By Sarah Klein
Mayoral candidate Brian Bowman (CHRISD.CA FILE)
Mayoral hopeful Brian Bowman said on Tuesday he would do away with downtown surface parking lots if elected.
Bowman said while targeting the lots he would offer tax increment financing opportunities to stimulate residential development.
“Winnipeg needs a downtown that is more than a place to park. We need a vibrant, active, livable and safe downtown community,” he said.
The privacy lawyer added his plan would be to create new residential downtown development through financing opportunities and incentives, while increasing the population living downtown by one-third during his first term.
Bowman would also provide a temporary property tax freeze for any new residential or mixed used developments on surface parking lots, and create a new TIF program to support the creation of new residential homes in the downtown Winnipeg.
“The safest downtown streets are the ones with the most people, not the ones with the most drones. I want our downtown to be the heart a stronger, more vibrant city.”
