to win it, I will forever call you my senpai. :D

And everyone else in the city celebrates with a massive party at P&M

:happybirthday::happybirthday::happybirthday::happybirthday::ohyeah:ohyeah:ohyeah

I'm all for paid parking on high-traffic commercial streets like Corydon and Academy where parking is tough. Academy has 1 hr limits, but WPA never goes by to enforce them. Know a lot of business owners there have been complaining to WPA about this. Charging $1/hr is not going to drive anyone away.

Taxing parking lots is good – monthly rates of $150-250 downtown, or as many in Exchange are max $14/day is nothing. Charge more. It's a private business anyway.

Parking at hospitals is expensive because it's in high demand. So it makes sense. If you want to get rid of it, you will have to start charging (more) in other places! Can't have it all.


"Bring your hammer" says mayor, as he invites Winnipeggers to help "tear down that wall!" at Portage and Main after victory parade.

Coming soon all city parking will be a minimum of 2.50 an hour.

Love Roger's whole list, but this especially cracked me up.

I'm sure the Funnelator will begin projecting images of falling teardrops for being made fun of so much. And for loneliness after being promised circa 2010 the downtown would be covered with many more of his Funnelator brethren.

I don't know why downtown and hospitals keep getting clobbered with parking rate increases while other busy neighbourhoods with high demand but little parking supply (West Broadway, Corydon, Osborne, Old St. Boniface, West End) don't even have meters. Oh, except Selkirk Avenue because for some reason that bustling commercial strip demands paid parking.

Second hand info: the owner is planning 9 apartments per floor with a possible parkade on the adjacent property (small building torn down). Personally, I have doubts about his finances given the embroilments but we shall see.

You can all breathe a sigh of relief, the Boyd mail chute will supposedly be preserved.

Adding to the 2018 list.

300 Main starts construction.
True North Square completes construction.
Sutton Place Hotel and condo towers start construction.
Richardson Lab starts construction.
Red River Innovation Centre starts construction.
UWCRC 14 storey tower on St Mary starts construction
UWCRC All Saints tower starts construction.
Forks Railside starts construction.
Sterling Building completes construction.
Pumphouse apartments start construction.
Inuit Art Centre begins construction.
Women’s Hospital will open.
Diversity Gardens will rise from the ground.
Demolition of PSB.
Possible redevelopment of Royal Albert begins.

One or two other very nice surprises.

Can't recall, are there any renderings for All Saints?

Are these surprises teasers for things that should be announced sometime soon?

I think CentreVenture has done a good job at filling out the SHED District. (Lets not argue about the details of what they did and didn't do) I would love to see them attack or create some other districts or areas to focus on. 3 of them come to mind.

https://preview.ibb.co/m4vr7G/Improvement.jpg

My biggest one would be the YELLOW AREA from P&M to Shaw Park and from the exchange south down Main to Union Station. Almost entirely surface parking lots.

My 2nd one would be the BLUE AREA I hate the sea of surface lots here. The Donald strip between St Marys and south of Broadway is a terrible drive. I loved the one submission as part of the MPI RFP by, I believe Verne Reimer

http://www.vernereimer.com/wp-conten...11-781x540.jpg

Last is the ORANGE AREA the Graham corridor specifically the massive 2 lots between Smith and Fort. Yes, yes, I know one is slated for SkyCity but do we honestly think that will happen?

Anyways....thoughts

^ The pie-shaped lot flanked by Smith, Ellice & Notre Dame.

I think all the areas mentioned (Graham, Donald, Notre Dame pie lot) except for one will all get developed on their own organically. Those three sites are not that big and literally one or two new buildings would change the feel of those precincts considerably.

It's that big yellow area in Biff's map that will only achieve critical mass with some outside intervention. It needs everything really, streetscaping, buildings, infrastructure in general. That area used to be sort of the downtown utility room until the 60s, then it just kind of faded into a sea of vacant lots over time and is pretty well starting from scratch now. Luckily it's something of a desirable location from both a commercial and residential standpoint given that it's wedged between the two most attractive parts of downtown... Portage and Main and The Forks, and it's convenient to Main Street.

As the SHED gets closer to becoming built out, I could see that becoming the next major focus area for downtown.

The Donald St. strip I want buildings set to the sidewalk, with NO setbacks.

We already have that hotel nearby that with a similar "elevation" and parking in front.