South Point Douglas residents want more stadium info

As the debate continues over whether or not a massive redevelopment of South Point Douglas — with a new stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as its centrepiece — should go ahead, residents of the neighbourhood are still looking for answers.

“I just keep hearing numbers and grand ideas being thrown around by everyone, but no one has really put forward a detailed final plan,” said Maria Stafford, a seven-year resident of Annabella Street, one of the residential roads that would be affected by David Asper’s redevelopment proposal.

“No one seems too concerned over what happens to the people who live here.”

Asper did hold a hastily-scheduled public meeting with community members when news first broke that the area was being considered for a stadium.

An artist’s conception shows what the redeveloped area would look like with a new stadium, hotel and water park, along with several parking lots and commercial buildings. It also shows that more than 20 homes on Grace, Curtis and Annabella streets would no longer exist.

Asper’s plan also calls for the rerouting of Higgins Avenue, which would directly affect numerous commercial properties.

Mayor Sam Katz recently suggested the cost of infrastructure improvement related to the plan could exceed $100 million, with another $50 million required to purchase the land from current property owners. Asper originally said the $400-million plan would cost taxpayers only $40 million.

Grace Street resident John Francis said he doesn’t like what he’s seen of Asper’s plan, but it has nothing to do with where he lives.

“I’d be willing to listen to any worthwhile plan, and I’d be happy to sell my property if I thought it was a positive improvement for the area,” Francis said.

“But I don’t believe this is the right place for a stadium. The traffic would be a nightmare and there’s not nearly enough parking. I also worry about how much this will end up costing the city before all is said and done.”

Wayne Parker, another longtime South Point Douglas resident, said he’s still unsure about whether his community would benefit from so much change.

“I think the people who live here like the way the neighbourhood is,” Parker said. “I don’t hear a lot of my neighbours saying we need to change this or that.

“If they thought the area was so terrible, they wouldn’t have moved here in the first place.”

Business owners, however, don’t appear to be as hesitant to support the project. The Times visited eight businesses along Higgins Avenue, and all the owners said they would be willing to sell to the city and move for a fair price.