The first phase of the Winnipeg Railside development

Railside, a mixed-use development in the oldest part of Winnipeg, broke ground this summer.

Located in Railside Forks, a 12-acre, former industrial site and freight yard has been turned into a recreation area at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red rivers.

Developers hope the project will attract more Winnipeggers to live downtown.

“More people need affordable housing and better security downtown to live downtown,” said Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, whose offices are not far from Railside. “We need more people living downtown year-round to support the businesses and services there.”

With the help of another Winnipeg firm, 5468976 Architecture created a concept plan for the project.

“It's completely unique,” said Sasa Radulovic, the firm's founding partner. “We are building a city, not just a collection of buildings.”

A 20-year, two-phase project, Railside offers a variety of housing options for a variety of income levels.

The first phase will include nine mid-rise residential buildings and one condominium with a total of more than 300 units scheduled to open in 2026.
Railside currently occupies two large surface parking lots adjacent to Canada's National Railway line. The buildings will be 30 meters away from the train tracks.

A National Historic Site, The Forks attracts more than four million visitors a year to its shops, restaurants and recreation.

Developers want to make Railside an extension of The Forks by attracting permanent residents to the site and turning it into a year-round community.

When both phases are complete, Railside will accommodate 1,000 to 1,200 residential units on the current site of the parking lots.

The development is based on The Forks Railside Concept Plan.

The idea is to encourage a mix of participants, ownership patterns, architectural outcomes and public open spaces.

Most of the buildings in Railside are mixed-use, with high-end and residential uses.

There will also be space for offices, hotels, shopping and community centers.

The Railside model is not dependent on a single developer or architect.

“The 34 parcels that make up Railside can be developed at different times,” Radulovic said. “It's the best way for a slow-growing city like Winnipeg.”

The concept plan has elements of a village (private buildings) and a traditional downtown (continuous storefronts), Radulovic said.

The rail is organized around a series of public squares connected by a network of streets and alleys accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

“The maximum height of the building will be six stories, which is the optimal height for the density,” Radulovic said. “Tall buildings need a distance between them. On the sixth floor, most residents will still be able to see the sky and there will be plenty of light at street level.”

More people living in developments like Railside will be “absolutely” good for downtown businesses, said Keith Fenske, CEO of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ (Business Improvement Zone).

“More people living downtown means a safer, more vibrant neighborhood, as well as an expanded customer base for downtown businesses,” Fenske said. “A strong downtown with people is important not only to the neighborhood, but also to the continued economic growth of our city and province.”

The rail line is one element of the slow but sure revitalization of downtown Winnipeg, which has countered the decline and decay of the area that began in the 1960s.

Not coincidentally, just as the suburbs began to rise, downtown incomes began to decline.

“After the Second World War, downtown living became unpopular,” said Winnipeg historian Christian Cassidy. “People didn't want to raise their families downtown anymore.”

As residents left, their former homes were demolished and replaced by surface parking lots.

According to Cassidy, until the 1960s, there was a lot of housing in the downtown area.

“You had terraced housing, one-room hotels, boarding houses, small apartments, high-end apartments, mid-range houses and large high-end houses all sharing the same few square blocks,” he said. “We don't have that today.”

Cassidy said events like Railside are good for downtown Winnipeg.

“The future of not just Winnipeg's downtown, but everyone's downtown, is in residential,” he said. “Big retail and offices are not coming back downtown.”

Downtown housing should be for everyone and all income ranges, not just the rich and the poor, Cassidy said.

“People who live downtown will shop there,” he said. “Downtown isn't just going to be for people who live in the suburbs and go to Jets games.”