Who says we don't build tall buildings?
Eighty-three per cent parking, seventeen per cent commercial space. No, that's not the land use ratio of downtown (it's more like 77/23), but the plan for the parkade adjoining the Boyd Building that this blog showed a conceptual drawing of on Monday.
The Free Press reports that two floors will be dedicated to commercial uses. Capitalizing on central Winnipeg's booming sickness industry, they will be pharmacies.
But no industry is as big as parking (sorry, money marts). The ten-story parkade will have some 420 parking spots, with the majority leased to "nearby businesses" (hello, Hydro), and public parking. (And at ten stories, that must be a new record for tallest parkade in the city. Maybe even the tallest west of Detroit.)
"The project still needs to be approved by the city, and city planner Kurtis Kowalke said that at first blush, it sounds like it would be a suitable development for the area."
A ten-story parkade on a block that every major transit route passes by is suitable? A gaping garage door and curb cut (driveway) across Portage Avenue does not immediately offend you? Portage Avenue is not a back lane, or even a side street. At least it wasn't once.
"But he [Mr. Kowalke] stressed that city officials haven't seen the design plans. Not only will they have to be approved..."
Not that "approval" from the City means anything when it comes to design.
The Free Press reports that two floors will be dedicated to commercial uses. Capitalizing on central Winnipeg's booming sickness industry, they will be pharmacies.
But no industry is as big as parking (sorry, money marts). The ten-story parkade will have some 420 parking spots, with the majority leased to "nearby businesses" (hello, Hydro), and public parking. (And at ten stories, that must be a new record for tallest parkade in the city. Maybe even the tallest west of Detroit.)
"The project still needs to be approved by the city, and city planner Kurtis Kowalke said that at first blush, it sounds like it would be a suitable development for the area."
A ten-story parkade on a block that every major transit route passes by is suitable? A gaping garage door and curb cut (driveway) across Portage Avenue does not immediately offend you? Portage Avenue is not a back lane, or even a side street. At least it wasn't once.
"But he [Mr. Kowalke] stressed that city officials haven't seen the design plans. Not only will they have to be approved..."
Not that "approval" from the City means anything when it comes to design.
posted by The Rise and Sprawl at
11:00 AM
6 Comments:
This could be the first progressive step in "Plan Winnipeg II."
Refuse to approve said parking facility.
Why refuse it graham. Do you have another option that your piggy bank can fund ?
If not, too bad so sad. Like the old saying goes, money talks .....you know the rest.
What better use for our teax dollars then to subsidize another project. It'll fit nicely with the MTS Centre and the Hudro bldg it is being built to support.
"Do you have another option that your piggy bank can fund ?"
Anon - Why would you even bother reading a blog like this?
If you are so offended by commentary on public policy perhaps you should focus on avoiding all types of media.
Why refuse it? For the reasons Mr Rise and Sprawl posted about. Also his previous post about the "lack of parking downtown."
My piggy bank does not need to fund parkades.
I have a solution for you. How bout, we don't build a parkade on Portage for the MTS Centre and Hydro building. Instead build a 10 storey parkade, behind the MTS Centre and Hydro building where there currently exists a surface parking lot. This lot is mere metres from both the MTS Centre and Hydro building.
Does that fix your "parking problem", Anon?
Let's look at this in reverse. Suppose the building already existed, and somebody proposed tearing it down and leaving a vacant lot with a small surface parking lot and chain-link fence in the back, a giant jelly bean, and a bench for drug dealers to had out at. Would you be in favour of that? I think it is time to fill in this missing tooth. At least the first couple levels will be office, not parking.
After some of the gross stuff that's gone up around the city lately, I can safely say this (at the risk of sounding shallow): As long as it looks purdy, I'm happy.
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