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One of Winnipeg’s oldest neighbourhoods could see more mid-rise apartments and fewer heavy industrial yards, if city council approves a new plan meant to guide development over the next 25 years.
A proposed bylaw would adopt the city’s Point Douglas neighbourhood plan as a secondary plan, setting rules for how the community can evolve over the coming decades.
It doesn’t immediately rezone properties, but once adopted, future development proposals would have to align with it.
The plan calls for low-rise residential infill north of Sutherland, mid-rise mixed-use development along the future eastern rapid transit corridor, and higher-density mixed-use projects in parts of South Point Douglas.Â
It also restricts new heavy industrial uses in the redevelopment area.
Point Douglas Coun. Vivian Santos says the plan represents a shift away from the neighbourhood’s industrial past.
“Back then in the day, it was … a lot of the Industrial Revolution that occurred here,” Santos said. “Things are different now. It’s very close to downtown. People are also desperate for housing.”
She said the vision ties new housing to rapid transit along Sutherland, and builds on the neighbourhood’s proximity to the Red River and downtown.
“We’ve seen the transition of Waterfront Drive. I have always thought that this would have been, you know, a Waterfront Drive 2.0,” Santos said.
Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie, whose ward includes North Point Douglas, said the secondary plan is about giving developers certainty.
“The intention of having a secondary plan is now, once it’s in place, private developers will be able to look at something and say, ‘Oh, well, I can do this here now, so maybe I will invest my money,'” Eadie said.
He said the neighbourhood has long struggled with an uneasy mix of industrial, commercial and residential uses, often without clear direction. The plan, he said, defines what types of businesses and housing are appropriate going forward.
For example, a new scrapyard would not be permitted to operate on Sutherland, Eadie said.
Obstacles to development remain
But some longtime community voices question whether zoning changes alone will spark redevelopment.
Sel Burrows, a community advocate, said the concept of the plan is “on the whole … really good,” but warned that aging sewer infrastructure could limit what actually gets built.
“One of the biggest influences on development is sewage,” Burrows said. “Anybody attempting to build anything of any substantial size would be turned down, because the old sewage lines in that area wouldn’t allow them to develop anything new.”
Santos acknowledged that aging combined sewers — which funnel storm water and household waste through the same pipes — pose a challenge, and said upgrades would be needed for redevelopment.Â
Burrows also pointed to vacant and burned homes in the area as discouraging private investment.
“It’s one thing to have a secondary plan,” Burrows said, “but if there’s developmental issues interfering with people building anything more than a duplex … I’m not sure what purpose there is in having a secondary plan.”
Sheldon Blank owns the former Vulcan Iron Works property, which burned in a massive blaze in the summer of 2023, and other land in the area. He supports the city’s new direction.
“I think the change of perspective … is going to be beneficial to the community to allow for a mix of residential use and commercial, light industry,” Blank said.
He confirmed repairs are nearing completion on a fire-damaged building on Sutherland Avenue and said it will reopen as a machine shop.
Blank said allowing people to live closer to where they work reflects how Winnipeg originally developed.
“I think this might not be a bad way to look at things today,” he said.
The bylaw will be considered by the Lord Selkirk-West Kildonan community committee next week before moving up the approval chain at city hall.