Infill Housing Plan

One of the objectives from the Housing Plan was to move forward on buildable lots in West Broadway. Thanks to seed funding from the City of Winnipeg-WHHI, through the fall of 2008 into the late summer of 2009, West Broadway Development Corporation in conjunction with the consultant firm Architectural & Community Planning facilitated a community engagement planning process. This Multi-Stakeholder Guided Design Process (GDP) engaged the community to determine the best use of six vacant lots for infill housing or green space development projects.
WBDC worked with local agencies to determine housing need and also conducted a workshop on sustainability and building design with the housing development sector.

A community forum was held for all stakeholders to review infill housing and green-space development options on available lands. The community recommended that three of the lots would be infilled (114 Langside, 248 Langside, 279 Young) for affordable housing.

Boulder Park, aka 152 Langside received overwhelming endorsement to continue as a community garden.

The two vacant lots at 128 and 130 Langside were designated as a mix of housing and greenspace. This project was taken up Westminster Housing Society which is being funded by the Federal Government. This housing project set for construction in the summer of 2010 will offer 4 units of transitional and support housing for mental health challenged individuals and families.

Additionally, two other lots in the neighbourhood owned by Kiknaw Housing have received Federal and Provincial funding for two infill housing projects at 271 and 297 Furby Street. These two buildings will provide a total of 8 units of mixed housing for individuals and families.

For WBDC’s part in developing new infill housing, a “Request for Proposal” process was undertaken over the spring of 2009 with the housing sector which resulted in a successful bid by one 5projects to development infill housing. A joint venture non-profit housing corporation was set up by WBDC and one 5projects named Flexfill Developments Inc.

Flexfill Developments three infill housing project will provide 18 units of mixed housing on the three vacant lots at 279 Young Street, 114 Langside Street and 248 Langside Street. Flexfill has created an exciting partnership with SAM Inc, Jubilee Fund, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Sara Riel and Wolseley Family Place.

Flexfill Development has submitted this infill housing feasibility study to the partners of the Winnipeg Housing & Homelessness Initiative for funding consideration: City of Winnipeg’s housing investment and Provincial funding under the HomeWORKS Program and All Aboard: Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy.