Major development passes first test

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This article was published 23/02/2018 (2887 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Developers of a major commercial and residential project at the south end of Pembina Highway have cleared the first hurdle on the way to breaking ground.

On Feb. 21 at a special 9 a.m. meeting of the Riel community committee, Couns. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) and Brian Mayes (St. Vital) approved a conditional use, rezoning and variances to allow for the construction of two residential towers with a total of 410 units and a 15,000-square-foot commercial development at 3021 Pembina Hwy.

St. Boniface councillor Matt Allard could not attend the meeting.  

The land just north of Bairdmore Boulevard — a 4.7-acre piece of property sandwiched between two gas stations — is currently sitting vacant and was zoned commercial (C3).

At the public hearing, developers Ashok Dilawri and Karl Loepp, COO of Private Pension Partners, told the committee the project will act as a gateway marker to the city as people come in from the south.

“Over the last year and a bit we’ve been working with Ashok and his team to determine the highest and best use of that land,” Loepp said.

“The whole design team felt that this needed to be something bold, dynamic and a bit of a landmark for south Winnipeg,” he said.

There were no representations in opposition to the project made at the hearing.

According to documents submitted to the city, the first residential tower will be 13 storeys tall (approximately 160 feet) and have 172 residential units.

Loepp said the units will have varying numbers of bedrooms and range in size from 600- to 1,200-square-feet and each will have a balcony. The second tower will be 15 storeys tall (about 180 feet) and have 238 units. They are expecting about 600 people to call the development home.  

Danny Serhal, of Affinity Architecture, said the development will function as a transit oriented development over time.

“We didn’t want to go too big,” he said. “We’re trying to do something that we feel can be phased properly, that can be constructed properly, and be absorbed by neighbouring properties.”

One level of underground parking for 191 vehicles, 79 at grade indoor, and 141 at the surface level are also included as part of the plans. The developers also proposed 98 bicycle parking spots.

Lukes noted that the high density residential will be an incentive for the City to maintain the levels of transit service on Pembina Highway after the bus rapid transit route is complete.

“This is an anchor, this is a good thing,” she said.

The commercial retail space, sited at the front of the property adjacent to Pembina Highway and partially situated under the second tower, could be home to amenities such as a grocery store, hairstylist, physician, and other lifestyle services providers, Dilawri said.

“We’ve had this project in development for the last 20 years,” Dilawri said. “We’ve had so many offers but we resisted until the right opportunity comes in to get the best usage of the land.

“It has to be the talk of the town,” he said.

The residential towers will be rental with luxury amenities, Loepp told the committee.

A rooftop dog run and patio, gym, bike storage with a maintenance area, parks and an outdoor running track are all proposed as part of the project.

Lukes said the project may be the largest residential mixed-use development underway in the city.

“I don’t know of any other development bigger than this one,” she said. “Even Artis (at Portage and Main) isn’t this big. This is a big deal.”

The application now moves on to the executive policy committee. Building and landscaping plans will be submitted to Riel community committee in the future. Loepp said if the plans are approved, they hope to break ground in one year and are expecting a two-year construction period.