After several years of planning, a major apartment and cultural hub in the Exchange District is officially open. Market Lands South, on the former site of the Public Safety Building at Princess Street and William Avenue, opened Tuesday. “I’m so excited that we get to bring art and housing together at the centre of our city, and at the centre of our country,” said Jeremy Read, CEO of the University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation 2.0, which developed Market Lands. The development has 95 apartments, featuring a mix of market-rate units and rent-geared-to-income units. Several art and cultural organizations, including Urban Shaman Art Gallery and Manitoba Music, now call the building home. Read said he hopes the space becomes a cultural destination in the Exchange District. “My hope is that on First Fridays this becomes a destination,” he said. A future development to the north of the site will include space for non-profit organizations and 276 housing units.
