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This article was published 25/3/2019 (548 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Property on the eastern side of Fort Rouge Park on River Avenue will be transformed after city hall approved plans that pave the way for the demolition of five, three-storey apartment buildings.

Towers Realty Group plans to build a five-storey, 100-unit residential complex at 281 River Ave., which will effectively double the living density at the location.

"We’re very excited for this project to increase density in Osborne Village, and with this being situated right on the park and right on the river, it’s going to make it a very desirable and very beautiful location to live in," marketing manager Jason van Rooy said.

"We’re very excited for the neighbourhood to see this project once it’s finished. We think people are going to love it."

Plans for the new rental development were unanimously approved during the March 5 meeting of the city centre community committee.

The planning department’s administrative report on the proposal, which recommended approval, said developers had incorporated the department’s feedback into their designs, making the proposal consistent with the Osborne Village neighbourhood plan.

SUPPLIED A five-storey development at 281 River Ave. will replace five, three-storey buildings, doubling the population density in the area with 100 residential units.

The site is a 1.1-acre plot directly east of Fort Rouge Park that backs onto the Assiniboine River.

The buildings at the location have a combined 54 residential units, roughly half of what the new single building will contain. Trees and root structures in the area will be protected when the new development breaks ground.

"We’ve been working on bringing this project forward for a couple of years. Towers Realty Group is the property manager of the current buildings and has been for some time," van Rooy said.

"First, we had to look at the feasibility of it, then come up with a design, arrange public information sessions, get feedback from the community, then finalize our plans and present to the city. It all took some time."

Towers Realty hopes to break ground on the project this summer, although it remains up in the air when construction will be finished. Before shovels hit the ground, they still need to finalize construction details and get building permits approved.

The city’s report on the project points out it will have a "generous buffer" separating the building from Fort Rouge Park, and that Towers Realty will create 94 parking spaces for the 100 units.

In addition, there will be a car-share vehicle available on the property.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe