By Jeremy Davis
Positive change is coming to downtown Winnipeg. At the end of May, the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate News published a Real Estate Market Matters column titled “Renewed energy: A downtown on the rise” which focused on the downtown renaissance underway in Winnipeg. The article highlighted positive developments taking shape such as the Market Lands project, Railside at The Forks, the redevelopment of Portage Place and Hudson’s Bay buildings, along with the existing True North Square and Canada Life Centre, mixed use development at 300 Main and a host of housing projects recently announced by CentreVenture.
Without a doubt, these developments are significant and will be transformational for Winnipeg once complete. One question remains — what about now? These projects are years in the making, so what happens to the rest of our downtown while the major initiatives inch forward? Winnipeg’s downtown can’t stand still while waiting for the major transformation to be complete, it needs to continue building momentum. This is why it was reassuring to see a joint government announcement earlier in August that is providing incentive funding to help grow business in the area today.
A new partnership between the City of Winnipeg and Government of Manitoba, being administered through CentreVenture, is providing $1.4 million toward strengthening business activity downtown. The Storefront Success: Downtown Retail Retention and Storefront Enhancement Grant Program will provide financial incentives for businesses to invest in capital improvements that will revitalize the area.
Against the backdrop of a number of redevelopment projects underway in Winnipeg’s downtown, many small and medium-sized retail businesses are facing barriers. This program aims to ease the burden during this phase of redevelopment while creating a welcoming, safe, and thriving environment for pedestrians that will also contribute to the strength of businesses in the area. The ultimate goal is to attract more storefront businesses, retain those that are already there, and fill vacant storefronts. In turn, this will help ensure goods and services are available to residents, office workers, and visitors in support of downtown revitalization objectives.
The program aims to establish and retain storefront businesses downtown, activating vacant and/or underused ground-floor storefronts, improving the pedestrian experience along with improved safety, diversifying the mix of goods and services available downtown, supporting the evolving needs of downtown residents, office workers and visitors, integrate with existing public/private investments in the Sports, Hospitality, and Entertainment District (SHED) and surrounding areas, and to provide targeted support to stabilize storefront businesses during the redevelopment phase.
Grants of up to $200,000 for eligible capital improvements are available to new and existing businesses in the program area to improve visibility and enhance business vitality.
Eligible applicants include small- and medium-sized retail businesses, restaurants, cafés, specialty retailers and select non-profit organizations operating within the designated program area. The program will prioritize:
• Locally owned businesses;
• businesses introducing new or underserved goods and services downtown;
• businesses occupying previously vacant storefronts;
• businesses operating extended hours; and
• storefronts facing Graham Avenue or creating new street-facing activity.
Through the Storefront Success Program, eligible businesses may apply for funding for improvements including:
• storefront enhancements and façade improvements;
• lighting and signage;
• windows, entrances, patios and canopies;
• accessibility upgrades;
• landscaping and public realm enhancements;
• interior improvements visible from the street that support customer experience; and
• professional design and technical services.
Applications will be evaluated on a quarterly basis by a Program Review Committee which includes representatives of the City of Winnipeg, Province of Manitoba, CentreVenture Development Corporation and the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ.
Winnipeg’s downtown is gaining real momentum, fueled by significant public and private investment and a growing sense of optimism. While it is difficult not to get ahead of ourselves on the excitement of what’s to come, the Storefront Success Program is a good reminder that there is road left to be travelled, and we need to stay focused on the present to ensure that when the major redevelopments take shape, they will be in an already thriving ecosystem that is ready to help Winnipeg’s downtown take its first steps into a new future.
For more information or to apply for the Storefront Success Program, please visit www.centreventure.com/storefront-success-program.
Jeremy Davis is the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board’s Director of External Relations & Market Intelligence.