Pembia Housing Plan Enters Consultation

The proposal for a student apartment block at 2537 Pembina Hwy. is seeking feedback from the public, including those residents living in the immediate area.

The plan is to build a 432-bed student rental building just to the south of the Arc, a similar complex currently under construction at 2525 Pembina, according to Matthew Robinson, managing consultant with Richard + Wintrup, the urban planning and design team working on the project.

Due to pandemic restrictions, there is no plan to hold an open house. Instead, information about the project is available online or by mail-out package for those who don’t have access to the internet, he said.

“This is our first round of consultations,” Robinson said. “The design online will show people what could be built on the site. We will be continuing our discussions with the City of Winnipeg, and the public, before settling on a final design.”

A statement on their website reads, “We believe that creating more rental student housing options here will help address key issues faced in the community. Currently, many students are living in single family homes that are not designed to accommodate them. The proposed type of rental housing is a safe and affordable option and being in close proximity to the University (of Manitoba) means that walking or biking is likely the preferred transportation option.”

The yet-unnamed building will be similar in scope to the Arc, in that it may offer a variety of housing options, from one to four-bedroom units, and include amenities such as study lounges, communal kitchens, and an onsite gym. There may be commercial and retail spaces on the main floor.

There will be a total of approximately 140 parking stalls; 90 underground for residents, and 50 for retail uses at surface level. As alternative transportation modes are a primary component to the development, there will be 340 bike parking stalls at the surface and underground levels.

The site is currently vacant and is zoned Commercial 2, which only allows commercial uses. The developers, which include Campus Suites, Rise: A Real Estate Company, ARK Architects along with Richard + Wintrup, are applying to the City to rezone it to Residential Mixed Use.

Architectural drawing of the proposed student housing building at 2537 Pembina Highway.

SOU’WESTER

Architectural drawing of the proposed student housing building at 2537 Pembina Highway

To Read More, please CLICK HERE