WINNIPEG – Red River College’s Exchange District Campus will be expanding once again.
The campus will tear down the former Metro Motors garage and renovate the Scott Fruit Company warehouse. A four-story, 100,000 square foot educational facility will then be built across from the former Public Safety building
It’s expected to attract 1,200 students and staff to the exchange district, officials said at a media conference Thursday.
It will cost $95.4 million with the federal government pitching in $40.6 million. The college will then fundraise the remaining $54.8 million, the largest fundraising campaign in the college’s 80 year history.
However, one thing won’t be built.
“Parking is still going to be an issue for people coming downtown we simply aren’t in the business of providing parking,” said Paul Vogt, President and CEO of Red River College.
The Exchange District Biz said with more people coming into the area, the lack of parking will only get much worse.
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“It’s a much bigger issue,” said Brian Timmerman, Executive Director of the Exchange District Biz.
“It’s kind of the elephant in the room right now. The demand for parking in the last year or two years has just exploded.”
An area of the city that once struggled to fill vacant buildings is now bursting at the seams.
“We now have more demand then we have available space. We continually have people wanting to open up restaurants, open up shops I’m looking around and I can’t find anything,” said Timmerman.
Red River College said it’s not done growing and is keeping an eye on the vacant Civic parkade and Public Safety Building across the street.
“Is Red River interested in what happens there? Absolutely, it’s right now in the heart of an immersing campus in the area,” said Vogt.
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