Posted Jul 3, 2018, 3:46 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Posts: 5,482
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Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzg
Also, what is that "Graham Ave" banner in the picture below?! Haven't seen that branding anywhere before – and it's called Graham Mall on all existing signs... is there some rebrand that hasn't really been made public? Is it going to include new streetscaping?? I don't really get what the icon is supposed to be...
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Good catch, 'mall' is on it's way out.
Quote:
MARCH 8, 2018
Graham Mall the next Corydon?
Over the years I’ve seen many streets come to life and Graham Mall in downtown Winnipeg is definitely one that Winnipeggers can look forward to.
In my younger years, I remember walking up and down Corydon Avenue frequently. At the time it was a mediocre street with only 3 or 4 great restaurants and was surrounded by a deteriorating neighbourhood, with many dilapidated homes. Despite those things, it had the structure of a potential pedestrian-friendly street with store fronts every 30 – 40 feet, although they were mostly vacant at the time. Fast forward to today and Corydon Avenue has become one of the most vibrant streets in our city and home to a great Italian district, Little Italy.
At the age of 18 I was selling real-estate, sipping on espressos every day and bumping into my heroes like Bova, Mock, Consatinni, Ring, Fletcher and Rosonoski. Together they had a vision to transform Corydon Avenue into something better for their community, championing the creation of the Corydon BIZ. Millions of dollars were infested in infrastructure and an innovative housing rehabilitation program, which helped kick-start this incredible neighborhood.
I remember the energy of young people wanting to open up local shops, and seeing young families wanting to live in the neighbourhood to be close to the excitement and contribute to the community. The vision that my mentors once had for Corydon Avenue had finally come to life and it was so bright and compelling. Today, Corydon is not only a place to hang out but also a community that Winnipeggers want to live in.
Graham Mall has the same essence that Corydon did. It’s a very unique street that has the potential to be just as big. City planners would describe the area as “walkable” with “scaled properly” or “great bones” (we like creating our own language). The commercial storefronts from Vaughn to Hargrave are multiple, small, and ripe for transformation. The walk is already enjoyable with a series of local and national coffee shops, sandwich and soup stores, and sprinkled with the Downtown Winnipeg Farmers’ Market and more! All the elements of a great street are now visible. Bolstered by 100’s of buses which bring 1000’s of Winnipeggers downtown to this street daily, Graham Mall is coming alive.
The energy behind this transformation has been a series of mega projects, which has reversed the flow of people back downtown. The expanded Millennium Library and the new RBC Convention Centre have all spurred the creation of Centrepoint, True North Square and hopefully SkyCity Centre in the near future. Located at the east side of the mall, Bell MTS Place and the emerging TrueNorth Square will be an anchor to be reckoned with, in the emerging SHED district.
In fact, in speaking with over 1,000 Downtowners recently, the name Graham Mall is no longer understood by the public. Graham Avenue resonates more. Downtowners already recognize the shift and business people notice a different vibe, to the extent that many feel it’s time for the complete renewal of sidewalks, lights standards and more. The mall after all is 25 years old. It’s time for a makeover and our City departments agree. We all agree that the timing is perfect, as there is more development that can be attracted.
There are actually two great re-development challenges in the immediate area, which include the historic and majestic Hudson’s Bay, and the ill-conceived Portage Place Mall. Both have the potential to be transformed into mixed-use buildings with people living, working and more.
Authentic, local, and unique, this is the direction that Graham Ave. needs to go. It’s now up to the politicians to invest strategically in the next round of tax increment financing and downtown infrastructure renewal to get there.
- Stefano Grande CEO - Downtown Winnipeg BIZ
URL: https://tmblr.co/ZpqNLw2VuL0Ff
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