Mayor to meet with condo developer

Mayor Glenn Witherspoon will meet with Winnipeg developer of the River Walk Condominium project to see if the company will help shoulder the costs of unsold units.
Winnipeg developer Penn-co Construction Corp. has been tentatively chosen to build the almost $5 million 32-unit condominium.
Town council previously decided that they would not begin construction until 75 percent of units were pre-sold. Currently buyers have been found for 19 of the 24 units required, and realtors are locating others, but Penn-co said they will only hold their price until the beginning of April.
“I plan on making a special trip to Steinbach on Wednesday to speak to . . . Penn-co and ask if he will put something in writing in regards to his commitment of some of the open units,” Witherspoon said during the committee of the whole meeting last night.
Witherspoon noted many people interested in the project didn’t want to sign on until they could actually see the finished product.
“Unless this project goes ahead the latter part of seeing it and experiencing it will not happen,” he said.
“We’re a community that is an aging community, we’re in need of a project like this and I’d like to think that we’re proactive as a council and make things happen. At the same token I can see us not wanting to take total responsibility especially when there’s 13 units unsold.”
Witherspoon hoped talking with Penn-co might make council more comfortable about moving ahead.
“We made a commitment to buyers that we would go ahead with 75 percent sold that this project will fly,” he said.
“I want [the developer] to be responsible for the difference.”