Railside + Parcel 4 Development Framework and Integrated Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan

The junction of the Forks at the Red and Assiniboine Rivers in downtown Winnipeg is an important cultural and institutional meeting place. The Forks Foundation, in partnership with the City of Winnipeg, will create a Railyard Development Framework that articulates a vision and an integrated sustainable neighbourhood action plan (SNAP) for two adjacent brownfields located on an 11.6 acre site at The Forks. The proposed framework will integrate visionary and technical elements of a Community Master Plan with a SNAP. The plan will create a transit-oriented, pedestrian and cyclist-friendly ‘urban village’ that demonstrates innovation in energy, waste and water management, transportation, land use and brownfield redevelopment. A number of municipal policies will guide the plan, including the city’s Sustainable Transportation Directions Strategy, the Sustainable Water & Waste Directions Strategy, the Sustainable Winnipeg Directions Strategy, and the City’s Complete Communities Directions Strategy. From these policies emerged ten big ideas that demonstrate broad sustainability goals that align with the Forks vision of a mixed-used recreational, historical, cultural, residential and institutional meeting place. Some of these ideas include the creation of a mid-rise (4 to 6 storey) compact residential village that prioritizes sustainable transportation, public art and production spaces, and improved rapid transit infrastructure. Before applying to GMF, the lead applicant performed various studies and public consultations for the preparation of the planning process (Phase 1), the creation of a sustainability vision (Phase 2), and the assessment of the site’s current state (Phase 3). These first three phases assessed opportunities for sustainable actions towards the ten big ideas. This GMF application is for the final three phases of the initiative which will refine and finalize the actions of the plan (Phase 4), develop an implementation and monitoring strategy (Phase 5), and present the plan to council for approval (Phase 6). For the fifth phase, the Forks Foundation has assembled a team of engineers and planners from the City of Winnipeg and Manitoba Hydro, in addition to architects, to develop specific actions, performance targets and methods of measurements. Additional expertise in district utilities, municipal servicing, environmental assessment and development finance will also complement the final three stages. The Forks Foundation has engaged various municipal departments, non-profit agencies, businesses, community groups, and First Nations interests in identifying key components of the plan. The inclusion of public consultation in tandem with technical and feasibility studies is an innovative aspect of the initiative. These studies will identify actions such as expanding on-site compositing facilities, transforming the Union Station into a Rapid Transit hub, and implementing low-impact stormwater management systems. The Development Framework will also support the expansion of current geothermal capacity to all future buildings, pedestrian links, trails, and winter warming huts at the Forks. (Project description from original funding application)