“The before and after is dramatic,” she adds. “Before, this little historic building had been neglected to the point of almost needing to be demolished. It was a vacant derelict building that people would just pass by quickly. Today it’s a welcoming and exciting building and is going to bring a vibrant new tenancy to the street. People will be coming to the building; they’ll be occupying the space; they’ll be working there. It will be an exciting addition to the street.” Moving forward, Rochelle sees that project as an example she hopes other developers can replicate. She explains that the goal of the city – and the mandate they have given CentreVenture – is to revitalize Winnipeg’s downtown and bring more residents to the area. The key to doing that, she believes, is taking the historic buildings and underutilized properties already there and bringing new life to them. That William Avenue project is an example of refurbishing a building for commercial use, but she also wants to see a lot of buildings converted into “exciting, vibrant, residential housing units.” “I’m really a huge proponent of mixed-market units,” she adds. “I like projects that can cater to people from a variety of income levels. I want to see urban professionals, new families, people who are going to school, people who have experienced housing insecurity – I want to give them all a place to call home, and that can be done with mixedmarket units. Those are the projects I’m really excited about.” Fortunately, Rochelle says, there are a lot of local 284 William Avenue After. THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA
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