Winnipeg neighbourhood a step closer to heritage designation; some fear it could hurt Infill

Preserving the character of a mature neighbourhood A plan working its way through city hall could see the character of mature neighbourhoods preserved. CTV's Jeff Keele has more.

A Winnipeg neighbourhood, which has homes dating back more than one hundred years, is a step closer to having its look and feel protected.

Last week Winnipeg’s historical buildings committee voted to make Crescentwood-Enderton Park the city’s second heritage conservation district.

This applies to all 110 properties in a vicinity bordered by Stafford Street, the lane behind Kingsway Avenue, the Assiniboine River, and the lane behind Yale Avenue.

City planner Rina Ricci said the designation is meant to maintain the neighbourhood's “garden like" setting.

"The overarching objective of the plan is to conserve the heritage values and character-defining elements of the area," said Ricci.

This means there will be regulations on certain activities in specific locations.

A homeowner must obtain a special heritage permit before demolishing or altering any character-defining elements, or constructing a new building on a property.

A building deemed heritage cannot be demolished unless it is structurally unsound or no longer has heritage value.

Cindy Tugwell from Heritage Winnipeg supports the designation.

“This will not disallow homeowners from doing the things they want to do unless it’s ridiculous and doesn’t fit in with the streetscape of the area,” said Tugwell.

This comes after area residents fought unsuccessfully to save 514 Wellington Crescent in 2020, which was demolished.

“They realized there were a lot of historic homes in that area that were going to see the same fate,” said Tugwell.

New infill will also require the special permit with specific regulations around size, look and materials.

With Winnipeg’s goal of creating more density, some worry this could hamper infill and make it too expensive.

Evan Roskosz, owner of Paris Developments, says his company has projects in adjacent areas to Crescentwood.

“The setbacks they’re imposing could absolutely mitigate quality multi-family development,” said Roskosz.

He’s concerned about more neighbourhoods getting this designation.

“I think for Winnipeg’s future if we want to expand, we need to support new families coming in here that simply don’t want to live in a subdivision for example,” said Roskosz.

The plan next moves to the city’s property and development committee. Winnipeg’s first heritage conservation district was established in Armstrong’s Point in 2019.