New Waverley West development under review stage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/01/2020 (2330 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Plans are in the works to transform a portion of Waverley West into a brand-new residential neighbourhood.

On Dec. 3, an open house shared Qualico’s plans for the first phase of development and provided an opportunity for members of the public to provide feedback.

Qualico has submitted an application to proceed with the first phase, working with consultants Landmark Planning and Design.

The Phase 1 development area includes lower-density and medium-density residential, as well as a community node that could accommodate larger-scale institutional uses, multi-family housing and limited commercial development. New roads will be needed and any new developments also need to be serviced with sewer, water and land-drainage infrastructure. Qualico’s first phase would install a portion of these services.

Bryan Ward, general manager of Qualico Communities in Winnipeg, explained that about 400 acres of land are located south of Bridgwater Forest, east of Bridgwater Town Centre and north of South Pointe. The proposed project’s area is the last of seven areas of Waverley West to undergo a planning process.

“The planning process for this one started by the City of Winnipeg a couple of years ago. The resulting neighbourhood plan was approved by the City of Winnipeg council this year,” Ward said.

“It’s described as ‘Neighbourhood B’ in the Waverley West area structure plan, which identifies lower- and moderate-density residential development as the main land uses, as well as parks. There’s also been discussions about rec centres and schools in the area, which are outside of our proposal. There might be a little bit of commercial development as well, but it’s mostly a residential neighbourhood.”

Looking ahead, the application will go through the City’s review process followed by a public hearing.

“Our first phase will continue to provide housing choices in an area that has proven to be a popular part of Winnipeg for people looking for new homes,” Ward said.

“We’ll have a variety of housing types — single-family homes and some more moderate-density multi-family to start with. In future phases, there could be some higher-density multi-family.”

The school division is pursuing projects to build a high school and elementary school in the area, Ward added. In addition, the city has acquired land with the goal of building a recreation centre.

“All of those things need to work together,” he said. “We all need services and roads and pipes. It’s all certainly very connected.”

Coun. Janice Lukes expects that public hearing about these plans will take place early in the new year.  

“They’ll work with all the City departments between now and then. Then they’ll bring forward their plan to the committee that I sit on. If the committee approves it, they can start selling lots and that’s also the go-ahead that they can start putting in roads and the big sewer pipes,” said Lukes, councillor for the Waverley West ward.

“Once the sewer pipe and road goes in, then the two brand new schools can start to be built. The Province of Manitoba has approved the construction of two new schools and a child care centre, which is definitely needed in this area. The City has put funding towards building the recreation campus, a big fitness community centre concept.”

Like Ward, Lukes notes that all of these projects are interconnected.

“It’s highly anticipated. Qualico just needs to get all their ducks in a row because their goal is to get that pipe and get those roads in during construction season,” she said.

“That’s everyone’s goal because then the province can build the schools and the city can start on the community centre. They’re all independent projects, but they’re all tied together.”