Waterloo Region Development News

[Cambridgite]

- 401, it does live up to it's title as the world's busiest highway. To avoid it, and to support your new community, why not fly Westjet right into Waterloo International?

I didn't think there were direct flights from Edmonton to Waterloo. I know Westjet landed a deal to have flights between Calgary and Waterloo. Either way, he has to drive. Either from Edmonton to Calgary or from Toronto to Waterloo. Up to him I suppose. I know that when my parents flew to Tampa by taking the Waterloo airport (with a stopover in Detroit), they were glad they did. It's a lot less hassle than dealing with the insanity of Pearson.

I'm glad you enjoyed KW. It is going to feel a lot smaller than Edmonton, but you can still enjoy yourself if you stay active. Don't be one of those students that just goes from home to school and back. Explore the city while you're here and you will have some fun. :)

I couldn't agree more. Your experience here, or anywhere, is what you make of it. I know a lot of students get homesick when they go to U of W, and develop negative attitudes towards Waterloo because of it (Waterloo represents their daily grind and nothing else). I hear the rhetoric all the time. The people who say it's boring are generally the people who need to get friends and go out and do something. I could be living in the heart of NYC and find it boring if all I did was work and spend the night cooped up inside my apartment. Obviously Waterloo isn't NY, but you get the point.

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[Cambridgite]

Icon Condominiums

As posted by thryve on SSC, "According to the Icon Condominiums website, there will be better, finalized renderings up soon."

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/9108/iconcondoswn6.png

Sweet! It's always great to see more modern Toronto-style developments in KW. :banana: Some of the block has been demolished in that render. Hopefully this is only a Phase 1, and the rest of the block will eventually be demolished for a Phase 2 (fingers crossed). I'm actually interested in buying an investment property in one of the new developments and recently emailed the developer. Some details on Icon:

- planning on building a showcase type of building, one that will tie in with the industrial heritage of the site, and have lots of open natural light into each of the units
- two levels of underground parking
- main floor on King Street will be retail
- 10 residential floors, several with real two floor loft units and many interesting floor layouts
- presentation centre opens in September

KW's new found height over 10 stories either proposed, approved or under construction:
- two 25-storeys (BY)
- two 21-storeys (BY)
- 18-storeys (CB)
- 18-storeys (BY)
- 15-storeys (Bauer)
- 15 storeys (Arrow)
- 12-storeys (CB)
- 12-storeys (BY)
- 12-storeys (Westmount Grand)
- 11-storeys (Icon)
- 10-storeys (Andy's)
- 10-storeys (BY-hotel)

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, We flyin' first class... :cheers:

Nice work WaterlooInvestor! :tup:

Not a bad render, although I was expecting something taller and slimmer. I'm really glad they included streetfront retail, which is one element I found was missing in Kaufman's. As far as the rest of the block goes, I guess I won't get too sentimental over those buildings being demolished. They're quite bland and hardly have any historical significance. There are a couple things I'd like to keep though. First, I think they should replace all of the demolished low-rent apartments with other subsidized units in the new development. Second, I'd like to see the nightlife come back to "the block that rocks". And it's a perfect location, given its proximity to 2 satellite university campuses.

Maybe they city could use some kind of special district zoning to create an entertainment district on that block. What I fear is that when the condo-dwellers come in, they may try to tame the block for selfish reasons and we'll end up with a whole bunch of Starbucks and Urban Fare. Not saying that those are bad stores, but they, along with other yuppie joints, should be kept in moderation. Otherwise, we have homogenous "vertical sprawl". I think it's important that we look to cities like Toronto and Vancouver and learn from their mistakes.

Btw, nice work with the list of 10+ storey developments. :)

[Cambridgite]

With only 2 major areas for greenfield residential development left, and lots of red tape around them, Cambridge is running short of places to accomodate population growth within its city limits. If I were to venture a guess, a lot of it is being made up for in the new subdivions of south Kitchener. 1100 new Mattamy homes in North Hespeler have just been approved after years of debate (NIMBYism) and EAs are taking place in Moffat Creek (southeast Galt) to determine how to mitigate environmental impacts of development there.

Here's the article.

Bear market for residential construction
Ray Martin, Cambridge
(Aug 2, 2007)
Residential construction may be booming across Ontario, but in Cambridge construction of new single-family homes has dropped by almost 90 per cent in the last year.

According to the latest figures released by the city's building department, just 28 single-family homes have been built in Cambridge since the beginning of the year, which is down from 273 single-family homes during the first six months of last year.

The city has issued building permits for a total of 307 new homes in the first half of the year, which is down from 493 new homes for the same period in 2006.
The total includes permits issued for single-family homes, semi-detached homes, row houses and conversions.

"It's very slow this year in residential construction, but we're still seeing a lot of work in the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors," said Hardy Bromberg, city director of building.

Since the beginning of the year the city has issued 15 building permits with a total construction value of more than $26.7 million for non-residential projects.

Last year, during the same period, the city had issued 17 permits with a construction value of $51 million for non-residential projects.

"We've taken a big hit, which stems from the lack of permit-ready lots available," Bromberg said.

"There are small pockets of construction going on, but not much else."

Bromberg believes the shortfall of permit-ready lots will not be long lasting.

"We know that more lots will be coming available up in north Hespeler and in the Moffat Creek area, but right now things are pretty quiet," he said.

Given the boom residential construction in Cambridge for the better part of the last decade Bromberg said the respite is welcomed by his department.

"It's allowing us time to do all the things we didn't have time to do when were so busy," he said. "Up until now we've had no time to follow up on ongoing permits, upgrade our computerized record keeping system and just get caught up."

Bromberg said the slowdown could result in a 10 to 15 per cent increase in building permit fees.

"We try to operate on a pay for service basis so that we aren't a burden on the city," Bromberg explained. "It's still too early to say but we could see a significant increase next year."

Should the construction market pick up again later this year, the predicted increases could be mitigated.

"Projects like the hospital expansion and Waterscape could have a big impact on those increases if they get underway this fall," Bromberg said. "Depending on the complexity of the hospital plans, we could have an inspector working on that full time."

Building permit fees saw an inflationary increase this year and the next year's increase, should it happen, would bring Cambridge's fees in line with those charged by Kitchener.

[Cambridgite]

Update on the situation of industrial land, including current and future available land, how much is available and when. The article is a little old. My apologies.

Building for the future
Industrial and commercial developers still see loads of potential in local market
Ron DeRuyter, The Record

Graphic By Carolyn McLeod

Chart shows 20 Year Overview of Industrial Land Prices per Acre in Waterloo Region from 1986 to 2006




The redevelopment of Waterloo Town Square has brought new office and retail opportunities -- as well as a dramatic new streetscape -- to downtown Waterloo.


WATERLOO REGION AND GUELPH (Dec 18, 2006)

The plant shutdowns that Waterloo Region and Guelph suffered recently have dealt big blows to the economy, but they provide a huge opportunity from a real estate perspective.

The closing of B.F. Goodrich in Kitchener, and Imperial Tobacco and ABB in Guelph put 200 acres of land and more than two-million square feet of space on the market, giving developers prime industrial real estate on a scale the area hasn't seen for quite some time.

A buyer put in a conditional offer on the Imperial Tobacco property before the 625,000-square-foot plant even stopped production.

A bidding war is expected for the B.F. Goodrich property because of its size and proximity to Highway 8. The new owner likely will knock down some of the manufacturing space and divide the remaining 750,000 square feet of plant and warehouse space for multiple users. In another scenario, the 340,000-square-foot warehouse will be subdivided and the rest of the building will be torn down, leaving most of the 96-acre property for redevelopment.

There also will be interest in the ABB property in Guelph, although it will be a tougher sell because of environmental issues that are a legacy of the days General Electric owned the plant and used PCBs to make transformers.

The limited supply of industrial land has been a contentious issue in Waterloo Region and Guelph for years. Economic development officials watched with envy as major employers such as Proctor & Gamble, Ferrero Group and Maidstone Bakeries built facilities in Brantford's spacious business parks.

Canada's Technology Triangle Inc., the non-profit agency charged with the task of attracting companies to Waterloo Region, is quick to make the case that the supply of land isn't as dire as some people make it out to be.

Although municipal land banks have dwindled, the amount of undeveloped land owned by private developers has increased. For example, there are about 400 acres on the south side of Highway 7, west of Breslau, that are available for dry industrial uses, those that don't generate industrial wastewater.

About 250 acres of privately owned land at Highways 401 and 97 has been designated for industrial use. The non-serviced land, geared to trucking companies and dry industrial users, should be ready for development next year.

There also are large parcels of privately owned land in the south end of Elmira, and east of New Hamburg along Highway 7/8.

The land shortage in Guelph will ease in the coming year with the development of the 400-acre Hanlon Creek Business Park. Developers are bringing on another 200 acres of privately owned land in the same area.

Cambridge, which in recent years had the biggest supply of municipal land in Waterloo Region, has only about 30 acres left. A new 100-acre area near Toyota isn't expected to be ready until 2008.

The much anticipated development of the East Side Lands, near the Waterloo Region International Airport, is closer to becoming reality now the region has approved phase one, 740 acres north of Cambridge that is intended for companies that require 20 acres or more. However, it won't be ready until 2009.

With the manufacturing sector struggling with the high dollar, the downturn in the North American auto industry and slowing growth in the U.S., one might think the supply of land is a less pressing issue. However, municipal economic development departments are still fielding lots of inquiries from companies, including those from the Toronto area who are eager to flee higher real estate prices."

There has been no let-up in construction activity. Municipalities in Waterloo Region and Guelph issued building permits for commercial and industrial projects worth $277.6 million in the first eight months of 2006. That's up from $249.4 million in the same period in 2005.

Real estate investors, particularly out-of-town developers backed by large investors such as pension funds, are keen on the area. They are attracted by the diverse economy, long-term growth prospects and low industrial vacancy rates. Due to the ban on development in the greenbelt surrounding the Greater Toronto Area, they are also compelled to look further afield. Firms such as O.R.E. Development, Hopewell Development, Summit REIT, Belmont Equity Partners, GPM Managed Investments, Cooper Construction and Karanda Properties have snapped up big chunks of land, especially along Highway 401. The buying spree has pushed up the price of serviced industrial land to $250,000 an acre, double what it fetched just two years ago.

The private developers will offer the land for design-build projects or put up large multi-tenant buildings. The increase in speculative development is a remarkable change from several years ago, when commercial real estate firms bemoaned the lack of space that was ready to move into.

Developers won't have problems filling their buildings. With land prices soaring, it's unlikely growing local firms can afford to put up their own buildings on land they purchase.

The new "build it and they will come" attitude extends to the office market. Low vacancy rates, particularly in buildings outside the downtown cores, will prompt more development.

The growth of the high-tech sector, and Research In Motion's seemingly insatiable appetite for space (it occupies about one million square feet, mainly in buildings it owns), is creating strong demand for premium office space in Waterloo.

New construction, including the large multi-tenant building Cora Group plans to build in the University of Waterloo Research and Technology Park, will be supplemented by the conversion of vacant industrial buildings into office space. It's a trend that coincides with the migration of Waterloo manufacturers to land near Highway 401.

The redevelopment of the Waterloo Town Square has expanded downtown Waterloo's supply of office space. More office users will come downtown as a result of construction of the Bauer Buildings, a loft-condo project that will include 100,000 square feet of office space, and Auburn Development's proposed redevelopment of the Canbar lands, a mixed-use project that will include 75,000 square feet of office space.

In downtown Kitchener, the opening of Wilfrid Laurier University's faculty of social work, construction of the University of Waterloo's health-sciences campus and completion of the Kaufman Lofts and Eaton's Lofts will spark renewed interest in the city core, including the centre block property next to city hall.

In Cambridge, completion of the new city hall in downtown Galt late next year will open up 42,000 square feet of space in Cambridge Place, the building the city has leased since the early 1980s. There isn't a lot of demand for office space in downtown Galt, but there hasn't been a big supply of office-tower style space either.

The area near Sportsworld Drive and King Street, on the border between Cambridge and Kitchener, has emerged as a key office hub, due to the availability of land, including land for surface parking, and its location in the centre of Waterloo Region, not far from Highway 401.

Existing tenants, such as Deloitte, Christian Horizons and World Access Canada (located in the Deer Ridge Centre, which used to be the Lulu's night club) will be joined by other office users when GPM completes its redevelopment of the 54-acre Sportsworld property.

Closer to Highway 401, Cowan Insurance Group plans to consolidate offices in Kitchener and Waterloo in a 50,000-square-foot building it is putting up on Fountain Street North.

There's not much office development taking place in Guelph, but that's about to change because of tight vacancy rates and the space requirements of the growing life-sciences and agri-food sector.

A large portion of the land in the Hanlon Creek Business Park is designated for office and research-and-development uses. Looking further into the future, city officials are contemplating the creation of a research park dedicated to Guelph's burgeoning life-sciences industry.

So, despite the general economic uncertainty associated with troubles in the U.S. and with the manufacturing and automotive industries, the local industrial and commercial real estate market will remain active in 2007.

[Cambridgite]

The website for the Grand Condominiums is now up and running. More information should be available soon.

http://www.thegrandlofts.ca/

[Waterlooson]

Excellent work everyone.

[rapid_business]

The Icon looks alright. I'll need to see a color mock-up before I say anything else though. Good design ideas, but I scared of those balconies and perhaps the lack of glass not hidden by said balconies. We'll have to see.

Another find in KW when I was there was Vincenzo's on Belmont. One of the best sandwich's I've ever had, and cheap too. It's going to become a regular for me.

[eemy]

Another find in KW when I was there was Vincenzo's on Belmont. One of the best sandwich's I've ever had, and cheap too. It's going to become a regular for me.

Actually, as far as I know, Vincenzo's will be moving into the new Bauer lofts as the anchor (only?) tenant. Belmont Village is kind of unique, but the new location will be far more accessible and prominent.

[Cambridgite]

Actually, as far as I know, Vincenzo's will be moving into the new Bauer lofts as the anchor (only?) tenant. Belmont Village is kind of unique, but the new location will be far more accessible and prominent.

Anchor tenant doesn't mean "only" tenant. It just means it will be the most prominent tenant in the building. And I agree that it's a better location.

[Cambridgite]

WaterlooInvestor, you forgot to add the waterscape towers to your list. A 10 storey and a 12 storey building. It's okay though. Everyone forgets that Cambridge is part of Waterloo Region. ;)

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/220967

Condos to follow coal-tar cleanup

An artist's rendering shows what the 12-storey, 115-unit Waterscape on the Grand condominium tower could look like. The building is to go up on the former site of the Galt Gas Works, which operated from 1887 to 1911.
1
An artist's rendering shows what the 12-storey, 115-unit Waterscape on the Grand condominium tower could look like. The building is to go up on the former site of the Galt Gas Works, which operated from 1887 to 1911.

An artist's rendering shows what the 12-storey, 115-unit ...

An artist's rendering shows what the 12-storey, 115-unit Waterscape on the Grand condominium tower could look like. The building is to go up on the former site of the Galt Gas Works, which operated from 1887 to 1911.


July 28, 2007
KEVIN SWAYZE
RECORD STAFF

CAMBRIDGE (Jul 28, 2007)

Cleanup of a coal-tar contaminated downtown property should start in three weeks, a developer says.

Paul de Haas also hopes to start construction in October on the 12-storey, 115-unit Waterscape on the Grand condominium tower. It's the first phase of a $120-million redevelopment of the vacant property along the Grand River.

A site-risk assessment study has been submitted to the Environment Ministry, and de Haas expects approval in a few weeks. In expectation of the OK, he has put out calls for proposals from contractors to do the $1.5-million cleanup.

"We're confident," he said. "We've made it through this significant point in this (study)."

An Environment Ministry official, however, would offer no timeline for approval of the cleanup plan.

"It all depends on the quality of the submission," said John Kaasalainen, district engineer at the ministry's Guelph office.

De Haas said no concerns have been raised by the ministry and he is working under the assumption his cleanup plan will be approved shortly.

Coal tar is considered a health risk and causes cancer. It was left behind on the site by Galt Gas Works, which operated from 1887 to 1911. It was demolished in the 1920s to expand a textile mill.

A condominium project was proposed on the site at the north juncture of Water and Ainslie streets in the 1980s, but collapsed as construction was about to start because of coal-tar contamination worries.

There is about 1,200 tonnes of coal-tar-laced soil that must be removed from that site along the Grand River. As for the change of finding more contaminants during cleanup, de Haas said, "You never know."

"The site has been studied for close to 18 years and we're not likely to find anything new in the next four to six weeks."

Even so, the project is now moving forward because both the city and region have approved tax-deferral plans for the project. The tax break ensures there will be money available up front to handle any buried surprises, de Haas said.

De Hass is hopeful cleanup will be complete by October, so work on the first condominium tower can start.

Already more than 50 per cent of the 115 units in the first building have been sold. That's the threshold to confirm financing to build, de Haas said.

Construction won't start until 60 per cent of units are sold, however. That's the threshold de Haas has set to confirm there's the market to support the project.

Once the cleanup starts, de Hass expects another rush of buyers.

"We have a list of 900 people . . . who said 'call me' when the work starts on the development," de Haas said.

Units range from about a bachelor unit of 500 square feet costing $125,000 to a two-bedroom plus a den with 1,400 square feet and a cost of $400,000.

kswayze@therecord.com

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

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[Cambridgite]

Sorry about that, I should actually keep two lists. For that list, I should have worded my title more accurately. What I was looking to list is height developments around King Street from the ~Kitchener Market to the ~Universities. IMO, as the city continues to grow over the next 5-15-25-50 years, this area will grow more into one large urban zone with one long skyline. It certainly won't happen overnight (ie. this is a long-term project), but those 14 buildings are a good boost to my vision.

The City of Kitchener has a similar vision, only my idea is bolder/higher.
http://www.kitchener.ca/living_kitchener/mix_use.html

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/mixed_use_design_brief_final_sm-1.9.jpg

I think that vision is achievable down the road. Remember, we are only at the tip of the iceberg right now. The fact that 900 people have called De Haas about the 115-unit first phase of Waterscape and said "call me when construction begins" should tell us something. Look how quickly Kaufman's and Bauer sold out and how they both added additions to their development. We have a long way to go before the market is saturated. And even when the market is saturated, we should still have steady development because the uptown/downtown amenities will have greatly improved by then.

In regards to the picture of the mixed-use redevelopment of the Clarica lot, I think it's unambitious. They left wayyyy too much surface parking there. I understand that some Clarica employees simply don't have access to public transit and still wont when the LRT comes (ie. they may live outside the region). I think we could follow by Center Block's example and accomodate some employee parking underground in the new developments. I think high rises are appropriate for the front of King street, on the west side. They should be podium style, with retail at the street front. Behind those buildings, medium density apartments/condos could be accomodated, all with street frontage and connectivity to a grid (with new streets created). A new park could also be worth looking at in that area, since there are none I can think of nearby. Surface parking should be prohibited. Through other parts of that corridor, there could be smaller mixed-use developments of 3-4 storeys. This would provide sufficient density to maintain a lively street, but not so that it conflicts with the single family homes that lie right behind it (inevitable and vicious NIMBYism).

[eemy]

Anchor tenant doesn't mean "only" tenant. It just means it will be the most prominent tenant in the building. And I agree that it's a better location.

I realize that. I wasn't sure if it would also be the only tenant in the building, or if there would be additional ones.

[SteelTown]

There isn't a direct flight, but he could just connect through Calgary. Is this a comparable fare though? Hopefully it is.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/EdmontontoKWWestjet.jpg

Or he could simply just take Hamilton Airport and still avoid Pearson. It has direct flights to Edmonton. It's a short drive.

[Cambridgite]

I realize that. I wasn't sure if it would also be the only tenant in the building, or if there would be additional ones.

To answer your question, there will be additional ones. It's all on their website if you bring your arrow to the bottom-left corner and click on marketplace. If you read the description, you will see that it's more than one store in the bottom of the building. You can also see that they're really pushing the yuppie lifestyle with this development with the "local gourmet cafe", "boutiques", and the marketplace will have a fine selection of meats and cheeses.

http://bauerlofts.com/

Steeltown, good observation. That was probably the best option. The Hamilton Airport MAY be a shorter drive in terms of distane, but it's not as direct as Pearson. I suspect the biggest difference would be the lesser hassle in a smaller airport, plus you don't have to deal with as much traffic (Hamilton's airport is outside of the urbanized core).

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[WaterlooInvestor]

moved

[Cambridgite]

http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/224261

CONDO BUYERS BEWARE

When building conversions go wrong, owners don't have the provincial protection new home buyers do

August 04, 2007
BRIAN CALDWELL
RECORD STAFF


Buying a condominium in an old factory or warehouse is a leap of faith with no safety net.

Unlike new homes and condos, residential units in trendy loft projects aren't covered by a provincial warranty program that protects consumers from shoddy, incompetent or unethical builders.

Both the province and local municipalities encourage such developments as a way to slow urban sprawl and revitalize downtowns by getting more people to live there.

But if a glitzy loft project goes bad, buyers are basically on their own.

"I'm enraged by the lack of protection for people who buy into conversion buildings," said Audrey Loeb, a leading condominium lawyer in Toronto. "I'm just beside myself.

"The cities aren't protecting them. The province isn't protecting them. Each buyer is supposed to be able to protect themself from a developer," he said.

"Give me a break here. Who's got the legal fees to protect themself from a developer?"

Residents of the Eaton's Lofts in downtown Kitchener -- one of many conversion projects started, finished or proposed in Waterloo Region in recent years -- are learning the hard way just how vulnerable purchasers can be.

The threat of eviction still hangs over their heads after city and provincial officials cited long lists of safety problems at the three-storey building at King and Water streets.

Almost a year and a half after the first residents moved in, major portions of the building -- including an underground parking garage, a rooftop garden and street-level retail space -- haven't been started or are far from being finished.

Owners in the 32-unit project banded together to sue the developer and directors of their condo corporation. The directors were recently replaced by a court-ordered administrator who is scrambling to do repairs so residents can at least remain in their homes.

"This is a very, very good warning signal for anyone who wants to buy a conversion," said Robert Mullin, a Guelph condo lawyer representing residents in the $46-million lawsuit.

Ken Hicknell, a truck driver who bought a unit and now acts as a spokesperson for residents, said he didn't know about the lack of a provincial warranty until his lawyer told him as he was signing papers to close the deal.

By that time, he figured it was too late to back out and didn't give it a second thought.

"I was assuming it was a reputable builder and there wouldn't be any issues," he said.

Kim Coulter, a Burlington engineer and board member with the Canadian Condominium Institute, agrees with Loeb and Mullin that people who buy lofts deserve the same protection as those investing in new homes and condos.

He also regrets that few buyers realize how vulnerable they are or do their own due diligence by investigating developers.

"It's abysmal," Coulter said. "It really is quite sad."

The warranty program is run by the Tarion Warranty Corporation and backed by provincial legislation called the Ontario New Home Warranty Plan.

Builders must be licenced by Tarion, pay fees on every unit they construct and are required to provide security on projects in case they go bankrupt or otherwise don't fulfil their obligations.

Buyers get one-year and two-year warranties from their builders on workmanship. Tarion can order builders to do repairs and it steps in to pay for the work if they don't comply.

The agency then tracks successful claims, takes them into account during licencing and makes the information available to customers checking out builders.

A further five-year warranty on major structural problems is provided directly by Tarion.

Rob Mitchell, a spokesperson for Tarion, said none of those safeguards apply to loft conversion projects because they are considered renovations, not new construction.

"We can't warrant work that was done by someone other than the builder," he said.

Loeb said that leaves loft buyers at the mercy of developers, with their only recourse being costly litigation if a project is left unfinished or goes belly-up.

She said conversions are tricky at the best of times -- with construction surprises challenging even good builders -- and are often done by small developers who protect their other assets by working through shell companies.

"A lot of this loft stuff is done by one-off guys," said Loeb. "The big builders aren't into conversions. By and large, they're little people and there is no way to protect yourself -- none."

Mullin stressed that most lofts are completed and work out just fine.

He also said would-be buyers can take some prudent steps, including the use of lawyers and real estate agents familiar with lofts, researching developers on the Internet and talking to residents at other projects they've done.

If something does go awry, however, he said buyers should know there is nobody in authority backing them up.

"At the end of the day, you're relying upon the good faith of that developer to finish that building," Mullin said. "It's a leap of faith."

Legislation excluding lofts from the warranty program is the responsibility of the Ontario Ministry of Government Services.

Paul de Zara, a spokesperson for Minister Gerry Phillips, said officials have only recently become aware of concerns about the gap in coverage.

He said Phillips will ask Tarion officials early next week to report on whether the warranty program should be expanded to include lofts.

"If Tarion believes their mandate needs to be changed, then absolutely we'll consider changing it," said de Zara.

bcaldwell@therecord.com

CONDOMINIUM LOFT CONVERSIONS IN WATERLOO REGION:

KITCHENER

Name Kaufman Lofts

Address 410 King St. W.

Factory Kaufman Footwear

Opened 2007

Units 270

Developer Andrin Homes and Kimshaw Holdings

Price $115,990 to $221,990

Name Eaton's Lofts

Address 276 King St. W.

Building Eaton's department store

Opened 2006

Units 32

Developer Lorchrist Properties

Price $99,000 to $299,990

Name Lofts on Mansion

Address 120 Mansion St.

Factory J.C. Snyder furniture factory

Opened 2005

Units 58

Developer Haastown Holdings

Price Started at $169,900

Name Arrow Lofts

Address 112 Benton St.

Factory Former Arrow shirt factory

Opened Under construction

Units 134

Developer Auburn Developments

Price Not available

WATERLOO

Name Bridgeport Lofts

Address 12 Bridgeport Rd. E.

Factory Former shoe factory

Opened 2002 as a student residence; converted to condos in 2007

Units 24

Developer Haastown Holdings

Price Up to $ 349,900

Name Seagram Lofts

Address 3-5 Father David Bauer Dr.

Factory Former Seagram's distillery

Opened 1999

Units 103

Developer The Barrel Works Group (Terra View Homes and Kiwi-Newton Construction)

Price $150,000 to $400,000

Name @lex

Address 35 Alexandra Ave.

Factory former Alexandra Public School

Opened 1999

Units 22

Developer JG Group

Price $89,900 to $229,000

Name Bauer Lofts

Address King St. S. at Allen St.

Factory Former Bauer Industries site

Opened Under construction

Units 128

Developer Laurence Development

Price Not available

CAMBRIDGE

Name Spruce Garden Lofts

Address 79 Spruce St.

Factory George Hancock Textile

Opened Scheduled for February 2008

Units 24

Developer XDG Construction and Kinsley Developments

Price $239,999 to $419,999

COMPILED BY TAMSIN MCMAHON, RECORD STAFF

[Cambridgite]

Here's something neat!
http://www.trainweb.org/elso/NEWTRACK.HTM

Little did I know, Kitchener used to have its own streetcars!!:)

Funny how what is old may be made new again with LRT. Also funny how there was an "inter-urban" railway connecting Kitchener to Preston, which is now continuously urbanized.

[WaterlooInvestor]

moved

[WaterlooInvestor]

moved

[Cambridgite]

:previous: Awesome! Neither did I!:)

I figured since we haven't heard much about it, plus I haven't seen a crane, that it was only going to be small. Good stuff though. It'll add to the skyline.

[Cambridgite]

Well, I certainly haven't heard anything about a post-secondary school on Benton street. The only ones I've heard of are Laurier's social work faculty, UW's pharmacy campus, UW's architecture campus, and Basille's school of International Affairs. One would think we're doing pretty good in that department. But yeah, definitely let us know how this develops. :cool:

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King Street Makeover

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/king_st_master_plan_pedestrian_firs.1.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/king_st_master_plan_pedestrian_f-1.jpg?

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/king_st_master_plan_pedestrian_f-2.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/king_st_master_plan_pedestrian_f-3.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/king_st_master_plan_pedestrian_f-4.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/king_st_master_plan_pedestrian_f-5.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/king_st_master_plan_pedestrian_f-6.jpg

Isn't King St. supposed to be the preferred corridor for the RT? Seems like an awful waste to build all this great stuff up only to have to reconfigure it later.

[Cambridgite]

Isn't King St. supposed to be the preferred corridor for the RT? Seems like an awful waste to build all this great stuff up only to have to reconfigure it later.

Within downtown Kitchener, King street isn't necessarily where they will build the LRT. You may be thinking of the CTC (central transit corridor). The CTC basically outlines the area the region will focus its re-urbanization towards, and King is in the centre of it. They may decide to use Duke or Charles street instead.

When I was at the public meeting for Phase 2, I mentioned the idea of closing down King street to vehicles and having it open for only pedestrians and the LRT. The folks at my table thought it was a good idea, but when the planners were listing out these ideas in front of everyone, people laughed and I heard things like "yeah, that'll happen" (sarcastically). I think it can be done though. Weber has lots of extra capacity for those by-passing the area. For those who need to park, they can approach the parking lots/spaces from Duke or Charles quite easily. And when LRT comes, there will be less need to park anyways.

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Here's some information about the Rockway business park in east Kitchener.
http://www.rockwaybusinesspark.com/
I'm not sure if construction has started yet, but it appears to be a development of reasonable size.

[Cambridgite]

Here are some links to the Hopewell Business Park in the Townline/401 area of Cambridge, right across the highway from the corporate center I provided links for a little while back.

http://www.colliersmn.com/prod/cclod.nsf/publish/93EA041C7E8C631C852570BD007630A0/$File/Hopewell+Business+Park.pdf

http://www.colliersmn.com/demo/webopportunities.nsf/publish/E44E9B6D339E7A8E8825725A00788F49/$File/pinebush500_phase+1.pdf

In the first link, you can see a road to the left of Hopewell Business Park with nothing around it. Currently, there are several buildings under construction, mostly multi-tenant. An office building is under construction for a company called Kodiak Holdings Inc. Also to mention, Hopewell Business Park will be under construction very soon as they have been digging up a lot of dirt there lately and a new street has been added.

[Cambridgite]

A fine example of the small town mentality and big city fear I've been talking about :rolleyes: . I intend on sending in my reply to the Times and ripping her argument to shreds. :D

http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/cam/viewpoint/viewpoint_856171.html

Urbanizing city not the way to go
(Aug 16, 2007)
As soon as I read Looking into the future of Cambridge by Jordan Ngo, I had to reply.

He stated how he would enjoy seeing our city urbanized with skyscrapers, tourist attractions and maybe even the privilege to host celebrities. This sounds great, for now.

I apologize for being a pessimist, but I absolutely disagree. With the urbanization of Cambridge, it will only bring trouble and problems. Wait, it already has. With more people moving into the city, we might not have enough jobs or homes and a lot of those people won't have a place to live or work.

What else comes with being a big city - crime and murder, of course. At the moment, I believe that Cambridge is a peaceful city and staying small will keep it that way.

There are countless ways that remaining a small city can be beneficial to the citizens. I don't want to leave my house and just see gigantic buildings blocking the sun, homeless people begging for change or factories polluting our sky.

I like opening my door to see the beautiful sun and nice neighbours smiling. I want children to be able to play outside without fear. I hope that Cambridge will stay the way it is now, a safe and beautiful city that I enjoy growing up in.

Erica Dao

Cambridge

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[Cambridgite]

Young gay urban KW eh? Hmm, those are almost the kind of traits you'd find in a BIG CITY! :haha: :tup: I guess the small towner wannabes will have to get over it! They can move to Cambridge where there are downtown height caps of 15-34 metres :haha: . Honestly though, that's one nice loft unit :worship:. So have you moved in yet? I recall you saying that you bought a loft in the second phase.

And yes, I saw that the Bauer Loft crane the other day! They must be adjusting the crane as they build because there's no way it can build 15 storeys at that height. However, they may just be building the low-rise component for now. The crane is also up for the 14 storey apartment building on Queen. Once again, the crane is too low for the development, so I suspect they'll adjust it. Behind the Cambridge Centre, there is a new crane up, building a commie block like the one next to it. I think it's going to be 14 storeys, just like the one next to it that they finished last year.

Also to note, a building (run down house?) is fenced off at College and Duke streets. Another building is fenced off at Queen and Joseph as well...some little business that sells glass or something. Perhaps it's more redevelopment? Down the street from that on Queen, a narrow empty lot is seeing the development of affordable housing, in the form of an older style home that is typical in the Victoria Park area.

[Cambridgite]

UW health sciences campus behind schedule
Construction delays mean programs will start elsewhere
August 17, 2007
BARBARA AGGERHOLM
RECORD STAFF
KITCHENER

http://news.therecord.com/images/assets/276497_3.JPG
The University of Waterloo's health sciences campus at Victoria and King streets in Kitchener yesterday.

Pharmacy and medical students will not take their classes at University of Waterloo's new health sciences campus in January as planned.

As a result of construction delays caused by summer labour disputes, the students' arrival at the downtown Kitchener campus has been postponed, the university says.

Instead, it's hoped classrooms in the new pharmacy building will be ready in spring.

"Any construction delay and strikes cause a setback in our plans," said UW spokesperson Martin Van Nierop.

"We hoped to get things advanced more than we have, but that's just the way things go."

Originally, 102 pharmacy students were to begin their program on UW's health sciences campus in the New Year.

Another 15 medical students -- the first students in the partnership between McMaster University and UW -- were also scheduled to take classes temporarily in the pharmacy school until a medical building is completed.

However, weeks of labour disruptions involving crane operators and general labourers this summer have put work on the pharmacy building behind.

Students were told about the delay this week.

Medical students will attend classes from September to mid-December, as planned, in Hamilton at McMaster University's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

But officials are now looking for space in Kitchener and Waterloo to accommodate them after mid-December, said Dr. Joseph Lee, director of medical education for the Waterloo-Wellington Regional Campus of McMaster's school of medicine.

"They probably won't be on (the main) campus," he said. "Several places are being looked at."

Lee, a family physician, said there was some discussion about keeping the medical students in Hamilton while construction continued on the pharmacy building.

However, "some of them really want to be here because they have ties here," he said. And part-time faculty members who have been recruited were also expecting to teach in Kitchener.

About 70 to 80 physicians from Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph are involved in the new medical school, he said.

Lee said there is also an expectation on the part of community members that medical students will be in Kitchener in January. He said some medical students expressed concern about their experience in the program as a result of the construction delay.

"So it is very important that the space is found that will give them a good educational experience," he said. Classrooms with video conferencing and other technology will be needed.

Meanwhile, pharmacy students will start classes at UW's main campus instead, while construction at the downtown campus continues, said Ken Potvin, pharmacy school director of admissions, professional relations and undergraduate affairs.

It's hoped pharmacy students will spend May to August at the health sciences campus, then they'll be out for four months doing co-op work.

Pharmacy students do not appear concerned by the construction delay, Potvin said.

"This is a resilient group of mature students," he said. They know "it's one of many challenges they'll face as we develop a new school."

Van Nierop said the delay will add "somewhat" to the costs of construction, but "those aren't fully known yet."

Past estimates of the pharmacy building have been pegged at $38 million -- up $4 million from the original budget.

The entire health sciences campus will cost more than $60 million.

The City of Kitchener provided the land and $30 million for the school of pharmacy.

Construction of the medical building at the new campus is expected to start around October, Van Nierop said.

Arrrghhh :hell: !! This campus is taking way too rediculously long! First they said September of 2007, then it was delayed until January of 2008, and now spring of 2008?!?!:hell: This is rediculous. And the positive effects it will have on downtown wont even begin to take effect until the damn thing is built and the students move in. It's too bad, because I was really hoping to see some new stores open up to cater to these students and the increased vibrancy these would bring. Hell, there might even be a few clubs!

What is up with the slow construction process of these urban projects in KW? Seriously, Bauer was sold out literally years ago and the crane has only been set up now. Arrow has been talked about for ages and most of the time you go by their site, no one's working on it. I can't even find a website or anything for them! Last but not least, Eaton's lofts may be occupied upstairs (residential), but there's no retail at ground level :( !! The Olive & Bean grocer still has a big sign in the window saying "opening Spring 2007", but it's getting close to fall now! What the hell is going on?! Sorry, I just had to vent.... The same thing goes for road projects too. Unless they're building more sprawl, Waterloo Region's construction workers are slllloooowwww.

[Snark]

Agreed! Why not let constructive ME comments speak for all instead:

heh, heh. I guess I am reluctant to do just that. It is no big deal anyway...I get my name in the papers relatively often given my career.

Speaking for myself, I feel eminently qualified to comment on such phenomena

I am quoted in the LFP today
I have appeared on A-Morning a couple of times (interviewed...I am in academia). Oh well, there is still the LFP

I have no idea what the cost would be.

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Sorry, I was barely awake, and I just tune out of all the bad news of late, for the sake of my sanity.

Landmark? Looks like a pile of shit.

A mountain of locusts? Change the name. Likewise, would you want to live on Cheapside (major street in London).

Middlesex (what the hell is this, a hermaphrodite?)

Yeah, aren't they vile?

I am glad, then. So that I will not have to waste my time instructing such retarded deadbeats.

Take London (ON), multiply it by 10, and maybe then, you would have something that could, very possibly, be a candidate for world-class.

Not the Shriners thing again. Fer fvcksakes, when will it ever end?

It's the new building for West Park Baptist Church (currently near Wonderland & Hyde Park Rd.). Damn. Not another one.

London has long ceased being a head-office city, to being a back-office city.

Whats the news of the new Walfart that is supposed to go up at Sprawldale and unWonderland?

Man, the Galleria has gotta be one of the biggest urban disasters in Canada. I was there yesterday...unfuckingbelievable how empty the place is.

A veritable ghostown of a mall, with more than 40 vacant stores to better serve you!

overmalled....but Westmount will still be a mall? Sounds like the managers are lacking a solid strategy. If I were a tenant in the mall, I would be worried.

The "rebirth" of the Galleria is rather like a woman experiencing 72 months of gestation followed by 24 months of labour.

could this be the first signs of Masonville mall going the way of Westmount mall??

Nice, but I hear that they do not serve BEER at Labatt Park...extremely ironic and moronic.

allow Labatt park to serve beer...and I will go to see London Majors games.

Wharnecliffe is going down the toilet. At least half of it (from Oxford to Commissioners) sits at the bottom of the bowl, with the other turds. A charming slice of East London in western London.

YEAH! more commie-blocks!

I am getting pissed off at the so-called leaders of London.

Nostalgia for the status quo = today's london leadership = mediocrity

yup: london planners/council-->think small.

I have to agree that the current administration really comes up short in their 'vision' for what London ought to aspire to.

London busses are horrible. They smell, have no seats, and constantly lurch. Not to mention, the schedules, and the asinine amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B

very overdue. I can't understand why they rezone/develop areas prior to improving the infrastructure.

too bad that it will probably be years before it goes back up again for phase II

More bad news for London. The daily dose

For Gawd's sake, London has only 2 complete East-West and North-South roads:
East-West: Fanshawe Park Road and Oxford
North-South: Wonderland and Highbury.
That's it. Everything else does not go through all the way.

Council should wake up...given the lousy local economy, taxpayers are not feeling generous, and frankly, a little tired of property (et al.) tax increases that have long outstripped inflation

London has the third-busiest airport in Canada, after Toronto and Vancouver. Really? Ahead of Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg, etc.? Must be freight. Would like to see the supporting statistics.

thats a tall proposal for a shitsville corner. Love to see it happen....but in this market?

Visonary. 30 years, I will be approaching 70. I can then look forward to a quick way to Fanshawe Park Road. Yay.

Any info on the proposed Walfart at Exeter and Wonderland Rd. South?

Does the Ash Borer also eat jobs? I ask because the London area has lost so many in the past 6 months.

Weird. Hope that it is better than the aborted pseudo-freeway blip that is Highbury Ave.

I think that London's city planners look towards the 905 area as an urban model, rather than say, more concise urban fabrics like those found in Europe.

Looks like a run-down 70's era Las Vegas motor inn.

Quite frankly, who gives two-shits what Jack Layton says?

And the commie-blocks keep-a-comin' in London, esp. in the Oxford-Wonderland area.
I'd rather have no construction, than more of those ugly commie-blocks. Parts of London could easily pass for Irkutsk or Dniepreprovetsk.

I am not too impressed, having bought a home in the neighborhood.

Not again.

Good, but if it happens, I will eat my shoes.
I refer to them as Dumbcentres.

Ultra 80s, Ultra Smell (Bell) Canada. Smell has a building like this in every single major city in Canada.

This actually looks pretty good. I was in the area this weekend past, and it currently is about as gritty and shitty as anywhere in the country.

Yeah, just what I expected, city council is totally in cahoots with the big box sprawl developers. Who gives a shit if inner London looks like shit,

Yeah, I live about 1 km from that shitty bridge. and cross it from time to time. It is the Marie-Anne de Cicco way: rezone, build, but do not expand the infrastructure.

More of Anne-Marie's "Best and Brightest" (aka, highest salaries and sick-days, and moreover, mediocre results

yep. exactly. anyone else, it would be front-page news. And you'd think, "wow, the mayor's husband...for sure the LFP will have something"...but it is buried like a skeleton in the closet.

And while we are at it, how on earth did Best get the exemption for that lousy deck/patio along Richmond? Fishy, fishy.

What do you all think about the Mayor's husband's little adventure last saturday? Must be pretty damned embarassing for Anne-Marie, to say the least.

Same shit they smoked when they decided to bury the drunk-driving adventure of Mr. A-M deC-Best.

No news on Mr. AMdeC-Best? Still got his drivers' license, I presume?

If he got drunk (and then drove) in his own bar...could he be at risk of losing his liquor license? Did you sit out on the cheapo patio at Friday Fright Nites?

Not because of, but despite the current administration on dufferin st.

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^^ I'm rather doubtful of the likeliness of a gay district forming in most parts of Canada anymore. The existing ones in other cities are becoming less and less dominated by GLBT businesses, and the gay community is becoming more and more mainstream. There's not really a point to having a segregated gay community, because most gay people aren't looking for that.

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Sorry, no. That's not the case right now for either location.

How do you know?


Actually they started the UW project in 2005. Yes, this might just be the longest time that it takes to build such a relatively small 10 story building in recent history. I wouldn't place too much direct effect that students will have , at least initially, in the downtown anyway though. For several years, we are only looking at a couple of hundred of students and faculty combined. Not an earth shattering amount. The effect that this facility will be more gradual and synergistic, not a big immediate influx. Consider the type students as well. Even if they do decide to live in downtown Kitchener, how many of those 100 pharmacy students are going to go clubbing on a regular basis?

http://www.pharmacy.uwaterloo.ca/about/index.html

You are right in that there wont be a massive impact in its first year of operation. The first year will see 120 undergraduates arriving. However, once it reaches full operation, there will be 480 undergraduates, 70 graduates, 30 faculty members, and 20 staff, for a total of 600 people eventually. Surely, many of them would use the downtown core on a regular basis. It wont turn it into Uptown Waterloo, but it'll provide some momentum for the west end of downtown Kitchener for sure. And I do think you may see a couple bars and clubs open up because of it. I also don't see why they wouldn't want to live in the downtown area of Kitchener, unless they are student commuters (like myself) who already live in Waterloo Region and aren't paying rent.


The Bauer Lofts don't need a website. They are sold out more or less and don't need to advertise. I have a friend who put down their money several years ago. This project was stalled by significant geotechnical issues.

Arrow lofts have had to deal with significant geotechnical issues for many years before being able to proceed. It has been a real hindrance.

The Eaton Lofts: well, enough said. The lawsuits and the project being placed in the trust of a 3rd party speak for themselves. The "olive & bean" sign that you refer to on the ground floor with the "opening in spring 2007" logo on it was actually changed from "opening in spring 2006", and was originally put up in fall of 2005. Draw your own conclusions.

Conclusion= crappy developer


Road works: which projects are slow? And by the way, none of them are "Waterloo Region's" (whatever that means) construction workers. They are private contractors working for a fixed price contract with the municipality with specified completion dates. If they go late, they get penalized. Same for new subdivisions (or "urban sprawl" as you refer to it as). They are built and financed by the private sector, and the roads and other public infrastructure is ceded to the municipality when complete.

Okay, I know this, but what I meant to say was that the road projects of Waterloo Region seem to take a while. Highway 8 seems to have been dragging on forever. My friend and fellow student (from Mississauga) was complaining about how long it took them to resurface Columbia street a few years back, before I went to UW. According to her, she's never seen any place where infrastructure construction took so long.

More than anything, I'm just venting frustration because I get anxious about all these great developments. Whether it's geotechnical issues, lawsuits, union disputes (crane operaters), it seems that these projects keep getting pushed back further and further. It's always one thing or another.

[Cambridgite]

ANCHOR TENANTS: Vincenzo’s, Williams Coffee Pub, an exciting new restaurant by the Charcoal group.

Awesome! Looks like we have some pretty good anchor tenants to work with here :) . This will be Waterloo Region's second urban William's (Kitchener City Hall has one). William's is a great coffee pub for Uptown Waterloo, considering it's a real hot spot for students up in University Plaza. I'm pretty excited to see what the Charcoal group has in store, as it's usually good. Of course, there will still be more retail on top of this, just as there was with First Gulf's WTS development. We can be prepared for a ton of new retail in uptown Waterloo, as the stores in WTS aren't even all full yet!

[Cambridgite]

Also I heard there's a new restaurant coming soon on King Street on the 2nd half of the Icon Block: CHIC Bar & Lounge :D

Apparently a sign is up, so someone should try to snap a picture.

Cool ::cool: ! Any idea when it opens? Let me know when you get more information about this place. As for snapping a picture, don't you live downtown now? :shrug:

P.S. Regarding the renderings of Bauer lofts, I counted out 14 storeys. The residential units don't appear to be that tall for each floor, so that's why it doesn't look like 15 storeys.

[Cambridgite]

I see what you're saying, and I agree with parts of it but I still think gay districts are very popular. Toronto is an open city, yet many people (myself included) still flock to Church Street and the surrounding area. Although technically it is segregated, it's not as though it has been stuck out in the middle of nowhere suburbia. Church Street is an active block of the greater downtown area that also mixes in with Young Street, etc.. Of course there are bars in the Richmond/Club District that will have a mix. However, IMO it is still a positive for Toronto to have a distinct village. Therefore I believe the creation of a Kitchener village would also be a positive development.

I know what you mean, and considering our "tolerant" society still has sucessfully segregated ethnic districts in the inner city, I don't think a gay village is out of the question for the KW area. 700-800 thousand is probably a good threshold too. Ottawa-Hull is around 1.2 million and they have a huge and bustling gay village along Elgin street. Hamilton's CMA is nearing 700,000 and they already are seeing the formation of a gay village along Locke street south.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=122944

It's great that you mentioned your idea of creating a gay village to the City, but it's not the kind of thing you can force. Downtown Kitchener already has some degree of a gay community in it. Renaissance draws members of the gay community throughout the CMA, including some friends of mine in Cambridge. You mentioned that there are a lot of gay couples purchasing new lofts. When snapping photos of downtown Kitchener a couple months ago, I found something in the warehouse district, on Breipthaut (spelling?) that might interest you.
http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb210/Cambridgite/?action=view&current=Picture120.jpg

All of these things are important steps in creating this gay village you speak of and are beyond anything the city can do. The city's role is more of an accomodative one. The best thing I think the city can do in creating a gay village (and other districts) is what they have done with their zoning plan for mixed-use corridors. The more possibilities for retail areas you have, the more opportunity you have for a variety of districts. I think you'll see a lot of interesting areas evolve out of corridors such as Victoria street (N and S), King street (E and W), Queen street south, etc. Of course, ignoring dumb NIMBY comments about new stores also helps too.

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[Cambridgite]

Goodrich site to be reborn as industrial park
August 23, 2007
GREG MERCER AND ROSE SIMONE, RECORD STAFF
KITCHENER

The new owner of the former BF Goodrich property hopes to spend at least $70 million in a plan to turn Kitchener's largest industrial site into a multi-use business park.

South Kitchener Holdings, co-owned by Dallas-based real estate giant Trammell Crow Co. and a private Texas equity firm, plans to begin courting tenants as soon as next month for the property that will eventually offer 1.6-million square feet of industrial space, according to the company's regional developer, Mitchell Fasken.

The project, which will include warehousing and manufacturing space both for sale and for lease, could create up to 16 separate buildings within the business park. The plan hinges on partially demolishing and dividing up the sprawling factory property into a smaller parcels, he said.

"Trying to find a million-square foot user today is almost impossible," Fasken said. "That's why we're repositioning the site so it's much more conducive to what new industry wants."

Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr says the development means new jobs for the city, by creating industrial space that simply wasn't available before. Now, he said, city staff have more to offer prospective companies when they come calling.

"It has the potential to create some significant numbers (of jobs)," the mayor said. "The fact it will be in smaller parcels may help to create more jobs than it otherwise would if it was a single manufacturer."

Despite recent manufacturing job losses in Waterloo Region, Fasken's bosses believe there is strong demand for serviced, flat industrial land here.

"There is nothing else like this in Waterloo Region," said Fasken, an expert in redeveloping old industrial sites who bought the old Kaufman factory and converted the building to condos. "We believe there's continued strength in the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge market."

Within five years, the BF Goodrich property could have wide range of companies and buildings located there, including an existing 370,000-square foot warehouse that may be divided into 100,000-square-foot parcels. The warehouse should be available to tenants before next spring, Fasken said.

He said companies have already begun expressing interest in buying or leasing portions of the property.

By spring, construction is expected to start on buildings designed for industrial uses that could be available by fall 2008, he said. The buildings will vary in size but will have a common architectural theme, Fasken said.

There are no plans to rezone any of the 96 acres of land for commercial or residential uses, he added.

Although the initial construction budget is set at $70 million, more could be spent over the project's lifespan, he added. Included in the budget is the purchase price of the land, which was not released.

The City of Kitchener has already been in talks to use part of the property for a centralized maintenance facility, Zehr said: "Quite some time ago, we added this site as one of the possibilities for our consolidated maintenance facility."

Besides the Goodrich plant property, another option is to bring the city's maintenance fleet together on two properties at 41 and 75 Ardelt Place. There is also a third option, which involves using the current sites at the Elmsdale Drive operations centre, a Strasburg Road site in the Huron Industrial Park area and the Battler Road yard facility.

Zehr said a decision will likely be made in the fall.

The city wants to consolidate its maintenance and public works yards because the workers, trucks and equipment are now scattered across seven different locations and facilities in the city. The current setup is inefficient, space is tight and some of the facilities are old and need significant upgrades, according to studies done for the city.

Also, some of facilities -- such as the Strasburg Road transit fleet centre and the Chandler Parks storage and operations sites -- are leased from the Region of Waterloo, which wants the properties back.

"We are currently examining each of the options," said Hans Gross, the city's director of project administration and economic investment.

The city has also already approved, as a future capital works project, an extension to connect the intersection of Goodrich Drive and Wabanaki Drive to the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Wabanaki Drive.

According to a report by Stantec, consolidating the entire maintenance and public works fleet on one site could require about 290,000 square feet and an investment of $60 million to $80 million, excluding land costs.

This is good news for Kitchener :) ! Given the shortage of industrial land in the central city, this will help free some up. All that's really left is this, plus the Rockway Business Park which is already under construction. All the other available industrial land is in Cambridge. Of course, Waterloo still has lots of land in the Research & Technology Park, but that won't be accomodating industry.

[Cambridgite]

You forgot to add in the 45 medical students (phase 2) and their faculty/support staff. Plus the school of optometry is opening up a downtown research office in the building (iirc it has already opened temporarily at Victoria School). Plus, since we're talking about students Downtown let's not forget that WLU's Faculty of Social Work only opened a year ago - we should add in those numbers as well to give a better idea of spin-off effects. I've even heard talk of the city donating the land where their Maintenance Facility sits right beside the new UW Health Campus in order for the campus to expand in the future. Let's be clear, this is a MAJOR improvement to Downtown Kitchener. If Snark doesn't seem to understand this, it must be because he was defending the commie-blocks that London is building and even going as far as making a comparison between the commie-blocks and the Eiffel Tower. :haha: Sorry Snark, but the UW Health Campus is a modern building that is being built on/near a future LRT station and that will attract hundreds of people downtown on a daily basis :)

Thanks for the info! I didn't even know they were leaving room for expansion :cheers: ! As for London's commie-blocks....easy now.. those are some beautiful works of art! :haha: Imagine having all your new developments look like the Regency at Weber and Queen! :yuck:


I agree, it is frustrating that many projects are taking longer than anticipated. I've noticed this is true even for some Toronto and Hamilton developments. The only projects that seem to proceed quickly are the commie-blocks, thankfully we have a lot more interesting developments Uptown/Downtown.

I haven't seen any recent commie-block developments in downtown Toronto. I could see Hamilton approving such a thing though. I'd take centre block, bauer lofts, and UW school of Pharmacy over blank-wall commie blocks any day.


No clue when it opens, but I'll try to snap a photo this weekend. As for living downtown, I'm in phase 2 of Kaufmans which was delayed by 4 months :( so I don't actually move for another 5 months now (end of January). In regards to the loft pictures I posted, that is part of Phase 1. I do think it's a really cool unit. :yes: (sorry I didn't really answer your previous post)

Ah, that's too bad. You'll have to let me know what it's like living downtown after you move there. I've been forced to live in suburbs my whole life. :yuck:

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1) Good work posting that Hamilton thread. That is exactly the kind of idea I had in mind.
2) Club Ren does draw in people across the metro. It even draws in people from surrounding areas from time to time, but then that is very much a two-way street. (ie. I've seen people from Hamilton at ren, but then I've also gone to Hamilton's Embassy). I was never inside the Sugar Factory before. While you were touring, did you get a chance to step in - if so what were your thoughts?

I'm not gay, so I've actually never heard of Embassy or been inside Ren. I almost went into Ren with my gay/bi friends when I was drunk, but it was closed by the time we got there. I'm not sure what "the code" is in gay bars, but I know how agressive things can be in straight bars in terms of sexual attention. So the only reason I even considered going into Ren (other than the alcohol) was that my bi (female) friend was going to dance with me the whole time. That way I had no risk of any unwanted grinding, etc.

I never actually went into the sugar factory. I'm not a big art and galleries/ fashion buff. I like the look, feel, amenity, and convenience of urban areas, but I'm not much into art galleries, expensive clothing/dining, and overly frequent coffee shops that urbanites' tastes are often viewed as being associated with. If you're into that kind of stuff, I'd suggest you check it out though.

3) True , like you said the city itself can't create any district only accommodate one. However that holds true for any zone though- ie. even as the city wants to build on the arts that exist downtown - it can't actually do this but can only help out. Similar how the City of Toronto can't create a "Yorkville" or a "China Town" or a "Little Italy" or a "Danforth/Greek Zone" etc.. but it can work with each of those communities to try and help out- possibly special signage, a different sidewalk, unique lighting, etc.. IMO, one of the things that makes Toronto great is the diversity downtown - how it has these countless different zones - i find this very cool and interesting to walk through. My experience walking in Toronto has led me to believe that we should try and establish these districts as well, obviously we won't be able to support as many though since we are a much smaller city. However we could probably start to support a little asian village, a gay corner/village, an arts district, and I'd love to see a nighclub/bar strip, etc..

I agree with your points about Toronto and I feel the exact same way. The districts are very distinct from one another, but they transition really well. What I was saying a while back about "the block that rocks" was that I'd really like to see that entertainment district come back to Kitchener. I think the downtown campuses could potentially be a big boost for it. It's tragic that Sammy's closed down and basically everything fell with it.

It's funny you mentioned an "Asian village" for downtown Kitchener. If you travel east on King street into the market district, you'll notice a large number of Asian businesses in that area, mostly Vietnamese. It's not huge or very busy, but it provides something to work with. New City Supermarket, Hong Kong Plaza, Ben Thanh, and Pho Da Bo are the major Asian businesses that come to mind when I think of that area. A new mom & pop business recently opened up around King and Cedar actually. It's called "authentic smoothie". It's pretty small and underground right now, but it's a great place to get bubble tea...mmm. The couple who run it just immigrated from Vietnam. They don't speak English very well, but they're very nice and laid back. Last time I was in there, they seemed to talk to the customers a lot. It's the kind of business that I think helps to improve a sense of community. I suggest you check it out, at least once you move in. Their noodles are good too and I hope the place sticks around.

I think the ideal place for an arts district would be the warehouse district, north of the train tracks. In Cambridge, the recent influx of immigrants from India and migration from Mississauga/Brampton could probably support some form of a little India in Galt. However, a lot of them live in the suburbs north of Galt and the Indian businesses that have opened up have all been in strip malls :( . And of course, there's long been a market for Portuguese and Newfie in Cambridge as well. I'm sure other districts could evolve in all downtown areas, although I expect uptown Waterloo will continue to cater mainly to students.

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- We do need to bring back a "block that rocks". I'm not sure I want it back at the exact same location though, since I kinda prefer that section of King Street to be mostly retail and a few restaurants. Old Factories could also work well for a nightclub district. It would take some work, but I'm thinking perhaps Breithaupt St. Try to have one of the factories converted into a nightclub (ie. a mini version of Toronto's GUV). Then close off the block in front of the club to vehicles. Have the homes/businesses on the other side converted into bars/patios with some restaurants.

Old factories definitely could work for multi-storey clubs. In the case of Breithaupt Street, we'd have to also consider how close it is to residential areas. NIMBY is a possible concern there. If done right, closing the street to vehicles could work at certain times of the day. I like the idea of having homes converted into bars/patios/restaurants. I've seen it work in St. John's (NFLD) George street, Hamilton's Hess street, and Toronto's Baldwin street. They're all pretty amazing places. However, we need to develop more of a pedestrian culture and vibrancy to downtown Kitchener before I think this could spread its way up there. The revitalization of the northwestern part of the core (Kaufmans, Pharmacy, Lang Tannery, Icon, retail) should help. Also, access to the LRT could help enable people from further afield to have better access, plus not have to park their car on the street.

The biggest thing going against this is the demand for residential in these industrial buildings. There are only so many to go around and as we've seen around the region, they're getting snatched up pretty quickly. There are no industrial buildings left to convert in Waterloo (we had Seagrams, Bridgeport, and Bauer). Kitchener has seen conversions of Kaufmans, Mansion, Arrow, some offices (including Peer Group), smaller buildings into artist's studios, and may possibly see the Lang Tannery being converted. Cambridge has seen conversions of UW Architecture, Spruce street lofts, Tiger Lofts, and Grand Lofts. Considering how these have all seen conversion in a relatively short time frame (Seagrams was the first, in 1999, and there was a gap before all the others), the city will have to act fast in order to ensure industrial buildings will be kept for these other uses as well. Luckily for Kitchener, it still has the greatest available supply.


- Asian District: you're right, we do have the beginnings of one.
- Art District: I agree factories also work well here as well. I think we have enough though that we could share them between an arts and entertainment zone.

I'd like to see an arts and entertainment zone evolve from them too.


EDIT: Although I like my proposal for a club/bar district, I actually want to wait for one event to occur before I make a final decision. Basically, I want to wait until I hear more details regarding the idea of a new arena. I'm hoping the arena would be downtown, and if that's the case, I would rather build the entertainment district around the arena.

Why do we need an arena right downtown? Where would we put it? How would an entertainment district be more successful because of it? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm not seeing the connection between an entertainment district and an arena. Personally, I don't think we need an arena right in the heart of downtown. The current Auditorium site is perfect. It has access to the Conestoga Parkway, ample parking, and will be near the LRT's Ottawa station. I think we could reconstruct a new arena on the same site when the demand warrants it. While true that people who use the arena could spend time and money downtown after, the arena sits unused most of the time and would effectively create a gap in the downtown core.

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Why do we need an arena right downtown? How would an entertainment district be more successful because of it?
I really like downtown arenas such as the Air Canada Centre, Copps Coliseum, John Labatt Centre, GM Place, GM Centre (Oshawa), Bell Centre, etc.. Another downtown arena is currently being built in Kingston (http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/recreation/arenas/sports-entertainment-centre/?) If done right, I think it adds a great deal to the amenities downtown: hockey games, concerts, trade shows. Programmed properly, it could bring thousands of people downtown every third day or so (and we can always build from there). In terms of a 'dead street-scape', I'd propose to put retail/restaurants along the base wherever possible so that the arena becomes a part of downtown and is not just a wall. Since an arena is an entertainment venue, I think it would fit in nicely with an entertainment district. People could go out for a meal in the district before a hockey game, and go out for a pitcher after the Rangers win. After a pop concert, I imagine many people would want to go out drinking. The two areas would feed off each other.

I like your idea of putting restaurants and bars along the ground floor of the arena. Even the Ice Park in Cambridge actually does this (have their own bar and grill).


Where would we put it?
Option 1: The Manulife Parking lot bounded by Charles, Water, Joseph and Francis. This would be cool if the Lang Tannery was turned into lofts, and an entertainment zone.
Option 2: The Block east of the Market bounded by King, Cedar, Duke and Madison (similar to London). There are houses currently there, but they aren't that significant. We could turn King Street East into a party zone.
Option 3: Not downtown, but in the urban area - the Sunlife Parking Lot that I've mentioned before. Then we could turn King West into an entertainment zone.


I don't agree with these options. They are a little too central and are prime real estate for other functions. They will also leave the Auditorium obsolete once the new arena is built.


Current Auditorium site: I prefer an urban arena first. If that doesn't happen, then the current site does have a lot of good qualities which you mentioned. I could support the redevelopment of the current Aud as my second option.

Interesting Arena Site: It actually ranks Kitchener's Aud #1 http://www.ohlarenaguide.com/top20table.htm

I think the site of the Aud is great. If you look at Kitchener's mixed-use corridors concept, the King East corridor will extend all the way past Ottawa street. Not only will there be an LRT station there, but there are also a lot of brownfields and vacant lots to work with. King/Ottawa could certainly become Kitchener's "Yonge/Eglington", so to speak. Granted, this would happen after the LRT construction and the pressures for reurbanization would have to work their way from the downtown out. The Aud is not too far from this theoretical node and if arena goers can walk from the ACC to TO's entertainment district, they can sure walk from the Aud to King/Ottawa.

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I respectfully disagree. I'm going to look at Winnipeg's MTS Arena as an example of what I like. In terms of population I know we're at 500,000 now, but realistically by the time the arena is built we'll probably have another 50,000. In 20 years we should be close to 700,000 (Winnipeg's current population), so a comparison to a larger city would be planning for the future in terms of the size our arena and the quality. Let's have a look at MTS Arena: Capacity for hockey is 15,003 and it's an urban arena on one of their main streets.

very close to the main intersection
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/MTSCentreWinnipeg.jpg

pics from flickr:

tall building on the right
http://l.yimg.com/www.flickr.com/images/spaceball.gif

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/119665233_2eed83c1d2.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/467636758_bfe1122ae0.jpg?v=0

restaurant on the street (although maybe we could do more?)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/9/12227258_e0e517728c.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/2/1689253_cef624ccd4.jpg?v=0

right on the main street - more buildings on it's left
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/2/1689262_2f8c829dd3.jpg?v=0

Good point about preparing for future growth. An arena of similar statue would fare well for Waterloo Region. I do in fact like the MTS. Something like MTS or even the John Labbat Centre is the kind of quality I'd be looking for AT A MINIMUM. The parking absolutely would have to be done underground. I was worrying the design would look more like the ACC, with blank walls and a massive surface parking lot beside it. The ACC is particularly bad since it's cut off from the rest of downtown by the expressway. I wouldn't want to see anything like that shoved into downtown Kitchener on prime land. Even worse, I wouldn't want to see what happened in Ottawa happen here (rink was placed by the highway in the middle of nowhere).

Basically, I think this building looks awesome. This is the type of proposal I would like to see for Kitchener. Compare this to where the Aud presently sites (a spawly site - although not that far from downtown). Since you thought the block right beside the market was too close, I moved my proposal one block down (again nothing too historical there). There should be an LRT station somewhere around the market, so you'd only have to walk a block to this site.

[QUOTE=WaterlooInvestor;3036016]http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa262/AndrewEH/KitchenerAud-MyNewProposedSite.jpg)

As far as the Aud area being "sprawly", it's not that bad. It's actually in the area where Kitchener's urban, prewar housing stock transitions into early 1950s automobile suburbia. The streets are still a pretty consistent grid and the location is central. Now Fischer-Hallman and Ottawa...that's sprawly ;) !

I don't like the idea of bulldozing homes in the market area. The homes are not abandoned (to my knowledge, at least), so you're dealing with expropriation and urban renewal. In all honesty, I like the idea of developing it on the Manulife parking lot much better and think it would blend in better with its surroundings.

As for what to do with the current Aud. There are other teams that play there (baseball and football). As well we could just expand the programing from the other twin pads, and now have a 3rd pad. We could also convert it into another use as London did with their old arena (now a cycling velodrome).

Good idea. :tup:

I like your idea to build attractions (in this case the arena) around LRT stations. I also like your idea to build up King and Ottawa.

What I don't like about the current site is how the Aud is hidden and spawly. I would like this site better if the new arena was proposed to be built as an urban arena right at the intersection of Weber/Ottawa. Now that would require the demolition of those homes, so before I'd say for certain I'd just have to run through to make sure there's nothing really to save (ie. if it's just standard housing stock). I'd also like to see Ottawa built up and urbanized so that it would be a nice walk from the LRT station to the arena (as opposed to the strip plazas that currently exist). Then I'd also like to see a master plan to redevelop and urbanize the Aud site- put in some condo towers, etc...

For myself, this is still only a Plan B though. However if my Plan A fell through, I could support this concept as well. As a comparison, I would never support a plan to put the arena out at Fisher-Hallman/expressway or somewhere extremely suburban like that.

Yeah, I agree. The Aud is pretty hidden, but I'm not sure why that's such a huge concern. There's really no point in demolishing peoples' homes to build a new arena site when there's an existing site around the corner. Leaving the arena aside, I think the redevelopment of the strip malls on Ottawa, east of King would be a great idea for the development of the King/Ottawa district. Preferably developed into mixed-use, with retail on the bottom, housing on top.

Describe your idea of an Aud redevelopment in more detail. What would the site look like in your opinion?

Well, originally, my plan was to bulldoze the Aud and it's parking spaces, create an amazing arena complex facing Ottawa street, that incorporated street front retail. A parking garage would be available in the back of the arena. Have mixed-use development spurring along the north side of Ottawa, all the way to King (and the LRT). This mixed-use development could create an interesting district and make the walk from the arena to the LRT station psychologically shorter. Acknowledging that some people will still drive there, the current Aud site is right next to the expressway, so it would minimize the amount of cars driving through our arterials to get to the arena.

If this wont work, the Manulife parking lot you mentioned has the potential to work really well. However, I would like the space developed very efficiently (with street front retail). Other uses would have to be combined into the site such as high rise residential or office. Absolutely no surface parking or above-ground parking garages allowed!! The same thing could happen with the huge parking lot behind Market Square (another 1960s monstrosity that should be demolished).

Of course, none of this really matters if we don't get an NHL team in Waterloo Region anyways. Let's hope Bettman falls off a cliff :) !! Either that, or gets kicked in the head by a donkey, wakes up from his coma and realizes that the best hockey market is in CANADA!! :notacrook:

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[QUOTE=WaterlooInvestor;3036048]
Laurier Golden Hawks and Waterloo Warriors scrimmage at University Stadium yesterday.QUOTE]

I wonder who won!! :haha: :haha:

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I understand your concern about not demolishing homes. However let's just pretend the city is booming, the downtown is growing, and LRT is going to expand the urban area (while maybe we don't have to pretend lol). These homes in question will most likely be demolished anyways. If King/Ottawa is built up (which I like) then I want King Street built up all the way to Ottawa. I'm going to want redevelopment along that entire stretch, which means many homes will have to be demolished. Whether it's to build a new arena or residential towers the death of those homes will be the same. I'd only want to save the homes with particular heritage value. I don't recall many heritage homes in that zone.

The same would go if we put an Aud on Ottawa street where you're proposing. If that's the case, then don't we want to redevelop Ottawa Street as well, which means tearing down those homes at Ottawa and Weber anyways? If those homes are going to be demolished anyways, I'd rather have the Aud at a more prominant location such as right at the Ottawa/Weber intersection, than just on Ottawa.

I like some of your ideas. As I mentioned earlier though, if those homes on the north side of Ottawa are going to be demolished and redeveloped anyways, why not try to put the Aud right at the intersection of Ottawa/Weber? I think that would spur Ottawa/Weber to redevelop as well. The arena would be a huge venue for us and I'd like it to be displayed prominately.


I realize that most of these homes don't have any particular heritage value, but my concern has more to do with human rights than anything. People live in these homes and in order to demolish them, you need to expropriate them. By expropriating them, you will disturb those homeowners and require them to leave their house behind and move elsewhere. Now, if the city could just buy the house for it's proper value after they were done living there, it would be a different story.

By the way, good news about the School of International Affairs! :cheers:

However, you gotta wonder why they didn't have a public consultation for it. Ah well, Waterloo Region is an innovative community, and that includes our nimbys!! They can find a reason to protest just about any positive development. "That school will create more traffic on Erb street!" "It's too tall!! We're becoming a big city and bullets will fly in our backyards!" "I don't want drunken students puking on my front lawn!!" :haha:

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:previous: Just when you thought the engineering buildings weren't large and confusing enough! It's getting to be one huge faculty indeed! :cheers:

I like how they're finally redeveloping some parking lots around campus and look forward to the renderings. :)

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This info comes to us from Thryve on SSC:

Exciting news!

Today at the BarrelYards, there was pile-driving going on for soil testing, or whatever that is called. This was happening over near the Rec Complex. At Erb Street and Father David Bauer Drive, the rendering and leasing sign for the Barrelyards Office complex is up!!! PHOTO COMING TOMORROW.

Initial impressions:

I would describe it as our own "Project Symphony" a la Toronto. Very conservative design and not overly prominent at such a prime corner, but definitely attractive! It looked so basic in initial renderings but it is clear that it will be two 7/8 floor buildings joined by a 4-floor glass atrium! That's going to be awesome! There will be retail at base. There will be 225,000 sq. ft. of office space in the complex. Only now has it hit me how much larger than the Waterloo Town Square office buildings this will be... they are large for three floors, but this baby is actually going to reach 8 floors.

In the rendering, you can see a new angle of the preliminary hotel design, which looks to be quite contemporary, almost drawing on the Perimeter Institude in its shape. The hotel should be quite promising, and will face onto Erb Street with retail.

Just be patient for a night, and tomorrow the rendering/leasing signage will be posted.


My thoughts:

Awesome! I can't wait to see the render. I wonder why they were testing near the Rec Complex, is Auburn looking to start sales and build the condos fairly soon? Let's hope :) The offices sound good, I love the main floor retail. This office space is greatly needed as the Region's vacancy rate is a low 4.4%. IMO, Waterloo Region probably needs at least 1 million sq ft built in the next few years.

YAY!! It's beginning! :banana:

It looked like a decent building to me. I'm glad they have retail along the bottom floor. Continuing to build office space uptown like this will do wonders in encouraging transit ridership, including the LRT. However, is that a parking lot I see in front of the building?! Put the parking underground!!:hell: If you need to have loads of surface parking out front, that's what Sportsworld Crossing is for!!

Speaking of Sportsworld Crossing...
http://www.sportsworldcrossing.com/

Also, why are there no improvements to transit routes in Cambridge? (other than the ones that link to Kitchener)

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Good news! The Overland Hotel (former cesspool) is becoming a mixed-use development! :)

http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/cam/news/news_867974.html

Overland Hotel owner butting heads with city over renovation plans
Ray Martin, Cambridge


Overland Hotel


(Aug 31, 2007)
Jim Litster is finding out the hard way it isn't easy to make a silk purse or anything close to it out of the Pig's Ear.

Litster owns the Overland Hotel, also known as Pig's Ear at 18 Concession St., and is busy with a small team of workers trying to fix up the dilapidated hotel following a fire which forced its closure last December.

The blaze, although minor, will cost in excess of $500,000 to set right, Litster said. He has already put on a new roof and painted the building's exterior, but that's relatively simple as compared with what Litster has planned inside the century-old Concession Street landmark.

Inside, the building has been gutted and Litster's crew is in the midst of completing the structural work required.

"What I want to do is turn the main floor into commercial (space) and build 12 bachelor apartments on the second floor," he said.

The plans also call for the demolition of an old addition facing the corner of Concession Street and Veterans Way and a two-storey addition adjacent to an ally. He has also ripped out the ugly exterior fire escapes in favour of creating internal stairwells to meet the fire code requirements and make the building look better.

The Cambridge man is working to not only clean up the property, but also its image in the community. His idea is to find a business to fill the main floor, while the second level would become modest housing for students or homeless people with no police records.

"My biggest problem right now is the city," he said.

While fire and police officials have encouraged his work, Litster is butting heads with the city's building and planning department. This coming week, Litster is slated to sit down with planning commissioner Janet Babcock to try to sort things out.

"This building is part of the Galt core area and we have an incentive program in place that encourages new development, encourages re-development to achieve good development," Babcock said. "It doesn't make any sense for us to make him keep things the way they are. We want to work with him to do everything we can to help."

Babcock said the problems Litster has had with the city to date have been "a miscommunication", which resulted from a number of questions she had raised about the project.

If the issues can't be sorted out prior to the completion of the structural work on the building, Litster will forge ahead with a fallback plan. He is prepared to stick with the building's existing use instead of trying to improve it if the outstanding issues can't be resolved. He will open a bar/restaurant on the main floor and rebuild the old hotel rooms on the upper level.

"When I bought this building I didn't expect I'd have to do the renovations this quickly. Things I'd planned on doing over time are now being done in a year," he said. "For me time is money, and I don't have time to waste fighting with the city."

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You are mistaken. That is the train station's parking lot and has nothing to do with the Barrel Yards. That said, as we've recently seen high interest in Uptown Waterloo (ie. all the developers looking at the Seagrams land), hopefully a proposal will be put forward to develop the train station's parking lot in the next few years.

Upon closer inspection on Google Maps, you are right. THANK GOD! I almost had a stroke, thinking they'd build a big parking lot in front of the office buildings. For the train station parking lot, I'd hope they redevelop it into a mixed use building with sort of a triangular shape. 5-6 storeys would do for the site. Just as long as they use an original name and design and don't call it "the Flatiron". :haha:

By the way, does anyone have any information about the "commons of uptown Waterloo" project that was proposed years ago and was cancelled? I'd like to see a lot of those ideas ressurected or even improved at some point. I think we're far more ready for it now than we were back then. Maybe we could enhance our public square and Caroline streetscape by getting rid of that damn mall!! :P


I think it's only because Cambridge has seen improvements the last few years, ie. bringing the old Cambridge Transit up closer to the old Kitchener Transit service levels. Perhaps GRT is taking a bit of a pause in Cambridge this year, to see how those improvements are faring out. (just a guess) Of course the iXpress is a nice improvement - see article below.

I heard a couple years ago that transit ridership has improved dramatically in Cambridge. I wonder how much of that had to do with better connections to KW, where destinations are more transit supportive. The iXpress service improvements are absolutely essential. It is easily one of the busiest routes and it connects so many major terminals.

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7 Days...
http://www.exchangemagazine.com/html/newpublic/Xmedia/ExchangeVol24No8/images/ExchSept07pg06.jpg

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/html/newpublic/Xmedia/ExchangeVol24No8/images/ExchSept07pg10.jpg

Awesome! I look forward to the updates. I will be gone to Sauble for the next week, so don't be too surprised about me not making any posts for the next little while. I'm sure I'll have lots to read and comment on when I get back.

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http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/233135

Ah, the loft life

PETER LEE, RECORD STAFF
Paul Nieder sits outside the Kaufman Lofts in downtown Kitchener. Nieder and his wife are among buyers at the Kaufman Lofts frustrated by long delays. They got married and expected to move in a year ago, but are still waiting.
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PETER LEE, RECORD STAFF

Paul Nieder sits outside the Kaufman Lofts in downtown Kitchener. Nieder and his wife are among buyers at the Kaufman Lofts frustrated by long delays. They got married and expected to move in a year ago, but are still waiting.

PETER LEE, RECORD STAFF

Paul Nieder sits outside the Kaufman Lofts in downtown K ...

PETER LEE, RECORD STAFF
Paul Nieder sits outside the Kaufman Lofts in downtown Kitchener. Nieder and his wife are among buyers at the Kaufman Lofts frustrated by long delays. They got married and expected to move in a year ago, but are still waiting.
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August 25, 2007
BRIAN CALDWELL
RECORD STAFF

KITCHENER

Paul and Anne Nieder had their new life together all mapped out.

After getting married last summer, the couple planned to return from their honeymoon and move into a trendy loft condominium in downtown Kitchener.

Then registered letters from their developer started arriving -- a string of them.

Six times, the date to move into their one-bedroom, $150,000 unit at the Kaufman Lofts in a historic footwear factory was pushed back.

Almost two years after buying and a full year after they expected, the Nieders are finally scheduled to get the keys to their new home at the corner of King and Francis streets on Sept. 7.

But until then, the newlyweds will remain apart while living with their respective parents.

"It's like we're dating," said Paul, 30. "I don't know what marriage is like because we have not lived together for one day since we were married."

The couple are thankful to have understanding folks.

Looking on the bright side, they also say repeated delays have given them a chance to save money and pay down debts before taking on a mortgage.

Other frustrated buyers at the high-profile project, however, don't see anything positive about being strung along a few months at a time while their lives are on hold.

Many of them have logged on to a networking website to complain, commiserate and speculate about what is going on with the project.

Seventy condominium units are now occupied on the first three floors of the Kaufman Lofts, which will eventually have 270 units on six floors.

Dave Nguyen and his girlfriend, Gina Dimi, bought a $200,000, two-bedroom condo in the first phase of the two-phase conversion last October.

They were looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto and considered it a good investment with a new school of pharmacy and a satellite medical school being built across the road.

Initially told they could take occupancy in March, they had their move-in date delayed three times to Aug. 20.

With just 11 days to go, they got a telephone call from Andrin Homes, the Brampton-based developer, advising them their move-in had been postponed yet again to mid-September.

By then, the first-time homebuyers had given up their Toronto apartment, rented a truck and booked time off work to make the move. They, too, are now living with their parents and doubt the new date will hold up.

"It has left a foul taste in my mouth," said Nguyen, 27. "It's ruined our whole experience.

"I feel like they've taken my money and it's like, 'You're ours now and we can do whatever we want.' That's exactly how I've been treated."

Several buyers who agreed to speak publicly said they had little or no idea that their move-in dates could be delayed so long or that they aren't protected by a provincial warranty program on new homes and new condos.

"Just be honest with us," said Jenni Boville, who is worried her unit won't be finished until next summer.

"Stop giving us dates and then changing them."

Anne Marchildon, vice-president of sales and marketing for Andrin Homes, said a lack of awareness about possible delays is a problem in a market where conversion loft projects -- which often have unexpected construction challenges -- are relatively new.

She defended the delays as necessary -- caused largely by the addition of two floors to the original four-storey structure because of strong demand -- but sympathized with buyers.

"We're on the phone every day with people," Marchildon said.

"We absolutely understand how frustrated everyone is."

She said tentative occupancy dates given to buyers when they sign on the dotted line are a "best guess" based on sales and construction estimates, and delays are common on such projects.

Marchildon conceded, in hindsight, that the delays probably should have been longer each time so people didn't get their hopes dashed over and over.

She also said the company should have done a better job of explaining the reasons to buyers.

But given a choice between rushing people into the building and making sure everything was done right, she said, Andrin opted to maintain the standards it has set while developing almost 3,000 housing units, mostly in southern Ontario, since 1989.

"We're not compromising quality just so we can get a date, get people in and start charging occupancy fees," Marchildon said.

Nieder, for one, appreciates that approach. He looks down the street at the Eaton's Lofts -- a stalled conversion project where residents have launched a $46-million lawsuit in a bid to get it safely finished -- and knows it could be worse.

"I'm frustrated, but I don't blame them for what happened," he said. "I still feel they're doing it the right way."

Although not legally obliged to, Marchildon said Andrin will compensate buyers like Nguyen who received particularly short notice of a delay this month.

Andrin will pay moving and storage costs, plus $100 a day to put people up in hotels, meeting or exceeding terms under the warranty program.

"Nobody is being left in the lurch," Marchildon said. "We are going above and beyond what most builders in the same situation have done in the past."

Still, Nguyen was so disgusted with the latest delay that he flatly rejected the offer of a hotel room, refusing to "live out of a gym bag." He is now thinking of selling his unit.

"There's no more excitement," he said. "I don't really care if they delay me anymore or not."

Dan Straus, 23, has taken it a step further. He went to see a real estate agent this week about listing his $235,000, two-bedroom condo in Phase 2.

He bought in February 2006 and has already had his original occupancy date pushed back more than a year to March 2008. Based on the experiences of earlier buyers, he has no confidence it'll be ready by then.

With plans to get married next summer, he wants to protect his investment, move on and put his money into a safer bet.

"We're not sure if we're going to have a place to live or not," Straus said. "I can understand a delay of a few months, maybe, but a year is ridiculous."

Boville, a single, 36-year-old nurse, said she suspects unrealistically early occupancy dates were part of the sales pitch when units went on the market.

When she bought in June 2006, she said, the salesperson suggested her new home could be ready months in advance of the tentative occupancy of April 2007.

In fact, her move-in date was recently pushed back to March 2008 and Boville has little confidence Andrin will hit that target after several previous delays.

She can see the building from the window of her rented apartment and is discouraged by the construction progress on Phase 2, where units are still just shells.

"I bought new furniture and it's going to be old furniture by the time I move in," Boville said. "Everything is just kind of on hold."

Marchildon denied buyers were misled when they put down their money, saying they should have known delays were possible because it is spelled out in documents.

"It's very clear in the agreement that it is a tentative date," she said. "The reality is a lot of people don't necessarily read all of the documentation they're given."

bcaldwell@therecord.com

KAUFMAN LOFTS AND ANDRIN HOMES

Kaufman Lofts

410 King St. W., between Francis and Victoria streets.

Former Kaufman Footwear factory.

270 condominium units on six floors.

Base price: $115,990 to $221,990.

70 units now occupied on first three floors.

Phase one (155 units) slated for completion in October/ November.

One of several loft conversions planned in Waterloo Region.

Andrin Homes

Founded in 1989.

Based in Brampton.

Almost 3,000 residential units developed (houses, townhouses, condos).

Most projects in suburban southern Ontario.

One previous loft conversion in Dallas, Texas.

Now negotiating to develop mixed, $90-million project on city-owned land in downtown Kitchener.

Centre Block proposal includes new condos in 12- and 18-storey buildings.

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