Osborne rooming house plan watched closely by residents

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This article was published 30/09/2019 (2194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WHAT is being called an upscale rooming house proposed for Osborne Village may have been reduced in size, but area residents still want to see the final plans before seeing if they’ll give their blessing.

2 Architecture Inc. put forward a proposal to demolish the four-unit residence at 350 River Ave. and convert it into a four-storey building with 30 rooms with only beds and mostly shared washroom, kitchen and living space.

But at a civic appeal committee meeting on Friday, architect Andre Silva said neighbourhood opposition to it — mostly because of local scarce parking concerns, but also fears it would encourage a transient population into the area — had convinced him to change it to having only 10 rooms, but adding five standard apartment units. Having only 10 rooms would not need city approval.

“That’s a big concession,” Silva told the committee.

Silva said while his original proposal had the city put it into the single-room occupancy category, which was created for rooming and boarding houses, his plan is “not a rooming house. This is an occupancy not being dealt with now.”

“SRO (single room occupancy) is being applied to it (by the city), but they are not units. They are rooms and beds. It is definitely not fair to call it a rooming house.”

Silva’s plan is to offer a type of housing choice currently not on the market in Winnipeg. He said it is a short-term rental-space place for several target users, including young couples transitioning into new homes, visiting professionals, people displaced by fire or insurance repairs, divorcees needing a place while finding another residence, students and work exchanges, and visitors to local festivals.

But area residents and business owners have been expressing concern that a building with 30 rooms — which could have two people occupying them for a total of 60 people — had too many people in it to only have eight parking stalls, two of which would be ride share.

After the developer made the change to downsize the number of rooms and create five apartment units, committee chairman Coun. John Orlikow tabled the appeal to next month to give the developer time to meet and consult with area residents.

Jason Fiege, a resident of the Pulse condominium and commercial use building across the street who spoke at the committee meeting, said on Sunday while the developer had changed the plans for the residential makeup inside of the building, they’ll have to see what the final plan looks like before deciding on whether to support it.

“It’s definitely a move in the right direction, but we still have concerns,” Fiege said.

“We just don’t really know what the plan is. People are really concerned about the parking.”

Fiege, and other residents and business owners, told the committee on Friday there had already been several developments in the area that had been built after the city reduced the amount of parking they needed.

They said the result is that parking spots are hard to find while an accountant in the Pulse building said his clients find it difficult to meet with him.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca