Marlborough redevelopment likely to include ballroom restoration, retail space: CentreVenture

The transformation of the Marlborough Hotel will include retail spaces and a restoration of its sky view banquet hall alongside the planned 307 units of housing announced last week.

While CentreVenture Development Corp. is leading the housing project, the building’s owner plans to restore the banquet hall and add public amenities on the ground level of the building.

“There’s heritage elements up there, and so the owner intends to restore it and preserve the heritage integrity, and undoubtedly offer that as a public events centre, as it was until two years ago,” CentreVenture chief executive officer Rochelle Squires said Wednesday.

“But on the main floor, there’s no intention of creating a nightclub, if you will. There might be a lounge or restaurant, eateries, cafes, a number of things might go into that space.”

The plan to turn the beleaguered hotel into housing was first announced in Mayor Scott Gillingham’s state of the city address last week.

City council’s executive policy committee is scheduled to discuss and vote on a $5-million housing accelerator fund grant Tuesday, pulling from the city’s share of the federal funding to go toward the project.

A report attached to Tuesday’s meeting agenda says the $48-million development will include “bars, restaurants and a sky view banquet hall.” The Marlborough was built in 1914, and an expansion in 1956 included the ballroom on the eighth floor.

Squires said any amenities will likely be put in near the end of the project, after the residential units.

“What’s actually going to go in there is not fleshed out,” she said.

The housing accelerator fund grant would be contingent on the city receiving its fourth payment of the federal fund and the Marlborough Hotel project receiving a building permit by November.

Another downtown housing project, the Maws Garage and Sanford building at 291 Bannatyne Ave., will also be discussed Tuesday.

The building’s redevelopment will add nine stories atop the heritage building to include 114 residential units and 39 indoor parking stalls. It will also include three commercial spaces.

The project, which is receiving funding through CentreVenture’s downtown heritage residential conversion grant pilot program, is also eligible for a tax increment financing grant, which would cover 80 per cent of the annual incremental municipal property taxes for up to 10 years and a maximum of $1,494,875, according to a report for Tuesday’s meeting.

Developer Ridgix Building Solutions Inc. is in the midst of applying for permits and intends to start construction this summer, said CEO Ryan Ridge.

Ridge described the building as “a historical building that’s fire-ravaged.”

“We definitely would take those additional funds with open arms, because it’s pretty hard to make projects like these viable without these type of grants and such, because of just how challenging building downtown as a whole can be,” he said

The building, which most recently housed the Exchange Event Centre, was hit by two fires within days of each other last fall.

Ridge said he’d like the company to continue developing in the downtown as long as housing is needed in the area.

“It’s brick by brick, right? So unit by unit, we’re just doing our part by bringing in these couple projects into downtown… and we’ll continue to do so for the coming years, until the demand is met,” he said.

The other projects receiving funding through CentreVenture’s grant program are the St. Charles Hotel at 235 Notre Dame Ave. (140 housing units), 290 Garry St. (29 units) and Alloway Lofts at 179 McDermot Ave. (14 units).

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca