Winnipeg's Exchange District | East/West | Development

[buzzg]

Side note, the timing of traffic/bike signals and signage seems to be changing every day. Still no signage indicating new lane movements – it's like the city forgot to plan any of this before they built it and are scrambling now. It's dangerous and slowing down traffic.

[urbanretail]

Originally Posted by Ando

This is what was said:
I heard from the owners they were just getting really sick of the traffic at The Forks – said it was just mostly tourists or locals exploring the market who had no interest in buying anything.

Sorry, but I think if you have a lot of people with disposable income at the Forks and the business is complaining that those people "no interest in buying anything" you have to look yourself in the mirror about why they aren't buying anything.

having had a store in the forks for years, the people who come through generally don't shop either because they have no money to spend or don't want to carry it around all day.I found the busier the day the weaker the sales. plus the rent per sq?ft is not cheap

[Ando]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Exactly.



They looked in the mirror and said there's no reason for us to need X many staff when most people are just browsing. Plus there's quite a bit of theft on busy days. And like I said, they can't pick their hours, and have other restrictions. Space isn't ideal anymore stop being an asshole.

And yes they use the stand at the skatepark – they run their free skateboarding lessons out of it all summer. They tried selling stuff but it was too much work and risk to set up and tear down the store every day.

So you’re calling me an asshole because I pointed out the arguments they allegedly made to you didn’t add up? And you keep adding new reasons, now it’s because of theft? I merely pointed they are right next to the largest skateboard park in the city, which they admit is teeming with tourists who just don’t happen want to buy their product. I think you need to think harder before you start the name calling.

[Ando]

Originally Posted by urbanretail

having had a store in the forks for years, the people who come through generally don't shop either because they have no money to spend or don't want to carry it around all day.I found the busier the day the weaker the sales. plus the rent per sq?ft is not cheap

I am sure there are legitimate reasons they are leaving. Businesses don’t leave because they are making a load of money. That said, the Forks is Manitoba’s biggest attraction, and there is a load of Americans with a lot buying power because of the dollar and disposable income. I just don’t believe in blaming customers for not buying your product. It may just be that people aren’t interested in their product, or their pricepoint or whatever. But when I hear someone coming up with multiple why they are changing location, it often means there is something more fundamental at play. All that said, I hope they are a gigantic success in their new location. Time will tell.

[Bdog]

I've heard from several prominent business owners or managers in the Exchange District that the new bike lanes and the removal of parking that came with them have been disastrous for their bottom line. A few more have come out publicly and said as much as well. I wonder how much of that has to do with the temporary inconvenience of construction, and how much might just be attributed to other factors like the increase in parking rates. It's sad to see, as these businesses are run by younger entrepreneurs who typically support things like bike lanes and pedestrian improvements. Hopefully things turn around.

[blueandgoldguy]

Originally Posted by Bdog

I've heard from several prominent business owners or managers in the Exchange District that the new bike lanes and the removal of parking that came with them have been disastrous for their bottom line. A few more have come out publicly and said as much as well. I wonder how much of that has to do with the temporary inconvenience of construction, and how much might just be attributed to other factors like the increase in parking rates. It's sad to see, as these businesses are run by younger entrepreneurs who typically support things like bike lanes and pedestrian improvements. Hopefully things turn around.

Increasing the parking rates by an additional $1.50 an hour was bloody ridiculous.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by Bdog

I've heard from several prominent business owners or managers in the Exchange District that the new bike lanes and the removal of parking that came with them have been disastrous for their bottom line. A few more have come out publicly and said as much as well. I wonder how much of that has to do with the temporary inconvenience of construction, and how much might just be attributed to other factors like the increase in parking rates. It's sad to see, as these businesses are run by younger entrepreneurs who typically support things like bike lanes and pedestrian improvements. Hopefully things turn around.

The new bike lanes aren't the issue at all – the issue was the construction that took the entire summer and was done on every street all at once. In retrospect they should have done it in stages.

The grid has only been open for about a week, so to say that's the issue is irresponsible. There's actually significantly more parking now than ever before due to numerous streets being converted to angled parking (and 3 more coming next year). The businesses could let people know, maybe the city can put up new signage directing people to parking zones. I had a client come in from outside the city last week and tell me how amazing and easy to find parking it is now that there's 3-4x the amount of parking spots on Bannatyne and McDermot off Rorie.

The owner of Across the Board was quoted complaining in the WFP about the disappearance of the loading zone beside his business. That was during construction when the street was down to one lane. They lost 2 spots on the right side, and more loading was moved to the other side. It's never full. The entire right side used to be loading but was switched to parking a few years ago. Again, nothing to do with the bike lane.

It's just enough case of the classic Winnipeg paradigm: "Fix our roads/there's too much construction" – it's just the first time bike lanes have been in the mix, so people are up in arms.

[Authentic_City]

^The issue is also that things have changed. There may be more parking, but it's in a different place and sometimes in a different format (e.g. angle parking). I regularly shop in the Exchange, and this past summer (if I was driving) it was definitely harder to find a parking spot, and usually I had to walk farther. It didn't deter me from shopping, but I can see less committed people staying away. Hopefully the situation will improve in the fall and winter.

On another note, there really needs to be more bicycle racks in the Exchange. I find it hard to find a rack when and where I need it. This is the case everywhere in the city, but I find it odd that there aren't more racks in the Exchange, especially now with the new cycling infrastructure.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

^The issue is also that things have changed. There may be more parking, but it's in a different place and sometimes in a different format (e.g. angle parking). I regularly shop in the Exchange, and this past summer (if I was driving) it was definitely harder to find a parking spot, and usually I had to walk farther. It didn't deter me from shopping, but I can see less committed people staying away. Hopefully the situation will improve in the fall and winter.

Yeah it was bad in the summer because literally every street was under construction. Every day this week and last the angled parking on Bannatyne, which has been around for a year, was half empty along with many other streets. There's tons of parking available now. It worked.

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

On another note, there really needs to be more bicycle racks in the Exchange. I find it hard to find a rack when and where I need it. This is the case everywhere in the city, but I find it odd that there aren't more racks in the Exchange, especially now with the new cycling infrastructure.

Agreed. What ever happened to those Parking Authority bike parking "docks" that could be removed in winter. Those were awesome. How do you feel about more bike rack placements like these new ones on Donald?





Also, overall I'm thrilled with this whole project but there's parts of it that baffle. Such as the seeming lack of a signage plan, and why after the amount of construction and new road work that happened, they decided to leave this as is:

[Jeff]

the new flower pots placed intermittently separating the bike lanes is a nice "big city" touch I noticed in the exchange on bannatyne at least!

[buzzg]

Yeah it's great, they're using them because the curbs would have to be moved when the on-street patios close, so it's a simple solution. Also used to make sure people don't drive into the full-width bike lane near Main.

[USA]

i have it on good authority that the salvation army harbour light building on king & rupert is being redeveloped starting likely this winter. not sure what it will become, only know that i can't put my car in the alley behind my house because they will likely be putting staging/dumpsters there.

[esquire]

^ Wow, could it really be happening this time? I remember the renovation of that building (which obviously never occurred) was one of the hot topics of conversation when I joined this forum in 2001.

[Jeff]

i miss the burton cummings in full jets gear graffiti that was on there for years. that should have been made a national historic site!

[Biff]

Sorry 2 threads but...Salisbury House will be opening up at 177 Lombard (The Great-West Life building).

[oftheMoon]

Salisbury House coming to the Exchange in November at 177 Lombard. Noticed the windows papered up this morning and a some ladders inside.

"Salisbury House is opening a new location in the historic East Exchange district this November. The first-ever Sals restaurant opened in 1931 near Portage and Main, and the chain’s owners say they’re looking forward to returning to the heart of the city.

“I lived in this neighbourhood for years, and absolutely love everything about the East Exchange,” said Salisbury House CEO Noel Bernier.

The new location, at 177 Lombard Ave., was designed by noted Canadian architect John Atchison. It opened in 1911 as the Great-West Life building and is an important part of the neighbourhood’s rich history, said Bernier."

https://globalnews.ca/news/4469170/s...ange-district/

[Urban recluse]

Awesome... ... ...strange location/building though.

[Wolf13]

Wish Sk8 the very best as North Main needs help, and proximity to YFC makes sense... but their position regarding traffic is, if not ignorant, blatantly incorrect.

More foot traffic is ALWAYS better than less. They will only see less traffic in their new store because of this, since they are a destination shop. People generally go there with an intent of some kind. That number will not increase by moving away from the forks.

Passersby are a possible shopper. They should have found a better way to capitalize on the strengths of that location.

Because of the skater and customer friendly nature of the forks, you can bet tons of kids simply browsed through countless times. That's good. How do you think they determined what they wanted for Christmas or birthdays? Or decided what to save up for?

First time through, they see something they like, 3rd time through, they decide they WANT that product, 5th time through they buy or get it gifted. They are less likely to just get driven to the North Main location to browse by their parents.

[esquire]

^ But what was the premium they paid for all that foot traffic? It could just be they did the math and decided it wasn't worth it.

[Wpg_Guy]

Warehouse 1885 is an update and major redevelopment of the historical 104/108 Princess Street warehouses into updated loft-style apartment rentals in Winnipeg's Exchange district.

ADDRESS 104/108 Princess Street, Winnipeg, MB
TYPE Mixed-use
PHASE Under construction
COMPLETION Fall 2019
Redevelop two existing landmark properties on the corner of Princess/Bannatyne into 39 desirable residential rental units plus 5,500 sq/f of commercial space on the main floor.

The renovation will construct a 3 Storey addition on top of 108 Princess to accommodate more rental units plus access to rooftop patio on 104 Princess.

[img]

Originally Posted by 1ajs

https://legatumdevelopment.co/

alamasonryandcontractingincPumped to announce #alamasonryandcontractinginc has been chosen for the interior and exterior demolition/restoration of 104-108 princess st for Legatum Development. 25+ new openings bonded through, arch rebuilds, and removal of the front and back facades on 108. Gonna be a good one!