Towering High Over Maw's Garage

It’s time for our voices to be heard once again…

A public notice has been posted announcing that the City of Winnipeg has approved an application for a commercial and residential development with three storefronts and 114 new apartments, located at 291 Bannatyne Avenue.  You’ll know them better as Maw’s Garage and the Sanford building.  The Sanford building is currently identified as Exchange Event Center and formerly Citizen Nightclub, Republic, and way back, the Old Spaghetti Factory.

There are two issues at play:

1.         HERITAGE ISSUE – BURY THE HERITAGE



The Proposal

The Director of the Planning, Property & Development Department approved a heritage permit application to redevelop 291 Bannatyne.  

The approval does not follow Historical Buildings and Resources Committee (HBRC) advice.  The HBRC advised the public service to not support the application. The proposed building additions were not considered to be subordinate to the heritage buildings. They felt that this part of the project did not follow Standard 11 of the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, which says:

“Conserve the heritage value and character-defining elements when creating any new additions to a historic place or any related new construction. Make the new work physically and visually compatible with, subordinate to, and distinguishable from the historic place.”

The Proposed Look

The few plans that are public show building elevations. The proposed development is shown in colour. I have labelled the existing buildings and businesses as well as their date of construction.

The Appeal

When asked about the project, the president of the condo board from the the building across the street from the proposed development (121 Princess) said:

"The proposed development is out of character with the Exchange District National Historic Site (EDNHS).  It would be detrimental to the cultural heritage of the area and would conflict with the understated elegance of adjacent heritage buildings. The two proposed buildings would tower over the single-storey Maw's Garage and Sanford Building, dwarfing neighbouring buildings and impinging on Old Market Square."

As Winnipeg residents, we can appeal the director’s decision regarding the historical aspect by sending a letter of appeal.

2.         VARIANCE ISSUE – WHO NEEDS RULES?



The Proposal

Secondly, we can appeal the proposed height of 291 Bannatyne Avenue, Variance: 25-130698/B, which is described as follows:

Description: To vary the "Character" Sector regulations of the Downtown Winnipeg Zoning By-Law No. 100/2004 as follows:

1. For the construction of a multi-family dwelling to permit the following:
 a) a building height of 106.1 feet (32.34 metres) instead of 100 feet (30.48 metres);
 b) one (1) person and service loading space instead of two (2) spaces; and
 c) one (1) delivery loading space instead of two (2) spaces.

2. For the establishment of an accessory parking off street above/below grade to permit a parking stalls width of 8 feet (2.43 metres) instead of 10 feet (3.04 metres) when the long dimension is immediately adjacent to a wall or column.

The Look

No architect's rendering could be found, but this is the image, viewed from Princess Street, as it appears on the appeal posting:

The Appeal

To contest the height of the building, you should write an email to the City Clerks office, by the appeal deadline of April 23, 2025.  See below for email details.

For more information on this application, please contact the area planner at: https://legacy.winnipeg.ca/ppd/Documents/CityPlanning/AboutUs/District-Planner-Assignments.pdf

HOW TO APPEAL THIS PROPOSAL

Given the tight deadlines, it is recommended that if you wish to appeal one or both rulings, send an email:

To:    clk-appeals@winnipeg.ca

cc:    john@ResidentsOfTheExchangeDistrict.ca

Subject:  You must indicate which issue you are appealing in the email subject line

Heritage issue:  DAV 25-130698B – 291 Bannatyne
     

Variance issue: 25-130698/B  - 291 Bannatyne

If you wish to appeal both, please send separate emails

The deadlines are tight, emails must be received by:

  Heritage issue: April 25, 2025

  Variance issue:  April 23, 2025

 What will this construction mean to the Exchange?

Once again, the character and heritage of the Exchange District is under attack.  If we continue to look the other way as the City ignores the recommendations of the Historical Buildings and Resources Committee (HBRC), we will lose the historical nature, and eventually the official heritage status of our neighbourhood. 

I urge you to use your voice to let the City know that this is not acceptable.