St Boniface Area | Winnipeg | Development

[Tacheguy]

Bothwell is working on a recipe for their own ice cream, soon to be available at the Provencher store. I'm guessing it will be good. Sold out of three and five year cheddar though..

[Wpg_Guy]

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bu...486417181.html

Tache residents take on developer, city
Condos in limbo until dispute resolved
Ryan Thorpe By: Ryan Thorpe
Posted: 06/25/2018 4:00 AM

A multimillion-dollar condo development in St. Boniface has been held up in the past two years because of opposition from two homeowners who refuse to play ball with the city and a developer.

Pedestrians walking on the 800 block of Tache Avenue in North St. Boniface will likely have their eye caught by two large signs. The first, standing tall in an empty lot, reads: "Coming Soon: 825 Tache Avenue." The second, only a stone’s throw away in a front yard, reads: "825 Tache Condos Not Coming."

"The whole process has been tainted. The city just rubber-stamped this as quickly as they could, before it went through the proper channels, through open house meetings and stuff like that," said Leo Pelland, one of the homeowners holding up the project.

This spring, after more than a year battling the city and developers, Pelland put the hand-painted "not coming" sign up in his front yard.

The dispute involves Pelland and his neighbour on one side, and the city and the developer, Sunstone Resort Communities, on the other. It centres around a piece of property and land-use rights that stretch back decades.

Because of the uncertainty over the project, Pelland said another development in the neighbourhood is at a standstill until his dispute with the city and Sunstone is settled.

"After the city gave (the project) the thumbs-up, I had 30 days to lawyer up and kibosh it. And we went after them, and we kiboshed it. Now, we’re in a stalemate. We’re basically saying, ‘You’re going to have to deal with us,’" Pelland said.

Pelland said that as far back as the late 1950s, the city told residents that properties on the block would be expropriated to become part of Whittier Park. That has never happened. In the early 1990s, Pelland asked the city if he could buy a parcel of land between his property and the park to extend his backyard.

The city turned him down, saying it would be part of the park one day.

"But the city also said, ‘Go ahead and use it. We won’t sell it to you, but you can certainly use the land until the day we’re going to come and expropriate you for the park," he said.

That led to a deal — which he says he has in writing — in which the city outlined that he’d have exclusive rights of the city land surrounding his property until the city moved to expropriate his land.

In recent years, however, the city has apparently changed its tune, with a park expansion seemingly no longer in the cards. Instead, a large plot of city land in the area was sold to Sunstone, so a condo complex could be built. Sunstone approached Pelland and his neighbour, seeking to buy them out, but Pelland characterized the offer as, "So low it wasn’t serious."

Pelland said the company — with the city’s co-operation — tried to build around the two homeowners: a move that would necessitate knocking down Pelland’s sheds and destroying half of his backyard.

"We would have gotten railroaded. They would have pushed their way right through. I would have lost everything: my right to sue, my back lane, my right of way, half my yard. It’s like the city forgot it signed an agreement with me, giving me exclusive right to use the land," Pelland said.

When reached for comment, a Sunstone spokesman said the company was "excited to be a part of rejuvenating the community" and looking forward to breaking ground on the project as soon as possible, but directed all questions to the City of Winnipeg. A city spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter because the case is before the courts.

Pelland, who is paying the legal costs of his neighbour, a woman in her 80s, said he’s sunk around $50,000 into the legal battle so far. He said he and his neighbour are willing to sell the land to Sunstone, but only at a fair price.

"I want the lands professionally appraised. I want 25 points on the land, and I want all of my (legal) costs that I’ve incurred reimbursed," Pelland said.

Know of any newsworthy developments in the local office, retail, industrial or multi-family-residential sectors? Let us know at business@freepress.mb.ca.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @rk_thorpe

[esquire]

^ Business as usual in North St. B

[bomberjet]

Open houses?? For private condo developments?? Uhh no.

[optimusREIM]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Open houses?? For private condo developments?? Uhh no.

Gotta fight for the right to have an oil drum fire and your last 3 cars up on blocks in your overgrown front yard. Gotta fight for it tooth and nail." Ain't nothing gonna take our downtown trailer park paradise away from us. Over my dead body!"

[buzzg]

I have a hard time thinking many (outside the area) will have sympathy that he got to use city owned land as his own for 30 years, for free.

[Ando]

Originally Posted by Tacheguy

Bothwell is working on a recipe for their own ice cream, soon to be available at the Provencher store. I'm guessing it will be good. Sold out of three and five year cheddar though..

Eating a lot of cheese lately?

[Tacheguy]

Originally Posted by Ando

Eating a lot of cheese lately?

Probably too much lol

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by esquire

That is nice to see for South Osborne, but too bad Bijou is gone. The one thing that area is missing now is a sushi restaurant. It must be one of the few neighbourhoods in town that doesn't have one. When I lived around there I would have appreciated having one within walking distance.

Bijou is back in St. Boniface as mentioned on here previously, at 138 Provencher, same building as Bothwell, Bijou is now called Katoo.

[Wpg_Guy]

This area is primed for higher density redevelopment.






@JaySchellenberg
Just for fun, here's a few drone shots of Winnipeg I took while I was completing an insurance appraisal of a school in St. Boniface.

[Wpg_Guy]

Update:

HTFC Planning & Design (@htfcwpg) on Instagram:The Tache Promenade project will improve public spaces and the riverfront area along Tache Avenue between Provencher Boulevard and Despins Street featuring a widened promenade-style walkway and pedestrian belvedere elevated above the riverbank that incorporates public art.
The belvedere is a 100 metre long walkway suspended in the river forest canopy off the Tache Promenade. It was envisioned to provide a unique perspective on the river landscape, and capture one of the most spectacular views in Winnipeg, framing the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, Esplanade Riel, The Forks, and the downtown skyline.

Taché Promenade
The Taché Promenade project will improve public spaces and the riverfront area along Taché Avenue between Provencher Boulevard and Despins Street. The project will feature a widened promenade-style walkway and pedestrian belvedere, commonly known as a lookout, elevated above the riverbank that incorporates public art. Together, these features will build on the success of our core waterfront areas, improve connections to St. Boniface destinations and enhancing pedestrian and cycling opportunities. The project also involves riverbank stabilization work, which will protect the promenade, roadway and important sewer and water infrastructure in the area, and also increase the reliability of the City's primary dike.

Riverbank stabilization work will take place over the winter of 2017-2018, and construction of the promenade and pedestrian belvedere features will begin in 2018.
https://www.winnipeg.ca/publicworks/...ePromenade.stm

[Wpg_Guy]

]Taché Promenade
The Taché Promenade project being undertaken by the City of Winnipeg will improve public spaces and the riverfront area along Taché Avenue between Provencher Boulevard and Despins Street. The project will feature a widened promenade-style walkway and pedestrian belvedere, commonly known as a lookout, elevated above the riverbank. Where the lookout is closest to the river, there is a widening with seating that will feature a new public artwork called Guiding Light by Winnipeg artist Marcel Gosselin.

[Biff]

I’d have to guess that last piece of art looks to be about 900+ ft tall....should fit n nicely in St B. Hope it has an observation deck.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by Biff

I’d have to guess that last piece of art looks to be about 900+ ft tall....should fit n nicely in St B. Hope it has an observation deck.

I, for one, welcome our new light sculpture overlord!

out of context, the thing does look kinda ridiculous..

[Wpg_Guy]

This update slipped through the cracks

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

I think it's Calgary-based Olexa Developments

https://www.la-liberte.ca/2018/07/05...anada-packers/

A VISION PROJECT FOR THE FORMER CANADA PACKERS SITE
July 5, 2018


Robert Scaletta and Lindsey Marshall at the June 21 public consultation on the future of the former Canada Packers field. Photo: Daniel Bahuaud

Within ten years, the grounds of the former Canada Packers plant could accommodate residential buildings, attached single-family homes, grocery stores, banks, restaurants, and even a soccer field.
By Daniel BAHUAUD

The former Canada Packers site is the last large open and developable lot in St. Boniface. A fact of which Olexa Development is very aware, owner of the land since 2016.

Robert Scaletta, the company's development manager, shares the reasoning that led the Alberta company to propose a development plan to the general public even before asking the City of Winnipeg to change the zoning of the land:

"When we explained to our partners that we had an empty 165-acre lot 4 kilometers from downtown Winnipeg, they immediately understood its potential. It is a unique situation, extremely rare.

"And because it's so rare, we wanted to share our ideas with the public. First on June 6 with the residents of the surrounding perimeter, and then June 21 with the general public. We did not want to come up with a fait accompli where people would feel obliged to accept what we want to do. We could propose and listen.

Michelle Berger, President of the St. Boniface South Residents' Association, believes that "the submitted project has a lot of merit".

But there is a but: "It's still rather vague. Olexa shares a vision of development. We will watch when the details become more concrete. Certainly, we are in favor of residential and commercial development and green spaces. It is encouraging to see that the developer wants to change the M3 zoning category, which applies to heavy industry.

"The 2012 fire at Speedway International has woken us all and made us aware of the dangers of heavy industry around residential neighborhoods. "

Lindsey Marshall, president of the Old St. Boniface Residents' Association, agrees: "Nobody wants the return of oil refineries or concrete plants. We are very encouraged.

"Olexa's approach is transparent. I am glad we are being consulted. And that the documentation is completely bilingual! For residents of neighboring neighborhoods, this is a nice sign of respect from a private company. "

Mathieu Allard, Saint-Boniface Councilor, welcomed Olexa's vision for the field: "This change is in line with my desire to de-emphasize the industry in Saint-Boniface and to see more infill development. "

Robert Scaletta says he is "very conscious" of the work in front of him:

"Olexa pre-applied to the City, which allowed them to initiate the process, develop their vision and present it to the public and municipal departments. The latter will have to look at the infrastructure that should then be installed on the site so that it can be developed. Then, Olexa will be able to elaborate our development plan and make our request for rezoning.

"In the meantime, it will be necessary to clean the ground. "

The first buildings of the former processing plant were razed to the ground in December 2000. On March 4, 2001, the main building was demolished by implosion. "What's left is to remove a lot of concrete. It is estimated that it will take approximately $ 25 million to clean the land and install sewers, roads, bike paths, etc. "

_____________________________________________________________

Your suggestions for a name
Olexa Development wants to find a suitable name for its new "community".

Robert Scaletta, the development manager of the firm, has already consulted several organizations. But he really wants to appeal to readers of La Liberté :

"We want a name that reflects the historical and bilingual character of St. Boniface. I have already contacted the Festival du Voyageur to give us some ideas. Riel companies too. And I plan to speak with the Old St. Boniface Residents Association and the St. Boniface South Residents Association.

"I invite the community of readers of La Liberté to propose his ideas ..." And La Liberté will send him your suggestions.

New project on the Canada Packers site: the public rather enthusiastic

At the unveiling of the project that will take place on the grounds of the former Canada Packers plant, east of St. Boniface, Winnipeg, the public particularly appreciated the diversity offered by the owner, Olexa Development.

The population moved to Canad Inns in Windsor Park on Thursday night to participate in the public consultation on the former meat packing site.

Overall, the mix of the project, which combines a light industrial zone, a commercial zone, a recreational area made up of green spaces and bike paths, and finally a residential area comprising both single-family houses and condos, was favorably received.

Jennifer Mathieson, for Norwood Grove Biz, and Normand Gousseau, Riel Enterprises, explained that they were very supportive of the proposed plan.


The detailed project plan on the site of the former Canada Packers plant. Photo: Radio-Canada

But the main concern of the public who came to these open doors is traffic.

"My biggest fear is traffic," explained Micheline Fay, a resident of St. Boniface. It's already so dense on Archibald and Marion Streets. But I heard that maybe they were going to widen Marion Street. We'll see. "

And indeed, all those who gave their opinion on this draft remain cautious. Because this is not the first time that the vacant land since the 1980s is the subject of construction plans, without any of it being born.

The project presented by Olexa Development is yet to pass through the policy and regulatory phases, further public consultations, and zoning, before going through the City of Winnipeg approval process.

With information from Mathilde Monteyne

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle...canada-packers

[Urban recluse]

Nice.

[optimusREIM]

I think if they did a more compact rail underpass on marion and a bit of an intersection redesign at Archibald I'm sure traffic would be fine

[cllew]

Did Leo Ledohowski / Canad Inns sell that land? I thought that Canad had bought all of the "Public Markets" land as part of their Football Stadium proposal or was it only the Canada Packers site they owned?

[borkborkbork]

Searched for previous developments from "Olexa Developments".

Found... this?

[cllew]

Yep they did some buildings on spec in the CenterPort area back in 2014.

They look like they keep a low profile as I can't seem to find a website for them thru a Google search