Another fresh start for North Portage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/12/2019 (2170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s hard to believe that a good chunk of Portage Place mall will face the wrecking ball. As a mixed-use development, Portage Place’s history is marked by controversy and unmet expectations of being an upscale retail centre tasked with saving Winnipeg’s downtown.

To understand the gravity of this week’s announcement regarding new owner Starlight Investments’ planned $400-million retrofit of Portage Place, it’s important to look back to 1984, when Winnipeg’s economic outlook was bleak and our city had weathered the tumultuous 1970s.

It was also this period that tore open the economic and social fabric of the fabled stretch of Portage Avenue, between Eaton’s and the Bay, that had long been the retail heart and soul of not only the city, but also Western Canada.

The story of the mall’s transformation is also indicative of just how dramatic has been the transformation of downtown, and our broader economy, over the past 35 years. What is central is the shift from Winnipeg’s historical “desperation planning” model, dependent on deep subsidies and government-led support, to the more recent private-sector-driven approach.

This pivot has changed the underlying economy and the landscape of downtown, especially during the past 15 years, as billions of private-sector dollars have flowed into more than 100 new residential and commercial ventures. However, it’s important to recognize that the participants in our early period of “desperation planning” helped seed much of the success we see today, by investing when no one else would.

While the announcement of the Starlight development certainly represents a success, it’s also bittersweet recognition that this once-massive urban intervention project amounted to a temporary fix that has had no lasting effect on downtown revitalization. Certainly, one might be inclined to ask why the three levels of government invested so heavily in the first place, and why we should suddenly care that they are cashing out.

For older Winnipeggers who frequented downtown in the 1980s, the transformation has no doubt seemed enormous. Over this time, our downtown lost more than a dozen movie theatres and in excess of a million square feet of active retail space. This included the demolition of the Eaton’s store that had failed to adapt to a changing retail environment.

We also lost an eclectic mix of other retail and entertainment establishments as the massive North Portage master plan was hatched. In 1981, the downtown population stood at 11,000 and had not changed much in some time. As well, the city’s population was 564,000 and barely growing.

Today, our downtown population is climbing toward 20,000 while the city’s has surpassed 700,000.

During the ’80s, the south side of Portage Avenue between the Bay and Eaton’s managed to fare somewhat better than the north side of the street, which was in decline and marked by empty stores and less-desirable retail. As a kid, I enjoyed visiting the north side of Portage, which still boasted the old Colony Theatre, a pool hall and a mix of T-shirt shops. It was a hodge-podge at best, but possessed a gritty vibe I still miss.

However, in 1984, the decision was made under the Core Area Initiative, a massive intervention program involving the three levels of government, that a significant boost to Winnipeg’s downtown economy was required to help revive the commercial and retail economy. The site of the project was extensive, stretching from the current location of the Investors Group building at Colony Street all the way to the former Free Press building on Carlton Street, and extending back to Ellice Avenue.

The original $60-million concept for Portage Place was to create an urban village, linking 1,100 units of mixed housing along a promenade to the rear of the mall that would feature outdoor cafés and additional retail. The mall itself would be a mix of retail, with modern amenities along with office space on the upper floors. It also incorporated heritage facades and features.

In concept and design, the Portage Place mall brought together all the important ingredients that were intended to draw people back downtown to both live and shop.

As we all know, the story of Portage Place did not follow the perfect planning model. From the beginning, the mall failed to live up to its upscale aspirations, with some of the early stores opting out soon after the doors opened. Over time, most retailers left and the nature of the mall changed.

Also, early on, the proposed “front door” concept along Portage Avenue, which was intended to help preserve street vitality, was quickly abandoned, as it proved too complicated to maintain that level of access from the street.

Portage Place is not, however, a complete failure, and there is much good in the current concept of it being a place for meeting, having coffee and tending to other business. Another significant accomplishment is that its parking revenue helped seed the Forks North Portage Development Corporation. In fact, one must recognize that those revenues have played an important role in helping The Forks become sustainable.

This new plan will once again try to recalibrate the future of downtown Winnipeg, by positioning people — shoppers, entertainment-seekers, workers and residents — as the catalyst for growing the economy of the downtown. Perhaps, too, the loss of the existing Portage Place will help revive ground-level retail in the mall’s many empty storefronts. Certainly, there remain a number of shops in the current mall that are surviving and will be looking to explore new options.

The greatest advantage afforded to this new endeavour is that the downtown economy is so much more stable than it was when Portage Place first arrived. With Starlight’s investment expected to be in the range of $300 million to 400 million, it will form part of a massive $2-billion corridor that will include Bell MTS Place, True North Square, Centrepoint, Manitoba Hydro’s headquarters and the RBC Convention Centre.

In a strange way, I will miss the old Portage Place, just like I miss many of those shops from the 1980s. But I guess it’s time for us to embrace what seems destined to be a period of rapid downtown growth. Let’s hope we can all work just as hard to make it a success that’s open for all, and not miss the mark like we did in the 1980s.

Jino Distasio, former director of the Institute of Urban Studies, is a professor of geography and vice-president of research and innovation at the University of Winnipeg.