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Sod turned at IKEA site today

New store to exceed city standards for trees, shrubs

By: Bartley Kives

20/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 41

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WINNIPEG - The newest IKEA project begins this morning with a shovel, not an Allen wrench.

Developers will attend today a symbolic sod-turning at the site that will eventually house Manitoba’s first IKEA, the iconic chain famous for furniture that consumers assemble with special six-sided wrenches. Actual construction begins this fall.

seasons at tuxedo ikea

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seasons at tuxedo ikea (HANDOUT)

The sprawling parking lot at Winnipeg’s first IKEA store should exceed city standards for greenery, as the furniture chain promises to plant four times as many trees, shrubs and grasses around its Tuxedo Yards store than zoning regulations demand.

Within the next two weeks, Winnipeg developer Fairweather Properties and its partner, IKEA Canada, will break ground on the preliminary infrastructure required to create the 1.5-million-square-foot shopping complex called the Seasons of Tuxedo, which will be anchored by a 350,000-square-foot IKEA store at the southwest corner of Sterling Lyon Parkway and Kenaston Boulevard.

By 2018, the entire development -- which will include other retailers, office space and possibly a hotel and multiple-screen movie theatre -- could encompass 80 hectares on either side of Sterling Lyon and feature 7,517 parking stalls.

IKEA Canada plans to mitigate the environmental effect of all that asphalt by beefing up the vegetation around its own store from the five per cent demanded by the Winnipeg Zoning Bylaw to closer to 20 per cent, spokeswoman Madeleine Löwenborg-Frick said Thursday.

Under its agreement with the city, IKEA has already committed to planting vegetation to separate every 20 to 30 rows of parking stalls. It also plans to plant more trees, shrubs and grasses around the perimeter of the lot, Löwenborg-Frick explained.

"We need the parking, but we can also have green space. We don’t need to compromise one for the other," she said.

"This will be way beyond the city minimums," added Michael Nozick, Fairweather Properties’ president.

Before construction begins this fall, water and sewer pipes will be brought in to service the industrial site, which is considered a brownfield despite the presence of some aspen stands. Construction on the roadwork required to make the development happen will begin in 2010, Nozick said.

Extra lanes will be added to Kenaston Boulevard, Sterling Lyon Parkway and Shaftesbury Boulevard to accommodate the traffic, while new traffic signals will be erected alongside Sterling Lyon.

"It’s just an enormous amount of work," said Nozick of the $26.5 million worth of infrastructure improvements, which Fairweather and IKEA Canada are conducting up front. The city and province will pay back the developers to the tune of $22 million.

More detailed site plans will be made public early in 2010, Nozick and Löwenborg-Frick said.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 20, 2009 B1

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41 Commentscomment icon

Heather, do you really think Winnipeg's youth is going to hang out at Ikea? [edited]

Cheap furniture for a cheap city.

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@Gilbert G Fiola - As a person who agrees a democracy is all about the freedom to express an opinion on any given topic or issue I understand where you're coming from but disagree with your painting a company like Ikea as bad for any city .
In my vision for our city there is room for Ikea and the multitude of small retail stores selling whatever on Corydon , Ellice , Sargent , Westminster etc etc who are flourishing last time I looked or they wouldn't still be open for business .
I am blessed to have a decent paying job part of which I donate to local causes through my bi- weekly paycheque and I'll never apologize for going for brekkie at Ikea.

And that big parking lot you mention with such disgust can be ridden around on a bike , skateboard or walked around just like any paved pathway.
Ever been to the Mall of America in St Paul , Minnesota and seen how many folks use it to mall walk?
Why not use the Ikea store in that way or is that too constructive for you?
To all those who see Ikea and developement such as this as BAD lighten up and learn to see the good in things for pete's sake.

Great story, when is ikea scheduled to be opening?

I am excited to be getting IKEA. I love the style of furniture and it will be an interior designers dream to not have to always order in from IKEA other provinces.
Although using green space is kinda contridicting Winnipegs green movement, really, it's a new different place for youth to hang out. I'd rather that than being bored out in the streets causing trouble. It will open up new jobs and business opportunities and may be financially good for our city. Maybe not right away, but eventually.
I love change. Especially when it happens in this city because we are always so cautious about it and it causes us to be behind in the current world. Keeping everything the same gets so boring. I could use someplace new to explore.

IKEA IKEA IKEA yes yes yes!!!! build it and they will come.

@gepinniw...You make a genuine point...Debate...Regardless of whether I or others agree about your views or theirs...We are part of a "Democracy" and the meaning of a democracy is debate and majority rules etc...

@bentcanuck...Regardless of where you go for breakfast...You and I only have x amount of money to go for breakfast and more importantly will only go for one breakfast and not say two or more breakfasts...and my point is simple...While you make your choice to go to IKEA for breakfast...Some poor small independant restaurant/store in your neighbourhood will starve...So why not feed the big multi million dollar corporations/stores/restaurants so they can just get bigger and then eventually monopolize everything including where you and I spend our money...They really couldn't be bothered by minor details like the rest of our city being empty...All they care about is you and I bringing our dollars to their stores...And this is what we call progress in Wpg...Whatever...It is relatively short sighted and narrow minded if you ask me...These are retail stores and not major industries that require skilled labour that make things and then sell them etc..Retail stores make us spend/take our money...Happy shopping Wpg...Hope you all have jobs to pay for all that happy shopping...And for all who will choose to go for breakfast at IKEA...That proposed parking lot looks big enough for you to have worked off all your breakdfast calories just getting back to your car...Enjoy...GGF

Not sure how this mega-retail will impact Crestwin's Polo Park idea.....but I don't see enough shoppers to support all this retail growth that is being proposed/started..

Something has to give...

We are not afraid of change. We simply want to change in ways that make us more competitive, more sustainable, and less taxing on the environment. We also want a city that is vibrant, walkable, and healthier.You probably want the same things. We simply differ on how to achieve it.
When you say "stop complaining" what you are really saying is "shut up." Sorry. Not gonna happen.

On the topic of Ikea, I actually like some of their stuff. I'm not opposed to an Ikea, per se, I just don't want it surrounded by parking lots on the edge of town.
Ideally, however, I'd like to see a home-grown Ikea. Why should we be sending millions of dollars to Sweden? Don't we have people capable of designing and manufacturing quality, affordable furniture? Do we not have forests that could be logged in a sustainable fashion? Don't we have tough, smart business men and women who could build such a company? Don't we have governments who could get a little creative and take some risks to help such people out?
Or perhaps I'm just a pie-in-the-sky dreamer. What do you think?

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