City wants feasibility study on PSB, parkade

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/05/2014 (4235 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Officials at city hall want to hire a consultant to conduct a feasibility study for possible re-use of the old Public Safety Building and adjoining parkade.

An administrative report recommends that $275,000 be allocated for the consultant, who will look at downtown market conditions and assess how other civic departments might use the Princess Street property.

Winnipeg Police will be moving into new facilities on Smith Street later this year.

As the Free Press reported in December, it’s possible the city will move other civic departments into the PSB and the parkade will be demolished and the property sold.

The parkade was shuttered in August 2012 when found to be structurally unsound.

Police are moving out of the PSB because it was thought at the time it would be cheaper to renovate the old Canada Post facility rather than re-clad the exterior of the PSB. The exterior siding has been secured to the walls to prevent it from falling off.

The PSB property cannot be sold for development. The land was deeded to the city on the condition it be used for civic purposes and if not, then ownership reverts to the descendants of the family who originally donated the property.

The report also recommends that council spend $150,000 to further secure and shore-up both the parkade and the PSB.

The report, which will be presented to the downtown development committee Monday, presents several other options for both parcels of land, including:

• demolishing both structures and using the sites for downtown green space.
• putting the parkade property up for sale, which then would likely be demolished and redeveloped.

 

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca