BRANDT-CNIB BUILDING
CALL FOR Future TENANTS RILES CRITICS
The Brandt-cnib building will be a “one-of-a-kind” opportunity for commerce to move into Wascana Park, according to an advertisement pitching the controversial project to prospective tenants.
Posted to a commercial real estate site, the ad lays out a 77,500-square-foot building with floor-to-ceiling windows covering each of its four storeys. It lists a wide range of “potential uses,” including retail and professional office.
The ad boasts of an “exciting new building that links the Broad Street commercial district to the tranquillity of Wascana Park.”
But that exciting opportunity has courted the ire of groups concerned about the future of Wascana Park.
Florence Stratton of No Business in the Park called it “gigantic” and “a free for all” for tenants.
She said her group will likely take their weekly protest to the CNIBBrandt site on Wednesday. So far, the protests have focused mainly on the Conexus project on College Avenue.
Stratton has an unlikely ally. In late August, Coun. Bob Hawkins helped push through a motion opposing future large-scale commercial development in Wascana Park.
He said he was surprised by the advertisement, saying he’d never seen the design until Friday morning.
He called it “a straight-up commercial building.”
“I’m not sure that building fits in the park at all,” he said.
Ryan Whippler, acting executive director of the Provincial Capital Commission (PCC), said the plan is merely a “concept.” It was approved by the PCC Board in September 2017, with apparently little fanfare.
Whippler said Brandt Developments is still working on a detailed design, which will eventually be submitted to an architectural advisory committee and the PCC board for approval.
He said the committee will ensure the project is “cohesive within Wascana Centre.”
Tenants will pay market rates for their accommodations, though the advertisement notes that Brandt Developments will provide subsidies for non-profit organizations. The CNIB (CNIB) and Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada are both set to occupy the building.
Hawkins said market rents for such a prized location will likely be among the highest in Regina.
“The value of that space in private hands, in Brandt Industry hands ... is enormous,” he said.
“So this isn’t about philanthropy at all. This is about privatizing the park. I’m very angry about it.”
Land titles reveal that the property is still owned by the provincial government. Whippler said the lease is with CNIB, though he wasn’t able to directly confirm whether Brandt will have a longterm stake in the property. The advertisement said they will be involved with financing and constructing it.
Brandt representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Whippler said the lease provides guidelines for the kinds of tenants allowed in the property, though he declined to go into specifics. But he stressed that the tenancy plans “would need to be approved by the PCC board.”
But Stratton said she has no confidence in the PCC’S approval process, noting that it’s already shown where it stands by endorsing the idea in the first place.
The building is set to open by spring 2020.
It will include a rooftop patio, green spaces and 110 parking stalls.
While 60 are slated to go underground, the advertisement depicts a 50-space outdoor parking lot.
Hawkins said he was “struck” to see the size of the parking lot.
He added that the all-glass building looks nothing like existing buildings in Wascana Park, like the Willow on Wascana Restaurant.
This is a perfect example of how protection for the park has been completely eroded.
COUN. BOB HAWKINS