BU downtown development seen as catalyst for change

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This article was published 08/02/2017 (3512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon University’s massive downtown development will bring the critical mass of people required to truly create a positive change, according to Renaissance Brandon.

For years, the discussion on downtown revitalization would always come back to the idea of attracting more people to live and work in the area.

“The addition of a residential development of this scale will truly make an incredible difference to downtown Brandon,” said Elisabeth Saftiuk, executive director of Renaissance Brandon.

As reported in The Brandon Sun on Tuesday, BU announced its plans for the vacant area along Princess Avenue, between Ninth and 10th streets. City council voted to sell two properties to the university for $1 each, and in addition, there is an agreement in principle for Renaissance Brandon’s parcels. Discussions are underway with a private landowner to acquire two additional properties.

The goal is to develop student residences and senior housing, as well as commercial and classroom space. Saftiuk said the proposed development will complement the existing academic institutions already found downtown, such as Assiniboine Community College’s Adult Collegiate, and Neelin High School Off Campus.

Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Terry Burgess said it is exciting to hear about BU’s foray into downtown development.

“I would say that for years downtown Brandon has been looking for some community leadership, whether from the private or public sector,” he said.

Burgess pointed to the success of educational institutions in downtown Winnipeg.

“With this type of community leadership, it can have a profound effect on what downtown starts to look like,” he said. “From an impact perspective on downtown, it certainly changes the dynamics.”

Mayor Rick Chrest said a project of this magnitude will likely spark further development, such as the McKenzie Seeds residential project, which was put on hold.

“A project like this could certainly be a building block for them to be able to move forward,” Chrest said, adding this could also bode well for potential growth across the street at The Town Centre, which is relatively empty.

“(There are) many other smaller properties … and existing businesses that would see this as an opportunity to expand and renovate,” Chrest said. “So something like this can certainly set off a domino effect of many, many more positive things for downtown.”

The idea for the downtown campus and residence stemmed from the university’s work on its most recent academic plan, published in 2015. BU president Gervan Fearon said they looked at what could be done in terms of being a “catalyst” for growth in the region.

Enrolment at BU grew by four per cent in 2015, and in this academic year, it has increased by seven per cent. When they began to look ahead to five or 10 years, Fearon said they projected the university could potentially see 4,500 students or more enrolled within a decade.

“We also then realized that our current student residences doesn’t fully meet our needs,” Fearon said. Currently BU only has dorm-style accommodations, while the trend for student living is more apartment-style.

“We quickly realized that we could need accommodation for up to 200 or more students in a residence,” he said.

Talks began with the City of Brandon, Renaissance Brandon as well as Servants of Service senior housing group.

They decided that collaboration with the various groups would allow for a “significantly transformative” project for the city while meeting the university’s needs, as well as seniors’ needs for accessible and affordable housing.

What really got the ball rolling was the purchase of the Strand Theatre last December from Landmark Cinemas for $1. Fearon said they recognized the entire location, with the adjoining vacant lots could be the location of “something significant.”

“We also know that this approach of universities being a part of downtown revitalization has been outstanding for cities, it’s been outstanding for Winnipeg,” Fearon said. “It’s been outstanding for Toronto in terms of what Ryerson University has done.”

Before coming to BU, Fearon was at Ryerson University, so he saw first-hand how a school can work with the city to make a difference downtown.

While the project is still in the early stages, Fearon said they would like to see space in the development for approximately 100 units. The seniors housing group is looking at a similar number of units.

It’s too early to provide a ballpark cost estimate, Fearon said, as they are still looking at different models and approaches for the project.

“Probably in a few months as we get some of those details … and get a chance to talk more with different parties and partners, we’ll get a better idea of those numbers,” he said.

The century-old Strand Theatre will be coming down, as an assessment of the building determined it would not be feasible to restore. There will be environmental considerations as they move forward with its demolition, Fearon noted.

“We’ll now start moving forward with looking at options for taking it down,” he said. “We’ll go through a tendering process on that.”

While it is unfortunate to see the historic building come down, Chrest said the writing was on the wall.

“I think we were feeling that was becoming the inevitable,” he said. “A core group of people really did put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears to keep it going, and trying to keep it saved … but I think it’s sat vacant and unheated and suffering water damage for too long.”

Chrest points out the historic significance is the exterior facade, which he hopes the new development will be able to recreate. With the interior renovated many times and modernized over the years, there wasn’t much historical significance left inside, Chrest pointed out.

“It’s always sad, but I think the overall outcome will overshadow that and people will be happy with the end result,” he said.

The university encourages the community to share ideas about the downtown development plan at brandonu.ca/downtown.

» jaustin@brandonsun.com