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This article was published 5/7/2016 (1538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The redevelopment of the 110-year-old James Avenue pumping station cleared its first civic hurdle Tuesday when a committee endorsed a plan to narrow a stretch of James Avenue needed to create extra space for the project.

CentreVenture executive director Angela Mathieson told the property and development committee that narrowing James Avenue between Waterfront Drive and Amy Street is critical to allow development on the site, including underground parking and building construction.

"The narrowing of (James Avenue) will allow 15 metres (of additional land) to be applied to the (pumping station) property," Mathieson told reporters.

The committee’s endorsement came at the expense of the area residents and business owners, who said they feared the project would eat up scarce parking.

Residents said no details on the project had been released to the public and they wanted the committee to postpone a decision until the fall.

But Mathieson said delaying a decision would jeopardize the project, which she said is valued at $17 million.

Heritage Winnipeg endorsed the proposal.

5468796 ARCHITECTURE INC A rendering shows proposed redevelopment of the 110-year-old James Avenue pumping station.

Mathieson said the redevelopment of the project will include the construction of two buildings to the east and west of the pumping station and the restoration of the pumping station itself. The two new buildings will have main level commercial space with residential units in the higher floors.

The two new buildings (five-storeys and six-storeys) will be constructed on stilts to allow unobstructed street level views of the pumping station.

The plan calls for the pumping station and all of the equipment inside it to be preserved, with new windows and other glass installed so the equipment is visible to both the building’s tenants and anyone passing by on the front sidewalk.

The committee approved a plan to reduce James Avenue from four lanes to three lanes, along the one-block stretch adjacent to the pumping station. The street narrowing will go to council for final approval next week.

There have been 13 failed attempts to redevelop the pumping station since 2000 but Mathieson said she’s convinced this proposal will move ahead.

Mathieson said CentreVenture, the city’s downtown development agency, has been working with the developer and architect for 18 months. She said the proposal will ensure the pumping station will be preserved and the redevelopment will fit in with the area’s small-scale development.

"We’ve been working in an integrated basis with the developer and the architect for the last year and a half, to really work closely with them to develop a business plan to ensure the project can be mounted and be sensitive to the objectives we have for the Exchange District."

Mathieson confirmed the partners in the development consortium, first revealed in the Free Press in May, include Rick Hofer, Bryce Alston and 5468796 Architecture Inc.

CentreVenture executive director Angela Mathieson told the city's property and development committee that narrowing James Avenue between Waterfront Drive and Amy Street is critical to allow development on the former pumping station site.

Mathieson said preserving the pumping station is preserving part of the city’s architectural and engineering history.

The pumping station, she said, "was the fire suppression system for the Exchange district in the 1900s and really should be credited with saving so many of the wonderful heritage buildings that we have."

In addition to providing more land for the project, Mathieson said the narrower streets will allow the creation of a look more typical with the rest of the Exchange area – wider sidewalks, more tree planting, old-fashioned street lighting.

Mathieson said narrowing James Avenue has been the city’s objective for several years and she believes the area’s parking problems can be resolved.

Planning director John Kiernan said James Avenue was originally designed to serve the area’s warehouses, adding that narrowing the street will make it more pedestrian-friendly.

Mathieson said the project will still have to clear several hurdles, including reviews by the urban design committee and the historical resources committee. The property will also have to be rezoned from its current industrial use, which will also involve a public hearing.

"You have to do these things in stages," she said. "It’s just the way the city’s regulatory system works."

Mathieson said he expects an open house will be held within the next month.

The developers have a successful track record with heritage properties. Rick Hofer and his brother Mark have completed three local heritage redevelopment projects — a warehouse building (315 Pacific Ave) that was converted into offices, another warehouse (230 Princess St.) that was converted into an apartment/retail complex, and the conversion of former Avenue and Hample office buildings on downtown Portage Avenue into a 75-unit apartment complex with main-floor office space.

The Hofers worked with 5468796 Architects on the Avenue Building project. The Alston family’s Victoria, B.C.,-based construction and development firm — Alston Properties — has redeveloped a number of downtown heritage buildings in Western Canada, including the six-storey former Galpern Building at 165 McDermot Ave., which is being converted into 30 one-bedroom rental apartments and four two-bedroom townhouse units.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca