Latest news with #DavidPensato
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘He's one of the major players'
At the time of the sign's placement, rail cars rumbled overhead and vehicles zoomed by. Steps away, Blue Cross Park was void of a Winnipeg Goldeyes game, but cars still dotted its lot. Pedestrians took to sidewalks, maybe headed to East Exchange District restaurants like Carnaval Brazilian BBQ or Clay Oven for lunch. Monte Nathanson viewed a different scene when surveying Lombard Avenue for development. His company turned parking stalls and rundown warehouses into office space before the Goldeyes arrived and apartments appeared. 'It's the sort of investment that is still having ripple effects,' said David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District BIZ. The latest ripple effect: a street name change. Right by an intersection with Waterfront Drive, a blue sign denoting 'Honourary Monte Nathanson Way' is placed above Lombard Avenue's marker. 'It marks somebody who was a pioneer at investing in the East Exchange,' Pensato said. 'He's one of the major players, without question.' United Equities Group, the company Nathanson founded, is behind a slew of Lombard Avenue developments that preceded major government attention around Waterfront Drive. Its first project in the area — 93 Lombard Ave. — started with a warehouse in shambles. Sinking floor, corroded plumbing and dilapidated loading dock were present, Nathanson's daughter Sherryl Steinberg said. 'That's not what (Nathanson) saw,' she continued. 'He saw a stately, dignified building that could become the launch pad for a revitalized area.' 'It marks somebody who was a pioneer at investing in the East Exchange. He's one of the major players, without question.'– David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District BIZ And so, the five-storey brick structure was transformed into office space in the late 1970s. It was initially created in 1906 by Minnesota-based Crane & Ordway Company, acting as a distribution centre for wares like pipe valves and fittings. Once construction finished, Nathanson toured his friend Richard Kroft, a former senator, through the space. 'There was so much flair and so much style and so much imagination,' Kroft recalled. United Equities Group also tackled 111 Lombard Ave., an old Kemp Manufacturing Company facility. The 122-year-old building now houses organizations like the Manitoba Jobs and Skills Development Centre. Finally, in 2001, United Equities Group built 200 Waterfront Dr. The three buildings collectively cover 300,000 sq. ft., according to Warren Greenspoon. Greenspoon took the reins from Nathanson around 2008. United Equities Group's president — and Nathanson's son-in-law — wanted to honour Nathanson following the patriarch's 2024 death. 'I knew how hard he worked to do all this,' Greenspoon said. He contacted area Coun. Vivian Santos. The honorific street naming resulted. The name covers the public right of way running between 93 Lombard Ave. and 111 Lombard Ave., intersecting with Westbrook Street. 'Monte left his mark not only in our skyline but in the very soul of our downtown.'– Coun. Vivian Santos 'Monte left his mark not only in our skyline but in the very soul of our downtown,' Santos (Point Douglas) said in a speech Tuesday. 'His work helped build the cultural and economic vibrancy we're all enjoying today.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Apartment towers, trendy restaurants and tourist attractions are now within walking distance. (The City of Winnipeg and CentreVenture Development Corporation led a strategy to revitalize the district over the past decades.) United Equities Group continues developing elsewhere. It's overseen Winnipeg shopping centres and sites in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. It counts 800,000 sq. ft. under its jurisdiction and is working on its biggest project yet — a West St. Paul division it's co-developing with Exemplar Developments. Four hundred houses have been built in Meadowlands; a grand total of 2,000 is slated. Costco and McDonald's are booked for the neighbourhood. Nathanson started in real estate with a loan from his father and a 5,000-sq.-ft. build, by his daughter's account. Greenspoon credits the family member for teaching him 'everything.' Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. 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Global News
21-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Winnipeg parking change ‘shocking and short-sighted,' businesses say
A plan by the City of Winnipeg to remove all 250 parking paystations from downtown and the West End isn't sitting well with everyone. The move — which the city says is due to mobile service providers phasing out 3G technology — is expected to help Winnipeg avoid the $3.6-million cost of upgrading all of the meters, as well as the $1-million annual cost of upkeep. While the city says 80 per cent of payments are now made by using the PayByPhone app — with 90 per cent of total payments made via credit card — a group that represents West End businesses says that's not taking into account the needs of everyone who visits the area. 'I've got business owners who already, when a parking meter isn't close enough, are paying for their customers' parking, because they don't have the app and don't want to be bothered to download the app,' said David Pensato of the Exchange District BIZ. Story continues below advertisement 'Just getting rid of them is a bit shocking and short-sighted.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The city says it intends to begin removing the paystations July 2, with all 250 expected to be gone by the end of August. For those who don't want the app, the city said it will continue to sell prepaid booklets with parking coupons and will have a 1-800 number for people who want to pay by phone but don't want the app. The booklets will only be available at The Parking Store on Portage Avenue, as well as city hall's Susan A. Thompson Building and Access St. Boniface, by July 2. Pensato said the plan isn't considering those who want to make casual, short visits to the downtown. 'The ease of use of parking on the street — if you're just there for a shorter visit — is really important for convenience, for usability,' he said. 'If you're going to outstay your two hours, then you're going to start maybe looking for one of the parking lots. 'But most people are coming down, they're spending two hours … maybe they're going to do another two hours, but they're going to get in their car, move it, go to the next spot in the Exchange … it's crucial.' Story continues below advertisement The decision, Pensato said, is not in line with what businesses had been told in recent years by municipal officials — that there'd be a larger parking strategy for the city that would alleviate some of the problems. 'They were going to keep consulting us on this, and consulting with businesses, and that has never happened.'
