ManitobaSome West End residents say a plan to turn city property into housing could take away valuable green space.Sherburn Street lot picked for development ‘one of the hearts of the community’: residentCBC News · Posted: Aug 20, 2025 10:58 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 20The supportive housing site on Sherburn Street is currently an empty lot that residents say is an important green space for the area. (Trevor Brine/CBC)Some residents of Winnipeg’s West End say a plan to turn city property into housing could take away valuable green space.The City of Winnipeg has chosen five sites to develop into supportive housing. The units would go to people experiencing housing barriers, including refugees, youth aging out of care, people leaving encampments and those struggling with mental health, according to a Wednesday news release from the city.The sites — located in various parts of the city, from Sherburn Street, to Poseidon Bay to Plessis Road — are part of a collaboration between the city, province and non-profit groups to build housing for vulnerable people where they can access wrap-around health, wellness and safety services.Matt Salo lives a couple houses down from one of the properties — a vacant lot on Sherburn Street that he calls “one of the hearts of the community.””When you look at the other locations, with the exception of the Stella [Avenue] location, the other three [are] taking pieces of parking lots or giant fields that are kind of on the margin of the city somewhere. This is the middle of a neighborhood,” he told CBC News on Wednesday.”The question really is, is this the right place for it? And I would say generally speaking, for the people on this block, we don’t feel that it is.”The lot has never had housing built on it, and was originally the entrance to a creamery, said Salo. It was eventually taken over by the provincial government, and then gifted to the City of Winnipeg.Residents worked with the former councillor for the area, Harvey Smith, to develop the plot into green space. Salo questions whether city officials knew how the lot was used before selecting it for development.He also worries funding for on-site support won’t be maintained in the decades to come.A sign marks the location of the supportive housing site on Sherburn Street in the city’s West End. (Trevor Brine/CBC)The addresses of the five sites are: 546 Sherburn St. 1168/1172 Plessis Rd. 626 Stella Ave. 2546 McPhillips St. 75 Poseidon Bay (corner of parking lot, next to Taylor Avenue). The sites are vacant city-owned properties. The city will apply to rezone the land following three open houses scheduled for early September.A public hearing on the rezoning is scheduled for Sept. 12. Members of the public can submit written comments or speak in support or opposition at the public hearing.City ‘facing a housing crisis right now,’ says officialLissie Rappaport, manager of the City of Winnipeg’s housing accelerator fund, says the city welcomes any feedback from the community, but stressed a dire need for housing.”Certainly the public can voice their opinion whether they support or don’t support the use of those sites, but we’re also facing a housing crisis right now,” she said.”Sometimes that might lead to the loss of a few parking spots, and that’s just the reality of the city we live in right now. These are going to be conflicting pressures that we have to deal with.”The sites were chosen because there were no buildings on the properties, she said. Access to amenities such as transit and grocery stores were also considered.The sites will contain between 15 to 30 units per site, she said.”We’re looking at, potentially, 12 to 18 months for construction and when they’re actually open for people to be living there.”Coun. Evan Duncan — who also chairs the city’s property, planning and development committee — says he understands some people living near the chosen sites may have concerns.”The role of the city and the province here [is] to clearly communicate what the idea is and how it’s not going to disrupt neighbourhoods,” said Duncan.While the city is providing the sites, Duncan says it’s up to the provincial government to provide support and security.Partners to design and develop the buildings, and non-profit agencies to provide services and operate the buildings, will be chosen at some point this fall. The province is in charge of that aspect, Duncan said.”We cannot be a housing department and we cannot be a social services department. That is the province’s responsibility,” he said.Winnipeg sites for new supportive housing leave some neighbours concernedFive properties currently owned by the City of Winnipeg have been selected to be redeveloped into supportive housing for people facing housing barriers, including those who are homeless. But the plan is already raising concerns among people living near some of those sites.With files from Meaghan Ketcheson and Cameron MacLean
Supportive housing plan threatens green space in Winnipeg’s West End, residents say
