Borrowing from a Mark Twain quote, reports of the death of Osborne Village have been greatly exaggerated.
To many Winnipeggers, the words “Osborne Village” conjure images of bustling sidewalks lined with trendy, bohemian storefronts, record shops, dive bars and video rental stores. As with most fond memories from our youth, this might be a romanticized image of historical reality, yet it fuels an often-distorted lament for what the village is today.
The reality is that the Osborne Village neighbourhood is booming, growing faster than it has in decades. The grand old houses are being renovated and new buildings are seemingly rising on every corner. More than 830 new homes are either currently being built, are approved for construction, or have recently been completed. This construction represents the number of residential units typically found in two 40-storey apartment towers and will accommodate a 10 per cent increase in the neighbourhood’s overall population.
Sharfe Developments is behind Osborne Terraces near Confusion Corner.
For the first time in generations, major new mixed-use residential developments are happening right on Osborne Street itself, redefining two entire blocks of the village strip. Private Pension Partners is developing The Zü, and Sharfe Developments is behind Osborne Terraces near Confusion Corner (full disclosure: I was part of the design team for Osborne Terraces). Both buildings recently began welcoming their first tenants.
Together, these developments will add 300 new residential units and almost 15,000 square feet of new retail storefronts along the sidewalk. They will extend the draw of the shopping street further south, and make the strip feel much longer than it traditionally has.
These major investments, with more coming, represent a new era for Osborne, signaling a renewed optimism in the future of the village. This presents an important opportunity to leverage unprecedented growth and investment, to redefine the future of the iconic commercial main street that has long defined the heart of the neighbourhood.
Increased population density within a walkable distance is always critical to supporting neighbourhood retail, but more can be done to create success. While the death of the Osborne strip is often significantly overstated by those who rarely visit, there is no question storefront retail everywhere faces significant challenges, as consumer trends continue shifting to big-box stores, outlet malls and online shopping.
These trends are unlikely to change, but leveraging design, planning and political leadership can significantly improve the fortunes of commercial streets such as Osborne by working to elevate the social experience of shopping — something sidewalk retail is best positioned to offer.
A shopping street should be designed first and foremost as a place to walk, socialize and linger. It should be a place that puts the human experience first, with alluring public spaces that invite people to come and shop, not because they want the cheapest prices, but because they want the social experience of being on a great urban street, seeing and being seen, wandering, window shopping and connecting with others.
This is the opportunity storefront retail has that can never be replicated by big-boxes or online shopping. If we want Osborne Village to be commercially successful, we must exploit this natural advantage and redefine our priorities for the street through this lens.
Once a walkable neighbourhood main street, Osborne is today primarily a regional commuter thoroughfare, designed with an overwhelming prioritization of vehicle traffic over the pedestrian experience. The narrow, treeless sidewalks of Osborne treat pedestrian comfort and safety as an afterthought and repels potential shoppers and business patrons.
Blueprint for a Healthy Neighbourhood is a largely ignored design study commissioned by the Osborne Village Biz in 2023. It offers bold ideas that could be implemented to redefine Osborne Street in support of local residents and businesses.
The blueprint advocates for a review of zoning policy to increase allowable densities and building heights, to capitalize on current development demand and further increase the supporting population.
Private Pension Partners is developing The Zü.
It then goes on to outline physical changes to the street to improve the pedestrian condition. It calls for narrowing vehicle lanes to calm traffic, adding the space back to widened sidewalks. This newfound space would then be used to plant street trees, install benches, lighting and other public realm improvements, as well as creating opportunities for sidewalk patios and merchandise displays that improve pedestrian comfort and invite people to stop, shop, and linger.
The plan advocates for the street’s two curb lanes to be dedicated bus corridors during rush hour and parking in off-peak times, to create a comfortable buffer between pedestrians and moving traffic and increase available parking for shoppers.
The strategy focuses on changes to the River/Osborne intersection, one of the most dangerous places for pedestrians in the city, annually ranking second or third for most pedestrian/vehicle collisions. It proposes a scramble crossing to improve connectivity and safety, and closes off the vehicle slip lane that creates an unsafe condition for pedestrians crossing the street as they pass in front of drivers focused on merging into traffic.
In the post-pandemic era, many cities across North America are experiencing decline in their downtown core, while at the same time seeing significant growth in adjacent central neighbourhoods such as Osborne Village that can offer a more neighbourhood-focused urban lifestyle.
This new momentum presents an important opportunity for us to re-imagine Osborne Street for the future.
If we can accept that it should be returned to its position as a neighbourhood main street, and no longer be prioritized as a commuter funnel, we can leave the next generations a vibrant and prosperous urban destination with a renewed sense of place that is even better than our romanticized memories of what it used to be.
Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.
Brent Bellamy
Columnist
Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.