Shovels hit the dirt in North Kildonan

They donned high-vis vests and brandished shovels with gold-coloured blades Friday morning at the ceremonial groundbreaking for a multi-family residential development in northeast Winnipeg.

Concord Projects has started construction of Harbourview Terrace, the inaugural development by two-year-old real estate company Foxhill Properties. Located in North Kildonan at 1820 De Vries Ave., the $60-million, six-storey apartment building will contain 179 units.

Founder and president Frank Koch-Schulte, who runs the company with his wife Alisha, said Foxhill wants to develop and manage properties with integrity.

“This is kind of like my opportunity to try to do things our way, which I feel is a way that keeps tenants in mind,” Koch-Schulte said. “We live in this neighbourhood. We’re very much invested in seeing quality housing go here.”

AtLRG Architecture designed Harbourview Terrace, which sits at the corner of De Vries Avenue and Sun Valley Drive.

The building will have 19 studio apartments, 45 one-bedroom units, 105 two-bedroom units and 10 three-bedroom units, providing a range of options for different households and lifestyles.

Each unit includes in-suite laundry and a balcony.

The building will be constructed primarily of concrete, providing long-term durability while also reducing noise transfer between homes. There will be indoor, at-grade heated parking for residents, along with outdoor visitor parking, modern security and access control.

Other amenities include a multipurpose room for entertaining, and a shared kitchen that can be used for resident gatherings and events.

The design incorporates landscaped green spaces and walking paths, a shared terrace with fire pits, a pergola, community gardens and a dog run. Secure, covered bicycle storage will also be available.

“We’re wanting to … build a building that will really feel like home,” Koch-Schulte said, noting the development’s close proximity to Kilcona Park.

The 44-year-old developer started his career as a teenager when he took a summer landscaping job at Edison Properties. Over the decades, he worked his way through the ranks and was eventually appointed president of the company.

Since he started Foxhill, Koch-Schulte says he’s kept in mind the things Edison founder Martin Bergen taught him — namely, the value of taking care of tenants and maintaining quality buildings.

“That’s what I hope we can do,” he said.

Harbourview Terrace occupies a unique piece of land, said Nolan Ploegman, president and CEO of Concord Projects. It was previously a lumberyard belonging to Springhill Lumber.

“The most interesting part is the ability to build 179 units but still have a courtyard and landscaping and gardens, as opposed to (what) I think the stereotypical developer would do, which is (maximize) apartments and a sea of surface parking stalls,” he said. “That will make this project the most unique, hands down.”

Coun. Jeff Browaty calls Harbourview Terrace “a really good fit” for North Kildonan.

“Winnipeg is now a city of 850,000 people and still growing,” he said. “This is very much needed.”

The building is scheduled to open in June 2028. Foxhill has not yet set the rental rates, though Koch-Schulte said they will be comparable to the rates for other new apartments in the area.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca