Business owners in downtown Steinbach are thrilled by last week's announcement that a new six-storey mixed-use building will soon go up on Main Street.

The building will be constructed in the empty lots next to Shoppers Drug Mart. The plan calls for the first floor to be commercial, with the five storeys above being residential. Once complete, it will be the second tallest building on Main Street, behind only Steinbach Credit Union. 

The owner of the properties being developed is Solomon Budala Enterprises Inc. and the applicant is Avedo Inc. Stefan Hodelmann of Avedo Inc., says the project will feature four commercial units and 32 residential suites. 

Randy Unger is the owner of Pic'N'Pay Shoes, located across the street. Unger says it is very exciting to hear about this plan.

"It will clean up the empty lot that's full of weeds," he says. "And also, it's just going to bring more people downtown."

Unger says this should help create a more vibrant downtown, noting that anytime something is built that draws more people to the area, that is good news for all businesses on the block. 

Also located across the street is GNM Fine Jewellers. Owner Amanda Lanteigne says the 32 residential suites will bring a lot of new people to the downtown area.

"I think it's fantastic with all the revitalization that's come up in the last little bit," says Lanteigne. "We moved down here and we're hoping that more people see downtown as a viable place to be."

GNM Fine Jewellers is enjoying its second summer as a downtown business, having spent the previous 21+ years inside Clearspring Centre. Lanteigne says creating density downtown as opposed to urban sprawl should save the city money when it comes to road maintenance and garbage collection. Further to that, she says building a more vibrant downtown might create more of a European feel where people are less reliant on vehicles and more likely to ride bicycles or scooters. 

"We've got lots of elderly people in the neighbourhood and they walk to where they are going to go," she adds. "So having more businesses and more amenities with the commercial space that's being built I think is a wonderful thing."

Lanteigne says she also cannot wait for the opening of the Southeast Event Centre. She says not only will it be a new home for the Pistons but notes the possibilities are endless for the different types of shows and events that can be held there. 

"We're just excited about the revitalization," says Lanteigne. "We're excited to be part of Steinbach and we hope more people from the outside communities will realize what a great city we have here."

And finally, Suke Koeuth, owner of Chicken Chef, says he too is extremely excited for the opportunity that this new mixed-use building will bring to his restaurant. Koeuth says it means a lot to him as a business owner to have the city concentrate on revitalizing downtown. 

"It means that the city wants to keep everything down here and to keep it alive," he says. "I think that's a good thing that they are doing to keep everything down here."

Koeuth says a lot of businesses have been popping up along Highway 12 in recent years, and suggests that a mixed-use building, like the one going up across the street, could do more to draw businesses downtown. 


With files from Corny Rempel

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