Groundbreaking ceremony held for affordable housing highrise in Chinatown

Construction officially broke ground Saturday on a new affordable housing development in the heart of Chinatown.

The project — spearheaded by the Winnipeg Chinatown Residence Corporation, Winnipeg Chinatown Development Corporation and Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre — will feature a seven-storey highrise with 54 housing units, cultural centre president and lead architect Ray Wan said.

“The priority will be for newcomers. That’s the intent, but we’re not going to rule out other (families in need),” Wan said. “We have a principle of no boundary, no border, all-inclusive — and that’s what we are pushing for.”

The project is supported by about $20 million in combined funding from the federal, provincial and city governments.

Representatives from the three levels of government gathered to formally put shovels in the ground at 232 King St., where Concord Projects has already established a construction site.

Rebecca Chartrand, a Manitoba MP and the minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs, announced a $14.3-million commitment to the development. She described the highrise as “a chance for a fresh start for many, including some of the most vulnerable people in our city.”

“This is the kind of housing that brings hope. It brings stability, it gives families a real chance to build their future,” provincial Housing Minister Bernadette Smith told a crowd of stakeholders gathered at the Chinese cultural centre’s 180 King St. location, steps away from the incoming highrise.

The province is providing more than $3 million in capital funding for the project, along with a $100,000 proposal development loan and access to the provincial rental housing construction incentive, Smith said.

The highrise is the second major development to take place in the area, with the Market Lands affordable housing project currently underway at 148-150 King St. Concord Projects is also behind the construction of that site.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city kicked in $2 million for the highrise, using money earmarked in the federal housing accelerator fund. In total, Winnipeg is set to receive about $122 million from the federal government, he said.

“We’re really excited to see infill development happening,” Gillingham told reporters after the announcement. “When you’ve got density in a place like Chinatown, or in the downtown, it really helps with public safety as well.”

The mayor said the city is considering all empty and derelict lots in Winnipeg as potential sources of infill development.

He hinted at a new strategy to reduce the number of vacant and derelict buildings, and said the city intends to reveal more details in the coming weeks.

The site of the incoming highrise was once home to the Coronation Block, formerly one of downtown Winnipeg’s oldest buildings, which was approved for demolition in 2012.

The 140-year-old building previously served as a temporary city hall and had housed the Shanghai Restaurant on the main floor since the 1940s.

The cultural centre purchased the lot more than 13 years ago with a plan to construct senior housing, but the development did not take off. Wan said the value of the land is about $1 million, and it was purchased using funds that were privately raised.

“The process changed, funding program changed, and this land has been sitting vacant since Day 1,” he said.

Wan alerted the cultural centre board to prepare a development plan after he learned last April that Winnipeg was slated to receive housing funding from the federal government.

“Being the architect, wearing two hats, we went ahead and started schematic designs ahead of the request for proposal process,” he said, noting the project was “permit-ready” within 12 months.

“We worked with the three levels of government almost seamlessly.”

Wan said construction could be completed within 18 to 20 months, provided there are no delays.

Future tenants could begin signing leases in about 12 months. The cultural centre will facilitate that process and determine the official move-in date once roofing work begins, he said.

Tenants of the building will have access to recreational services and other assistance through the neighbouring cultural centre at 180 King St. The building is identified on the architectural renderings as the Shanghai Tower, but Wan said there will be a process in the future to determine naming rights for the property.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca