Putting focus on attracting more "shoppers and latte drinkers," CentreVenture CEO Angela Mathieson said downtown Winnipeg's population will continue to grow even against the competition of burgeoning neighbouring communities.

Mathieson, delivering her state of downtown address at the annual Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday, said there are 16,000 people living downtown with 700 new rental units becoming available in "the next couple of years."

"Because development takes so long, we have to start thinking down the road and what does that mean," Mathieson said. "I do believe that we are going to need to continue housing programs to support development downtown."

That remark aligned with comments made in her speech that it would be "place-making, policy and people" that would be needed to assure downtown continues to develop.

Mathieson wouldn't speak to specifics on what policies should be addressed, but suggested it required bringing multiple stakeholders back to the table.

"It's been a while since we've really looked very, very carefully at what's working in the downtown, what's not working," she said. "The only point of that section of the speech was let's have some dialogue. Let's sit down with developers, let's have the city officials sit down with developers to see if there's easier ways to do this stuff in the downtown."

In a wide-ranging address, Mathieson also noted the number of "underutilized" properties, including surface lots that hinder the city's ability to grow its tax base.

Among the looming challenges for the city will be what to do with The Bay building on the corner of Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard. The company announced earlier this month it would shrink its retail space to two floors at the 90-year-old building, leaving four floors empty and developers with a conundrum.

"The entire building needs life if it's going to be the solid anchor that we need on the western edge of our downtown," Mathieson said in her speech.

Mathieson said the downtown Eaton's closure in 1999 was a "body blow" but does not believe that feeling exists around The Bay. Still, she acknowledged, in order for it to function as a multi-use space, there would need to be architectural changes to the building that spans a city block.

"It's going to have to most definitely be a mix of types of tenancy," she said. "There's lots of different types of solutions that can be found in the heritage buildings that we've been involved with. We have some experience doing this in our community and I think a solution can be found. We have to get all the right people in the room to do that."

DOWNTOWN BITS

A few snippets from CentreVenture CEO Angela Mathieson’s speech to the Winnipeg Chamber:

On competition against urban sprawl:

“The reality is that really all North American downtowns are facing these metrics.”

On the popularity of other infill developments:

“These neighbourhoods are downtown’s competition. (Residents) want the urban experience but they also want the amenities of an established neighbourhood.”

On vacant properties and surface lots:

“The key challenge is getting these underutilized properties into the hands of people that will do something with them.”

On True North Square:

“We don’t see the work of the SHED stopping there.”

On the state of downtown:

“The state of the downtown is good and it can be better ... We can make downtown everything that we want it to be.”

david.larkins@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @LarkinsWSun