Height of modernity, breadth of history

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This article was published 22/02/2022 (1469 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new apartment block is coming to one of Winnipeg’s largest and busiest transit and traffic corridors, and it’s being built on the former site of the Fort Garry branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Last year, the legion, which operated at 1125 Pembina Hwy., since 1949, signed a lease to take over a former Pizza Hut building down the road, meaning that for the first time in 72 years, something else will sit in place of Branch 90’s hall at the corner of Pembina and Windermere.

It was an opportunity too good to pass up, says Kurtis Sawatzky, the prime consultant and project manager of the Point on Pembina. Foundation work has already started on the 82-unit apartment block, to be developed by Foresight Development Group, built by Bouchard Brothers, completed by the fall of 2023.

What made it so appealing? Sawatzky — a structural engineer and partner in KNH Sawatzky & Associates — said it was the potential to develop needed new rental housing stock within the area and not in greenfields, creating greater density. That, he said, aligned with the city’s infill guidelines for mature neighbourhoods, which is essential to combating sprawl.

That goes hand in hand with the city’s climate action plan as well, he said. Plus, the developers have enrolled in an Efficiency Manitoba program meaning the building will be built to be 20 per cent more energy efficient than current codes require. Its parking lot will feature four electric vehicle charging stations to start, with the extra electrical servicing capacity to eventually include EV stations in half of its 58 stalls. Sixteen secure bike stalls are also included, Sawatzky added.

Plus, there will be a heated bus shack directly in front of the property, allowing for easy access to transit. In the immediate area, there aren’t many apartment buildings, Sawatzky said, giving the indication to some that it may be a place to drive past, not to live. “But we have a walkable index (score) of 70,” he said. And the apartment block could help people see the busy artery in a different light.

“The project is a beacon to other developers that this is a really good area for infill,” Sawatzky said. “It’s something we felt was lacking in this area in particular.”

Those elements are good news, but one feature that makes the building stand out is its complement of main-floor “live-work” units, which feature business space with direct access to the public. The spaces will offer residents who also run businesses to do their living and their working under the same roof, paying one rent instead of two and limiting their commute to a few paces rather than several kilometres.

The building is zoned as residential mixed use, which allows for greater density than the alternative residential multi-family medium zoning. That zoning requires a commercial component, Sawatzky said. And instead of putting in something typical — retail, a restaurant — it might be a good idea amid a pandemic to come up with an alternate plan. In those live-work units, a minimum of 20 per cent must be dedicated to residential use and at least 25 per cent of the gross footprint must be dedicated to business activities, according to city bylaws. Sawatzky said that’s an ideal option for service providers — think massage therapists, photographers — consultants, and other non-retail-oriented businesses, who can also entertain clients on decks to be built in front, separated by greenery.

Having residents’ businesses on site will also increase engagement by the public with the neighbourhood. And with rail tracks separating the property from the nearest housing by a substantial margin, Sawatzky said there was very little concern raised during community consultation about the building.

The ward councillor, John Orlikow, who has announced he will be running for mayor later this fall, was effusive about the project in a release sent out earlier this month.

“It’s exciting to see this stretch of Pembina Highway starting to be redeveloped and transformed,” he said. “This will provide homes for many, along a transit corridor, who will patronize businesses and send their children to nearby schools and community centres.”

Sawatzky said the six-storey building follows a strategy of building “up and not out.” As development booms in the greenfields exterior to the city limits, he said the same type of interest has not necessarily spilled over to available land within the Perimeter in mature areas such as Fort Garry.

That is likely attributable to the comparably greater expense and specific, but important, guidelines associated with developing infill as opposed to in greenfields.

But the benefits of an “up not out” approach are tangible and meaningful from both a neighbourhood development and a cost perspective, he said. The surrounding area stands to benefit — businesses have more potential patrons, the likelihood of active transportation being prioritized increases — while there is no need to build more roads or massive infrastructure to serve the building itself.

Along Pembina, that is very important, Sawatzky said. It’s possible to create vibes similar to Corydon Avenue or Osborne Village with higher density, he said.

“We want to introduce residents to the area, but also, the area to residents,” he said.

The units themselves will rent at a cost similar to local market rates, he said, and will feature nine-foot-high ceilings along with higher-end appliances, flooring, countertops and lighting.

And while the legion is moving down the road, Sawatzky said there are plans to honour the former branch, which was there long enough to have served as a relief centre during the flood of 1950. Details on that front are still being sorted out.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com