[chrisallard5454]

I will just start with the letter's sent to city council

Originally Posted by Mininari

Done.

Good Afternoon Sir,

I am writing in response to the plans recently made public to build a $75M water park facility on a large piece of property in the immediate vicinity of the Forks National Heritage Site.

As a former urban planning student at Simon Fraser University, I am appalled at this proposal. A large, car-oriented public recreation facility, whether it be public or privately run, does not fit the urban fabric of the area in question. This area has shown a great deal of promise in recent years as a pedestrian-oriented destination with the coming Canadian Museum for Human Rights, expansions at the Children's Museum, and mixed-use developments north along Waterfront Drive, and in St. Boniface. A waterpark is a facility for families to drive into, disappear within the walls, then come out and go home.

Granted, the facility would represent development of a prime piece of property that is presently underutilized, and another hotel in the area would certainly could be beneficial to the area. However, I firmly believe that a better use of this parcel of land would be for a large mixed-use development including ground-level retail with 4 - 5 levels of condos above, and perhaps public space and walkways. Tie this development in to possible future conversion of Union Station to a transit hub, which could feature a future LRT station. Concerns about the rail mainline nearby could easily be mitigated with modern construction techniques, architectural features, etc.

I emplore you to please voice your opposition to this project in its present form. As a father of a 9-month old infant, I do agree that this city needs a significant new water-oriented recreation facility. However, I would recommend that the city look for a hotelier partner that would be willing to build this project as part of the Seasons of Tuxedo development, which is intended to include several regional destination retailers (such as IKEA, Cabelas). This project fits the nature of that development much better, and leaves the prominent lands available at the forks for redevelopment that makes more sense for the area.

Thank you for hearing my concerns,

Originally Posted by trueviking

anytime you see this disclaimer you know its done.

outstanding letter mininari....perfectly said.

i sent this to them yesterday...



Please do not allow the construction of a waterpark on the City land at the Forks Site. That property holds great opportunity to be a catalyst for change in the downtown. With the construction of the CMHR it has become the most important piece of land in the city and should not be handed over to a private developer without careful consideration of its effect on the Forks and surrounding neighbourhoods.

That land has the opportunity to at long last, bridge the gap between the Forks and the rest of downtown. It can bring the urban nature of the city to the Forks and vibrancy of the Forks to the downtown. A waterpark is not this type of catalyst.

The opportunity is too great to not translate that public asset into something that transforms our urban centre. A waterpark can be placed anywhere. Urban areas are not appropriate for drive-in, drive-out destinations requiring high volumes of parking for their success.

The Human Rights Museum's ultimate success will be measured by our ability to translate its impact into a catalyst for farther-reaching development, as they did in Bilbao.

Development must be compatible with the public focus of the area, while maximizing the full potential of its location. Enhancing the current amenities at The Forks and affecting a lasting, positive change in the downtown are goals that can be achieved with an appropriate and cohesive plan for the entire property along the rail line.

Please do not be short sighted and allow this development to occur. The land must be coordinated with that of the Forks mixed use, ‘Rail side’ development to maximize the benefits to our city. It is part of a greater ecosystem. It is not an isolated property. Please do what is right for the future of Winnipeg.

Thank You.