Safer West Broadway touted with apartment proposal for Sherbrook Inn lot

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This article was published 30/01/2025 (220 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The architect behind a proposed apartment block in the parking lot of the Sherbrook Inn hopes the development will create a safer, more vibrant West Broadway.

An open house organized by Cibinel Architecture at the Sherbrook Inn Thursday afternoon included renderings of the six-storey mixed-use development, which included two-storey suites along Furby with private yards and apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom suites. A 1,000-square foot commercial space on the first floor is also included in the design. Community members received a letter from Cibinel seeking feedback on the project last week.

“We’ve put out a design, and it’s a starting point, and we want feedback from the neighbourhood, so hopefully we get that,” Cibinel head George Cibinel said at the open house.

The project is set to begin construction in January 2026 and be ready for tenants by spring 2027.

The controversial bar and beer vendor came under new ownership in May after it suddenly closed its doors. In the time since, new owner Neil Soorsma has promised the bar and vendor would reopen, but it would be a safer, higher-end spot.

Cibinel said security is part of the apartment’s plan and he’ll work with Soorsma on safety concerns. The design of the block, especially the suites with private yards, are meant to mimic the look of the houses in the area and create a more direct resident presence, he said.

“There’s more eyes on the street, there’s more interaction between the people who live here and the neighbours,” Cibinel said.

Visitors to the open house were excited about the possibility of affordable housing in the community. Cibinel has promised 25 per cent of the possible 86 suites will be affordable in like with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation MLI Select program’s affordability criteria. “Up to” eight of those will be in line with Manitoba Housing’s affordability requirements.

Valerie Beardy, who has lived nearby for 35 years, said the lot is a prime location to live.

“It’s close to the bus routes and stores, and just walking distance from a lot of places,” she said.

Another visitor expressed concern about the loss of parking in an area where street parking is typically always packed, and said he was skeptical the building could improve safety in the area if the Sherbrook Inn’s vendor returns as planned.

“It’s night and day. If that vendor gets reopened, it’s going to be the Wild West again,” he said.

“Since it’s been closed, it’s been like living in the country around here.”

West Broadway BIZ executive director Eric Napier Strong said the neighbourhood needs more mixed-use spaces that bring residents at different income levels together.

“This space, this corner, has had different identities in its history, and at times, it has not always been a source of positive feelings for the community,” he said.

“And so seeing it redeveloped with a vision to renew this area and to bring something new to the community is very exciting for us.”

Soorsma said the Sherbrook Inn, which will be re-named the East Gate Inn, is working toward a “slow” reopening in the near future.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca