Dozens of people packed the gallery in the council chamber at Winnipeg city hall Thursday for a hearing on a proposed development next to the Granite Curling Club.
Conflict arose between the city and the curling club over a proposal to build affordable housing on the parking lot on the west side of the designated heritage building at 22 Granite Way, along the Assiniboine River and just west of Osborne Street.
The club currently leases the city-owned building and the next-door parking lot, which the city now wants to subdivide and rezone.
That would pave the way for the construction of a 111-unit building, in a project managed by the University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation 2.0. It would have 55 market-rent units, another 12 at 79 per cent of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s median market rent, and 14 at 69 per cent of that rate. The remaining 30 would be rent-geared-to-income.
But curling club secretary Christian Pierce accused the city of ignoring Granite’s concerns.
“We wanted to work together and purchase the property,” Pierce told the city’s property and planning committee at the Thursday morning meeting.
“Unfortunately, the city has chosen to implement a process that has given the Granite board no choice but to oppose the subdivision and rezoning of the west parking lot, as that process has lacked transparency, good faith dealing and fairness.”
The proposed development would reduce the number of parking spaces available to the club in the lot from around 70 to 15, he said.
During the day, the curling club leases a portion of the parking spaces to employees at Canada Life, across the street. Tournaments and school groups also use the club during the day.
The club worries the loss of those spaces, and the revenue they generate, would threaten its long-term survival.
In the evenings, club visitors have used parking in the Canada Life lot, but representatives of the club told the committee the corporation would not guarantee ongoing access to those spaces.
The city and curling club have discussed potential financial support, but Pierce said the amounts offered have fluctuated.
Prior to Thursday evening’s vote, a compromise amendment recommended the city work with the proponent and the Granite Curling Club on a parking plan before a development permit is issued.
However, the committee was split, with councillors Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) and Evan Duncan (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) voting in favour of the proposal, while councillors Russ Wyatt (Transcona) and Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) were opposed.
The split vote means the issue now goes to council’s executive policy committee without a recommendation.
The final say will rest with city council.
Club members speak in support, opposition
Dozens of people came out to the committee meeting ahead of the vote to speak in support and opposition, including curling club members on both sides.
Daniel Leonard says 70 Granite members signed a petition supporting the project. A petition opposing the project, which was created by the curling club board and got 600 signatures, was distributed more broadly to other curling clubs in the city, Leonard said.
“One of the things I’m exhausted by as a downtown resident, repeatedly, is the ways in which suburban and outlying, outside-the-core parking needs go against the needs of us downtown residents,” he said.
Several club members who spoke against the rezoning and subdivision said having adequate parking is essential to attracting people to the building.
Ingrid Reid volunteers on the executive of the Granite Curling Club and is a member of the Guards Curling League, which plays at Granite.
“I did poll our members of our league, and parking was very important to them. It was the biggest issue,” Reid told the committee.
Some committee members, including Wyatt, questioned why the city only approached one developer about the property.
Richard Mahé, the city’s manager for the housing accelerator fund — a federal program intended to spur housing development — says the proponent has a proven track record.
“They were uniquely positioned to meet the vision for the site under the narrow timelines. We have an existing template project across [from] Canada Life that could fit onto this property.”
The affordable housing project would be modelled after the West Broadway Commons, at the corner of Broadway and Colony Street, which was a joint project with All Saints Anglican Church.
The property committee heard arguments in support and against a plan to build affordable housing next to the Granite Curling Club.
