Housing development at The Forks to break ground this summer

One of Winnipeg's most popular attractions and places to meet will also soon become a place to live.

A housing development at The Forks that's been in the works for more than a decade is set to break ground this summer. The Forks aims to welcome tenants to condos and apartment buildings on what's currently a parking lot between the Canadian Museum For Human Rights and the rail lines.

"We are so excited about inviting people to live at The Forks with Railside at The Forks" said Sara Stasiuk, CEO of The Forks North Portage. "It's going to be a instrumental change for The Forks, however, we're going to be really hanging on to being a mixed-use environment, being a place for people, welcoming community.

The first phase of the project will see 10 buildings with more than 300 suites, Stasiuk said. The ground floor of each building will be business space open to the public.

Stasiuk said there are no plans yet for when Phase 2will start.

The Forks is also one of seven developers that will own and run the buildings. Stasiuk the hope is the living spaces will be affordable, rent-geared-to-income units.

"We want to see if we can do something that is a little more accessible to members of the community," she said.

The upcoming development project is exciting news for Downtown Winnipeg BIZ CEO Kate Fenske.

Downtown needs more connectivity and housing which she said has limited vacancy right now.

"One of the most important things when we're looking at what kind of downtown do we want for our future and how are we going to get more people here to create a more vibrant and safe neighborhood, it really is going to come down to residents," she said.

Fenske said keeping the ground floor of each buildingopen for business space is also a good idea. Survey data shows since last year people are largely spending their money on entertainment and hospitality, which is the bulk of the businesses that opened downtown in 2023, she said.

Buthaving more business space available through Railside at The Forks can be an avenue to have storefronts for unique retail spots, Fenske said.

"You're already seeing that at The Forks where you can find retailers and businesses that you can't find anywhere else in the city," she said. "So I think we can find some of those unique businesses that are a great fit for The Forks model, but a great fit for downtown that really draw people here and make it a destination."

Back at The Forks, the only hint you'll see of the upcoming project is two fire hydrants. But come summer, the construction fences will go up.

There are a couple thousands parking spots at The Forks, but the first phase of development will only take up a "couple hundred," said Stasiuk

"We know that people need to get to The Forks and park their cars, but we don't see any concerns with the first phase," she said.