Manitoba news: The Brandon Princess Avenue Housing project is finally giving a long vacant lot at the corner of 9th Street and Princess Avenue in downtown Brandon a future, with construction of an 80 unit residential and commercial complex set to start in spring 2027, and the people behind it say it could change how investors see the whole downtown.
Brandon Princess Avenue Housing is an 80 unit complex planned for the northwest corner of 9th Street and Princess Avenue, a lot that has sat empty in the heart of downtown Brandon for years. Construction begins in spring 2027, with 50 one bedroom, 25 two bedroom and five three bedroom homes above commercial space on the first floor.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 11, 2026
Sources: Brandon Sun, Tyler Glen Show, CREA | Last updated: November 11, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Construction of an 80 unit residential and commercial complex at the northwest corner of 9th Street and Princess Avenue in downtown Brandon begins in spring 2027.
- The mix is 50 one bedroom, 25 two bedroom and five three bedroom units, with commercial space on the first floor.
- Brandon Downtown Development Corp executive director Emmanuel Ahaneku says the project will help build investor confidence and revitalize downtown.
- Brandon’s average home price rose to about $354,000 in the third quarter of 2026.
- CREA data for September 2026 puts Brandon’s average sale price at $360,902, up 12.8% year over year on 69 sales, with the MLS benchmark at $348,900, up 8% year over year.
What is the Brandon Princess Avenue Housing project?
It is the kind of project downtown Brandon has waited years for. The lot at 9th Street and Princess Avenue has sat vacant in the middle of the city’s core, a hole in the streetscape that every plan to revive downtown has had to work around. Now the Brandon Sun reports construction of an 80 unit complex on the site will begin in spring 2027, bringing homes and shops to a corner that has offered neither for a long time.
The headline in the Brandon Sun says it plainly: “Spring start planned for Princess build.” The story leads with the project’s promise to build investor confidence, and Emmanuel Ahaneku, executive director of the Brandon Downtown Development Corp, says the project will help build investor confidence and revitalize downtown. That is the bet behind this build. It is not just 80 homes. It is a signal to every other developer watching Brandon that the downtown is worth building in.
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What will the building include?
The building mixes homes and business in the way downtowns need. The 80 units break down as 50 one bedroom, 25 two bedroom and five three bedroom homes, a range that covers single renters, couples and families. Commercial space fills the first floor, putting shops and services at street level where foot traffic can keep them alive.
That mix matters because downtown Brandon needs residents as much as it needs storefronts. People living above the shops means customers on the sidewalk morning and night, and that is what turns a single building into the start of a revival rather than a one off project.
Downtown Brandon, Rosser Avenue, Manitoba. Photo: Robert Linsdell, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What does this mean for Brandon home prices?
The timing is no accident. Brandon’s housing market is climbing fast. The city’s average home price rose to about $354,000 in the third quarter of 2026. CREA data for September 2026 puts the average sale price higher still at $360,902, up 12.8% year over year, with 69 sales in the month. The MLS benchmark price sits at $348,900, up 8% year over year.
Against that backdrop, 80 new homes downtown are a real addition, not a token. Prices are rising because demand is outrunning supply, and every new unit takes a little pressure off buyers and renters alike. If the Princess Avenue build lands well, it also gives the next developer a reason to believe, which is exactly the investor confidence Ahaneku is talking about.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does construction start on the Princess Avenue build?
Construction of the 80 unit residential and commercial complex is set to begin in spring 2027, according to the Brandon Sun report of November 10, 2026.
How many homes will the project include?
The complex will have 80 units: 50 one bedroom, 25 two bedroom and five three bedroom homes, with commercial space on the first floor.
How hot is Brandon’s housing market right now?
Brandon’s average sale price was $360,902 in September 2026, up 12.8% year over year, with 69 sales, and the MLS benchmark price was $348,900, up 8% year over year, according to CREA.
Downtown Brandon shops, Manitoba. Photo: Krazytea, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Maplestime will provide updates from downtown Brandon housing as announcements are made.
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Will 80 new homes on Princess Avenue finally give downtown Brandon its spark back, or is one building too small to change a whole downtown? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Brandonite watching home prices climb.
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