A major indoor water park is planned for south Winnipeg, even as city hall is moving forward with a project that would see $7 million in taxpayers’ money given to developers to kick-start a similar project at The Forks.
Sources tell Global News the Seasons of Tuxedo retail development at Kenaston Boulevard and Sterling Lyon Parkway – which is to include the new IKEA furniture store, Cabela’s and Lowe’s – will also include a hotel and water park in the next phase of construction in 2014.
It comes as no surprise to local developer Hart Mallin.
“As it makes sense at West Edmonton Mall or Mall of America or anywhere else across North America where you have significant shopping installation you want some water facility,” Mallin told Global News Wednesday.
The Seasons of Tuxedo project is led by Winnipeg’s Fairweather Properties. No one from Fairweather returned calls from Global News Wednesday.
It appears at least some members of Winnipeg’s city council are aware of plans for a water park at the IKEA site.
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In a phone conversation with Global News Wednesday, Charleswood-Tuxedo councillor Paula Havixbeck claimed, “(A water park) always been talked about with the Seasons of Tuxedo plan, so it wouldn’t be far off but there’s nothing confirmed yet.”
But a spokesperson for Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz said he was “not aware of anything other than rumours” regarding a water park at the IKEA site.
According to the city’s website, the non-retail portion of the IKEA site “may include a 100-room hotel, 16-screen movie theatre, 150,000 sq ft office park, and a 500-unit multi-family residential building – 1,517 parking stalls” but makes no mention of a water park.
The existence of another, privately financed indoor water park plan may come as a surprise to Winnipeg taxpayers, who have been told private business is unlikely to dive into the water park business in the city without City Hall sweetening the deal with a $7 million grant.
Mayor Sam Katz’s powerful Executive Policy Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a deal that would see Alberta hotelier Canalta build a hotel and 50,000 square foot indoor water park in a vacant lot at The Forks. The deal would include the $7 million grant to Canalta; the sale of the land to Canalta for $6 million; and a 25 year deal that would see the water park give $700,000 worth of vouchers to the city each year to hand out to underprivileged kids.
But very few other details are available on what the development would look like. City council is to vote on the deal next week.
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