The Granite Club Housing

The University of Winnipeg Housing Renewal people seem to be everywhere downtown. Some of it is the federal housing accelerator programs helping push their projects foreword but it is also having a diligent plan over many years. This has helped get their projects the funding they need to be completed. And they have finished quite a lot.

The Granite Club project has been in the news because the curlers have been nervous that they will lose 70% of their parking and that the club would suffer. Considering there is largely an empty parking lot for Canada Life next door evenings and weekends, it seems a solution could be arranged. Since the city owns both the club and the parking lot, it is in their interest to ensure the historic club can continue but somehow find housing solutions as well.

The Granite Club is a handsome building built in 1912 with a dedicated curling membership. The surrounding west parking lot is where the city wants to build an affordable rent apartment. The east lot is unaffected. The developer has offered 15 spots in their development and a long term financial incentive to the club. Nevertheless, the executive has said the loss of the lot is an existential threat.

The whole thing goes to a vote February 27. The executive of the curling will continue to push for parking agreements, funding as well as raising questions why the University of Winnipeg Housing Renewal Corp. didn't have to go through the request for proposal process. That appears to be based on the streamlining effort of the city to sale the eight city-owned sites and develop much needed housing.

The length of time it takes to get something built, the zoning, permit time, construction delays and the like often takes months if not years to get done. The federal accelerator fund has communities all over Canada in a race to get approvals because the Conservatives says they will cancel the popular program.

The apartment itself looks fine. Unlike so many designs of decades ago that were visually unappealing, this building doesn't look too bad. The neighbourhood has had issues with river encampments nearby but these are the first ones to be moved and set up for housing by the province. Wab Kinew has said that encampments will no longer be allowed to be set back up there again.

Manitoba, much like all of Canada, is behind in all types of housing. Affordable housing most of all. The 111 units of this apartment will have some market rate units, subsidized rent units and geared to income units. This formula has shown to work in ensuring residents feel invested in their place's well being.

In the next week or so, it will be interesting to see if something is worked out on this housing project. We have have had a few housing projects collapse in recent years and nothing ever done to re-start them.