Downtown Buzz News from the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone
Is Graham Mall the next Corydon? O
ver the years I’ve seen many streets come to life and Graham Mall in downtown Winnipeg is defi- nitely one that Winnipeggers can look forward to. In my younger years, I remember walking up and
down Corydon Avenue frequently. At the time it was a mediocre street with only 3 or 4 great restaurants, and was surrounded by a deteriorating neighbourhood, with many dilapidated homes. Despite those things, it had the structure of a potential pedestrian-friendly street with store fronts every 30 – 40 feet, although they were mostly va- cant at the time. Fast forward to today and Corydon Avenue has become one of the most vibrant streets in our city and home to a great Italian district, Little Italy. At the age of 18 I was selling
Downtown Stefano Grande
real-estate, sipping on espres- sos every day and bumping into my heroes like Bova, Mock, Consatinni, Ring, Fletcher and Rosonoski. Together they had a vision to transform Corydon Avenue into something better for their community, champion- ing the creation of the Corydon
BIZ. Millions of dollars were infested in infrastructure and an innovative housing rehabilitation program, which helped kick-start this incredible neighborhood. I remember the energy of young people wanting to
open up local shops, and seeing young families wanting to live in the neighbourhood to be close to the excitement and contribute to the community. Te vision that my mentors once had for Corydon Avenue had finally come to life and it was so bright and compelling. Today, Corydon is not only a place to hang out but also a community that Winnipeggers want to live in. Graham Mall has the same essence that Corydon did.
It’s a very unique street that has the potential to be just as big. City planners would describe the area as “walk- able” with “scaled properly” or “great bones” (we like creating our own language). Te commercial storefronts from Vaughn to Hargrave are multiple, small, and ripe for transformation. Te walk is already enjoyable with a series of local and national coffee shops, sandwich and soup stores, and sprinkled with the Downtown Winnipeg Farmers’ Market and more! All the elements of a great street are now visible. Bolstered by 100s of buses which
bring 1000s of Winnipeggers downtown to this street daily, Graham Mall is coming alive. Te energy behind this transformation has been a
series of mega projects, which has reversed the flow of people back downtown. Te expanded Millennium Library and the new RBC Convention Centre have all spurred the creation of Centrepoint, True North Square and hopefully SkyCity Centre in the near future. Located at the east side of the mall, Bell MTS Place and the emerg- ing TrueNorth Square will be an anchor to be reckoned with, in the emerging SHED district. In fact, in speaking with over 1,000 Downtowners
recently, the name Graham Mall is no longer under- stood by the public. Graham Avenue resonates more. Downtowners already recognize the shift and business people notice a different vibe, to the extent that many
feel it’s time for the complete renewal of sidewalks, lights standards and more. Te mall after all is 25 years old. It’s time for a makeover and our City departments agree. We all agree that the timing is perfect, as there is more development that can be attracted. Tere are actually two great re-development chal-
lenges in the immediate area, which include the historic and majestic Hudson’s Bay, and the ill-conceived Portage Place Mall. Both have the potential to be transformed into mixed-use buildings with people living, working and more. Authentic, local, and unique, this is the direction that
Graham Ave. needs to go. It’s now up to the politicians to invest strategically in the next round of tax increment financing and downtown infrastructure renewal to get there.
New voluntary transport program T
he Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and Main Street Project have partnered to officially implement the voluntary transport program with the leadership of the Win-
nipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and the Winni- peg Fire and Paramedics Services (WFPS). The Voluntary Transport Program aims to better connect individuals to the appropriate social services and supports that they need to find a better place to stay. Te Program will be a new tool used by the Community
Homeless Assistance Team (CHAT) to help people in need who have been medically cleared by WFPS but still in need of assistance in our downtown. Individuals, who voluntar- ily agree to be transported by vehicle, will be provided with proper outreach services and will be followed up with the next day to provide any further support that is necessary. “I am very proud of our Safety and Outreach Team and
their continued efforts in not only championing the need for the voluntary transport program, but also in ensuring that CHAT is effective and well recognized in the downtown area,” says Stefano Grande, CEO of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. “Together we are helping the most vulnerable individu- als off our streets and into a better place, by better connect- ing them to the social services and supports that they need.” The Voluntary Transport Program will also help in al-
leviating the challenges for our downtown community by better managing social disorder and improving the negative perceptions of downtown safety. For more information about the CHAT Program and
the services that they provide, visit http://downtownwin-
nipegbiz.com/.
downtownwinnipegbiz.com (204) 958-4640
info@downtownwinnipegbiz.com 426 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3C 0C9 8 Manitoba Post
www.manitobapost.com June 2018
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