'Nobody is living in them': Infill development delays leading to more vacant houses in Winnipeg

The houses at 911-915 McMillan Avenue became the centre of controversy in 2021 when 68 area residents opposed a new infill development there, speaking out against it at a city hall land variance appeal. (Source: CTV News)

Residential infill has become the norm across Winnipeg, as old single-family houses are torn down and replaced with modern, more environmentally-friendly multiplexes. However, some Winnipeg residents are worried that infill development delays could lead to crime and safety issues as houses sit vacant for years before being re-developed.

A concerned resident in the Glenwood area has been calling 311 about several derelict properties in her neighbourhood, looking for answers about when they will be torn down.

"Their yards and everything are terrible, and you can tell they're vacant," she said. "It's just obvious to the naked eye that nobody is living in them."

One house at 151 Stranmillis Avenue has been sitting vacant for nearly a year. The house shows considerable damage on its siding and has an overgrown, weed-filled yard. Another nearby house on Imperial Avenue has been empty longer.

One house at 151 Stranmillis Avenue has been sitting vacant for nearly a year. The house shows considerable damage on its siding and has an overgrown, weed-filled yard. (Source: Valerie Curtis)

In the Corydon area, a trio of boarded-up houses sit vacant at the corner of McMillan Avenue and Stafford Street, waiting to be re-developed into a new mixed-used building with both residential and commercial spaces.

The houses at 911-915 McMillan Avenue became the centre of controversy in 2021 when 68 area residents opposed a new infill development there, speaking out against it at a city hall land variance appeal. City council approved the variances anyway, and the project was allowed to move forward.

Two years later the three McMillan houses still sit vacant, now boarded up and tagged with graffiti.

Developer Dwell Design Homes said the McMillan project has been delayed for several reasons.

"Interest rates rising, and inflation causing the cost of goods to go up," said president Braydin Huynen. "So we've actually brought it back to the drawing board to re-design the building itself."

Huynen has been working with the building's architect to come up with a new plan for the building in order to reduce costs. It may have fewer than the originally-proposed 22 units, and there will no longer be underground parking.

In the meantime, Dwell Design Homes can't tear down the old houses until it's ready to start construction on the new building.

"You can't demolish a house unless it's condemned, or you have permit applications to build something new," Huynen said.

The City of Winnipeg currently has no rules in place about how long a house can remain vacant, but it does strongly discourage vacant buildings, and more specifically boarded-up windows.

"The city does have mechanisms in place to incentivize re-occupancy, including fees for inspections, boarding permit fees, non-compliant inspections, and empty building fees (five years and longer)," said the city in an email statement.

The city is currently looking at strategies to address problematic vacant buildings, including streamlining the process, and shortening the timeframe between the application for a demolition permit and the removal of a building and debris.

"Once a building permit is issued, the applicant has six months to initiate work, and three years to complete the build, as per the Winnipeg building by-law, not counting any authorized extensions," said the city.

Daerwood Homes owns the vacant property on Stranmillis Avenue. A spokesperson for the company tells CTV News it has taken nearly a year to go through all the necessary subdivision approvals, but the construction of two new homes is slated to begin there in a few months.

Huynen said Dwell Design Homes does not have a start date for its McMillan project yet, but would like to get the three houses demolished as soon as possible.

"We still want to demolish them for safety reasons and we're exploring those options with the city."