From CBC News:
Here's a CBC News article about the building project reposted from MSN:
Mike Holmes to help develop Winnipeg's Fort Rouge Yards
Home improvement guru Mike Holmes is coming to Winnipeg to help build a townhouse project at the former CN Fort Rouge Yards.The television show host's company, The Holmes Group, will be involved in 'The Yards at Fort Rouge' near the Jubilee Avenue rapid transit corridor.
The area is being developed by Gem Equities, which touts the project as being Winnipeg's first transit-oriented development.
The Holmes Group says it will feature "energy efficient townhomes within a walkable community that has access to existing neighbourhood amenities, including rapid transit, bike paths and green spaces."
The development is next to the Jubilee rapid transit station and runs along the southwest rapid transit corridor.
Holmes says in a news release that geothermal heating and cooling incorporated into the project will reduce its carbon footprint.
"It's about building smart and living well," says the well-known builder in the news release. "We're working with the land and building homes that make sense, for homeowners and the environment."
Monica Newman of Rim Rock Realty, the company handling sales for the project, said people are thrilled Holmes is on board.
"We're getting a lot of excitement, a lot of calls," she said. "He looked at it and kept getting more interested."
The development will see 400 new units built over the next five years.
Newman said the first phase of 40 town homes is expected to sell out fast, especially since Holmes is involved in giving them his stamp of approval. "He will be inspecting each unit four times, plus, he will be giving final inspections to each home owner," Newman said.
But not everyone is as excited. Shane Nestruck, who lives in the Lord Roberts neighbourhood, said he's surprised Holmes is putting his name to project Nestruck believes is poorly thought out.
"I'd like to meet Holmes and I'd like to tell him he may be being used," he said. "To have him involved with this abomination of a development is kind of ironic," he said. "Because from the very beginning this has been done backwards."
Nestruck said residents are sceptical the project is right for the area.
"I get the clear impression that it's a low-end, sort of make-do cookie cutter, jam as many condos into the area as possible."
Both critics and potential buyers will get to question the celebrity contractor themselves.
Mike Holmes is in Winnipeg for an open house on September 21.
It is with horror that I see Mike Holmes' involvement with Andrew
ReplyDeleteMarquess of Gem Equities in Winnipeg.
This man is exactly the kind of crooked contractor / builder that
you tell your viewers to educate themselves about.
It is common knowledge that Andrew Marquess has been sued for non-
payment many times . ( 1.2 Million Dollars to McDairmid Lumber in
Winnipeg.) Besides being a slum landlord of derelict properties, he has not
even finished The Commons project he started 7 years ago here in Winnipeg.
I can NOT believe that you are lending your good name and reputation
to this scam that has been nothing but a ploy to get ten million dollars in
loans from the City of Winnipeg taxpayers.This was announced 5 years ago in Sept. 2008
I feel that you are being duped , and you should reconsider your
involvement.
Hi, for some reason Blogger flagged your comment as spam and I manually pushed it through. I obviously don't agree with your assessment but I don't censor out opposing opinions. Please remember that this is an unofficial blog, so I would advise you to send your concerns directly to Mike via his contact page on his official website.
DeleteThe Workers Compensation Board filed a notice of garnishment in 2012 against developer Andrew Marquess and his company, B&M Land, for $251,227.84. Marquess didn’t pay his workplace insurance in 2010, 2011 or 2012.
ReplyDeleteWhen Marquess ran into inspection problems with a Centreventure granted downtown development, he simply flipped the property.
5684855 MANITOBA LTD. 4482850 MANITOBA LTD. 2404559 MANITOBA LTD, some of the many numbered companies.
If Mike Holmes had done his homework he would have never gotten involved with this developer. Seven years later the much smaller Terra Commons (Previously marketed as McPhillips Commons and McPhillips Gardens) development is still unfinished. I believe they are finishing each subsequent unit with the proceeds from the one last sold.
Instead of spamming this fansite with your claims which won't reach Mike Holmes, you could have done your own homework and emailed Mike via his website.
Delete