Taylor Redevelopment Master Plan

The 1000 Taylor Redevelopment Master Plan will be reviewed by the City Centre Community Committee (CCCC) tomorrow (April 16th) evening at 6pm. This meeting is to review and endorse the Master Plan and re-zonging of the site. This is a multi-facited project that incorporates retail, residential, and commercial uses. It is an exciting new project that will turn an under utilized property into an economic hub of activity, over time. These types of projects come with their challenges and I think some of the communication and community consultation on this one were a little lacking.

I understand that the River Heights Residents Association (RHRA) completed a recent survey on the Taylor Redevelopment Master Plan and there were some clear indications that there are concerns with the project. The following are the top five concerns in regard to the redevelopment of 1000 Taylor, as per the RHRA survey:

1.     Vehicle traffic
2.     Open and green space
3.     Big box store or stores
4.     Noise impact or view obstruction
5.     Tied - a) Impact to Harrow School, b) Appearance of structures and heights of buildings


That said, the River Heights Residents Association endorses the proposed Taylor Redevelopment Master Plan, but strongly recommends the City Centre Community Committee add amendments to ensure developers initiate and publish adequate transportation studies, ensure and maintain green space and public areas, and design big box retail storefronts that reduce scale and visual impact. 

An observation of the process is that there does not appear to be adequate consultation prior to, and throughout the project development especially on a project of this magnitude. It is disheartening to hear that this CCCC meeting tomorrow is the first step through the city and it appears to be the most important yet the communication and education within the community is severely lacking. It has all the appearances of another project being pushed through the city offices. 

Another observation is that the City's Notifications section under the Operationalizing Taylor Redevelopment Master Plan includes the property owners within the Master Plan Boundaries – and does not include the adjacent property owners and businesses, those with the greatest impact from this development. I believe that community consultation throughout the project development is critical to provide a clear and transparent process, something that needs to be worked on. The CCCC should at least make amendments to the Operationalizing document to include notifications to adjacent property owners and businesses of any Revisions and Amendments to the Taylor Redevelopment Master Plan.



All images are from the Taylor Redevelopment Master Plan which is available on the City of Winnipeg Site.