Municipal board sides with Granite Curling Club over parking

The Manitoba Municipal Board has ruled the city must work with the Granite Curling Club to come up with an “adequate” parking plan before a proposal for an affordable-housing building next door is approved.

In a 48-page decision released Friday, the board said it accepts that parking is needed to keep the club afloat; it understands the city wants to create housing on the curling club’s west parking lot to ease the housing crisis.

The board said it encourages the City of Winnipeg and the club to work together “to find accessible, adequate and ongoing parking” to replace any spots that would be lost to construction of the 111-unit building, which is to be constructed on municipal-owned land.

The curling club had argued if the development were to proceed, it would lose 45 of its 80 parking spots and would no longer be a financially viable enterprise.

“The Granite is pleased with the municipal board’s decision that no development can proceed on its west parking lot without the Granite’s express approval,” said Christian Pierce, secretary of the club’s board. “It supports the Granite Curling Club’s operations. The recommendation validates the club’s position to be on an equal footing in this.”

Pierce said the club has always been willing to work with city officials.

A spokesman for the city would only confirm the municipal board decision had been received and is under review.

A spokesman for Mayor Scott Gillingham confirmed the report had been received but, because the city was busy releasing its budget Friday, there would be no comment.

Jeremy Read, chief executive officer of the University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corp. 2.0 Inc., which was tapped by the city to develop the land, said he couildn’t comment because “we’ve just heard the decision has been delivered and we haven’t had a chance to review it.”

Earlier this year, when city council green-lit the building, it directed civic staff to meet with curling club reps to create “an adequate parking plan.”

The city suspended meetings after the matter was referred to the municipal board.

Fifty-six of the 111 units in the building would be earmarked as affordable units, including 30 that would be rent-geared-to-income. The developer has said some units could rent for as low as $285 a month.

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Construction could have started in the summer, but the project was put on hold until the board’s decision.

The curling club has said it doesn’t oppose construction of affordable housing, but it has to think about its future.

“We’ve been stewards of the building for 120 years,” Pierce said. “I don’t think the city wants to run it itself.”

“What gets lost in this is how the Granite Curling Club would keep it running for another 120 years. For the development to go forward, there has to be a permanent parking solution. If we lost the parking, we would be in trouble.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Municipal board decision

Kevin Rollason
Reporter

Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.

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