Transcona to undergo trendy transformation

Condos, city grant will help revitalize downtown core

Those who have been envisioning downtown Transcona as a trendy place with prestigious residential properties and beautiful streetscapes will soon see the real thing.

Plans to build condominiums on a full city block and a city grant for image improvement will help boost revitalization for the area, Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt says.

“There was a need to revitalize the older business district so you could literally walk out of your condo and have a streetscape before you,” Wyatt says.

“There’s a big need for multiple family units.”

The city recently gave the Transcona Business Improvement Zone a $25,000 grant for image route enhancement and streetscaping improvement plans, says Wyatt.

And developer NVR Holdings announced last week its plans to build a new $4-million, 18-suite condominium project as the first phase of a $17-million development in Transcona.

Construction will begin this spring on the two-acre former Dominion Lumber property at the intersection of Bond Street and Melrose Avenue.

Vic Reykdal, CEO of NVR, says it should take approximately six months to complete phase one.

The four-storey building will feature a rooftop terrace and main-level, heated parking lot.

Reykdal, a former Transcona resident who now lives in Calgary, has fond memories of the area.

“It was a real vibrant little town,” he says.

“It’s about putting more people down in the core and revitalizing Transcona.”

Dale Deleau, who owns Transcona Florists on Regent Avenue, says she hopes the new development will increase business.

“Business could be better, and that’s why I’m looking forward to the new development in Transcona,” says Deleau, whose shop is located only a few blocks from Bond Street.

She’s also hoping revitalization will generate more interest in renting part of her building for a business, such as a coffee shop.

Transcona BIZ executive director Diane Truderung says the area needs the new improvements, because it’s been about 10 years since the area’s last major streetscaping project.

“A lot of new people are moving into the area.”

She says a few of the organization’s 150 business members have told her they are excited about this project.

“A lot of existing businesses will get customers.”

Goodfellow and Goodfellow Real Estate is the company marketing the project. Co-owner Deborah Goodfellow says the revitalization will hopefully change some people’s views of Transcona.

“We hear it all the time, ‘We’re the working class,’ and we sit back and take it,” she says.

“It’s starting to turn around.”

Following phase one, the company plans to build a 54-suite condominium. Prices for the initial sales range from $200,000 to $230,000, says Reykdal.

The company is holding a naming contest for the project. The winner, who will receive a $1,000 prize, will be announced at Transcona’s annual Hi Neighbour Festival, May 30 and June 1.