Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
Development of Regina’s former railyards is taking a step forward, pleasing business owners in the nearby Warehouse Business Improvement District.
The city has issued a request for proposals, with the goal of finding a development partner for the 17-acre site between Dewdney Avenue and the CPKC mainline known as “The Yards.” The site has been vacant since the railway moved its container yards outside the city.
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A funding agreement with Ottawa and the province includes the stipulation that the land must include a public park as well as at least 150 housing units.
“It’s an absolutely huge milestone for the district,” Jeff Boutilier, board chair of Regina’s Warehouse Improvement District, said in an interview.
“We’re obviously coming off the momentum of reopening Dewdney, and we have this incredible artery right through the heart of the district now.
“And now we’ve got a proposal out to hopefully generate some real interest in building a huge development that’s going to connect the Warehouse District and the downtown, introduce a whole bunch of mixed use development, and could really completely transform Regina’s city centre.”
Satellite view of the Yards site. (Sask Tenders)
Boutilier believes momentum is growing for the Warehouse District, with a combination of nightlife, a mix of businesses, and homes, and he would like to see the kind of mixed-use development Reginans see in other cities.
“People, when they travel, they see these things, they experience interesting communities and vibrant communities,” he said.
“And we think there’s an opportunity to build that sort of experience on that Yards site, and we’re hoping that the city finds a development partner that’s as ambitious as we are.”
The RFP timetable includes a deadline for submissions of Sept. 30, 2026. But a completed agreement isn’t expected until the following June.
Boutilier is pleased the process isn’t being rushed.
“We know the development community is excited about the site. We finally see this future that we’ve been pushing for for so long moving forward, and that’s what we’re focused on right now.”
Businesses along the newly-revitalized Dewdney Avenue have high hopes for what future development of the Yards will bring. (Geoff Smith/980 CJME)
Business keen to see ideas
Among those eager to see who gets selected, and their vision for the Yards, is Kurtis Dmuchowski, owner of The Break Pool Hall.
“I think a mix of commercial and residential would be great,” he said.
“Anything that affords us a little extra parking across to me would be extremely helpful, as parking is very limited in the Warehouse District.”
Dmuchowski, who is planning to open a sidewalk patio later in the spring, is excited about the newly completed Dewdney Avenue improvements and is looking to build on that momentum.
“You know, it’s a very attractive street, now that they’ve done what they’ve done to it,” he said.
One aspect of any proposed development that both Dmuchowski and Boutilier are cautious about is a pedestrian link over the rail line to downtown.
“It would certainly be difficult to do that,” Dmuchowski said.
“But, you know, if the city or the new partner developer decides to do that, being able to bring people from the hotels down there, the casino, that would be great.
“Not sure if the cost of it would be justifiable, but it certainly would be great.”
But Boutilier said a connection between the two sides of the city through the Yards would be very important to the city, and he hopes a way can be found.
“It’s an interesting engineering challenge, and I think it’s going to be important to find a development vision for the Yards site that comes up with some sort of sensible way of making that connection,” he said.
In the meantime, the Yards won’t be empty. Boutilier said part of the space will be used during a formal grand opening of the revitalized Dewdney Avenue, and other events are planned to follow.
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