Hotels, condo in the works for south end

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This article was published 06/05/2011 (5554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two new hotel projects worth a total of $30 million — one an expansion and redevelopment of an existing property and the other a boutique hotel/condominium complex that would be a first for the city — are in the works for south Winnipeg.

The first, a $15-million remake of the Dakota Hotel at 1105 St. Mary’s Rd., is underway and should be complete by the summer of next year, a spokeswoman for the developer said Thursday.

The second, also costing $15 million, will see 56 hotel rooms and 32 condos contained in a single building built on a vacant property on Pembina Highway in St. Norbert.

That project’s architect, Otto Cheng, of Otto Cheng Architect Inc,, said construction likely won’t get underway until the summer of next year and will take 12 to 18 months.

The two projects are the latest in a spate of developments that will see at least eight new hotels, one hotel expansion and 730 new rooms come on stream this year in the province. Manitoba Hotel Association president and CEO Jim Baker recently described it as the biggest growth spurt in more than a decade for the local industry.

Cheng said although having hotel rooms and condos under the same roof is not new — he knows of at least three such complexes in Vancouver — there are none in Winnipeg. Two other such projects were talked about in the last five years, but neither proceeded.

Cheng said the developers behind the French-chateau-style project — Winnipeg real estate agents Sam Chang and Hank Penner — have the financing and are optimistic their rezoning application will be approved. Riel community committee considers it on May 16.

The Dakota’s owners, hotelier Mike Sapozhnik and businessman Alex Gershkovish, had their zoning application approved last week by the board of adjustment.

Sapozhnik’s daughter, Ginna Sapozhnik, said about $4 million worth of upgrades to the hotel have already been completed. Work on the addition, which needed city approval, will get underway next month.

The work involves demolition of a one-storey commercial building on the east side of the hotel and construction of a four-storey addition in its place. There will also be further upgrades to the existing two-storey, 20-room hotel.

The finished product, which will be branded a Comfort Inn & Suites, will boast nearly four times more guest rooms (about 75), a new lobby area, an indoor swimming pool, a 42-stall underground garage, 116 outdoor parking stalls and 14,000 square feet of commercial space which will be leased out. The existing pub, restaurant and beer store will stay.

“We believe it’s a fantastic project for St. Vital,” Sapozhnik said, adding, “there isn’t a full-service hotel serving this area.”

She said the nearest one is the Travelodge Winnipeg East near St. Anne’s Road and Fermor Avenue.

The revamped hotel will target both business and leisure travellers. Sapozhnik noted one of Winnipeg’s largest shopping malls, St. Vital Centre, is only a few blocks away, and draws shoppers from outside the city.

Cheng said the St. Norbert complex, which will feature both one- and two-bedroom hotel rooms, should attract leisure and business travellers as well as sports buffs. He noted the Southwood Golf and Country Club is close by, as well as the new football stadium under construction at the University of Manitoba.

Cheng said the St. Norbert project is Chang’s and Penner’s first hotel or condo project, although they’ve been involved in several land developments.

The Dakota is one of three hotels owned by the Sapozhnik family. The others are the Quality Inn on Pembina Highway and the new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott that’s to open within the next few weeks on Ellice Avenue east of Empress Street.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca