Upgrades will mean downtown Yards won't look like Regina's 'dust bowl': Warehouse BID director

An undeveloped piece of real estate in downtown Regina that is owned by the city is set to be transformed into a space that will draw people into the downtown core.

The Yards, a piece of land located between Casino Regina and Dewdney Avenue, has sat empty since CP Rail decided to move its rail yard out Regina's downtown in 2012.

A unanimous vote by Regina city council's executive committee on Wednesday has started the process of changing that.

LISTEN| Upgrades will mean downtown Yards won't look like Regina's 'dust bowl':

The committee voted on a proposal that would see Regina Warehouse Business Improvement District provided with $100,000 in city funding to help upgrade the site.

"We've seen the 'dust bowl,' as we like to call it, sit since about 2012," said Leasa Gibbons, the organization's executive director.

"As I've heard folks say, 'no one buys a dirty car,' and so we're here to take the Yards from gritty to pretty."

The initial phase of upgrades will bring water, electricity and other infrastructure to the seven-hectare (17-acre) area in the city's downtown core.

The space is being built "from nothing," and the initial infrastructure will open up the opportunities available to users, Gibbons said.

WATCH| Regina's railyards may soon breathe new life after more than a decade of sitting empty:

The introduction of infrastructure to the Yards will be followed by a series of upgrades over a 10-year period.

That means residents shouldn't expect the space to immediately look like the artist renderings of the space.

"We're going to take a small area and do something that I would refer to as tactical urbanism, where we try things that can be mobile and nimble," Gibbons said.

That means something like modified shipping containers could be used to help create a more vibrant area, rather than the empty field it is right now.

The interim use plan for the Yards proposed by the Warehouse Business Improvement District is meant to build on use of the area during Regina's Frost Festival as well as compliment upgrades planned for Dewdney Avenue this summer.

The upgrades will help to draw people into an area that was not recommended as a location for one of the city's upcoming mega projects, such as a new arena.

The plan has gotten a good reception from business owners in the warehouse district, Gibbons said.

One those businesses, Bushwakker Brewpub, told CBC News in an email that they believe the revitalization of the Yards could be a potential boost for tourism in Regina.

"To finally see some tangible forward movement is almost unbelievable," said Grant Frew, Bushwakker's bar manager.

Frew believes the Yards could serve as Regina's version of The Forks, a national historic site and green space that is a popular attraction in Winnipeg, albeit on a smaller scale.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters also said she's excited for the opportunity presented by the Yards.

"I think anything where you can have community gathering together or provide space for them to enjoy the outdoors or to promote different events going on in the city ... all of that is positive for business," Masters told media after the executive committee meeting on Wednesday.

The interim nature of the plan also means that commercial or residential development could still find a home in the Yards.

Gibbons said the Warehouse BID will look to adapt as there's more feedback.

"This is our chance to really revitalize our city centre and invite people to come out and have a say in how they want to see that developed," she said.

The $100,000 in funding must still be supported by Regina city council in a vote set for next week.