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General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - Printable Version

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RE: Mayfair Hotel - LakesidePark - 06-10-2015

When I loved in the Kaufman Lofts, I frequented as many downtown shops as I could. I made a point of doing my errands & shopping there. I went and still go to the market every Saturday. Now I live on what you would call the fringe of the downtown core. Close to St Mary's Hospital. My friends and I support the downtown bars & eateries- why because it is close- I can walk or grab the bus home after some drinks. I still try to frequent as many downtown business as I can. I can honestly say I do 90% of my shopping within a 3 km radius of my house. My point is I make the effort.
Yes there are some areas that do not look like a poster out of Home & Gardens Magazine- get over it. I attended highschool in the mid 80's downtown and I can promise you that there were just as many seedy areas.
I think the city and the Region are going in the right direction, but this will take time. Business will come & go until the right mix is found.


RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - 519 - 06-11-2015

(06-09-2015, 08:09 AM)MidTowner Wrote: I'm really curious what happens along this stretch. Now that it has been widened, and will be taking over for King as a primary vehicle route between Kitchener and Waterloo, those single family homes there are going to be worth more as building lots than single family homes. There are a lot of spots suitable for redevelopment. Obviously it will take a much different form than along the King corridor, but it would be nice to see some multi-family development, even if relatively low-density. And especially some retail. I wonder how long that will take.

A similar trend seems to be happening in Courtland Ave. approaching downtown/Victoria Park... or at least the property owners there seem to think so (me included).  

1. There's a big hole in the ground where a low-rise apartment building is supposed to go up (posted by someone else in this forum).  This used to be two run-down century homes on large lots.

2. Next to that are two semi-houses (both are legal duplex I think) that are up for sale (the two lots could make up another low-rise apartment). MLS Listing

3. There's also a commercial listing for this lot at Courtland and Peter ICX Listing 

4. I've seen a few listings in the last year with "Development Opportunity" on top of the standard For Sale sign (not sure if any were sold). 
    
While I don't see this becoming a mix use area but I can see a build up of medium density housing given its proximity to downtown,  LRT, and highway access.


RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - Markster - 06-11-2015

(06-11-2015, 11:45 AM)519 Wrote: While I don't see this becoming a mix use area but I can see a build up of medium density housing given its proximity to downtown,  LRT, and highway access.
Not to mention the newly approved 204 iXpress stop Wink

I think that Courtland has nearly as much potential as Queen S. There's a lot of potential to build Red-style apartments along the street. It already has a mixed-use character, with commercial tucked in-between residential.


RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - white_brian - 06-11-2015

There are a few groups going around offering to buy your home "as is" along Courtland. My mother has been approached by three different groups, they are not offering a very good prices yet!


RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - 519 - 06-11-2015

(06-11-2015, 01:54 PM)white_brian Wrote: There are a few groups going around offering to buy your home "as is" along Courtland. My mother has been approached by three different groups, they are not offering a very good prices yet!

I'm not looking to cash out or anything but my home is on a 48'x175' lot.  There are two not so well maintained homes to the left of me with similar lot size. They will probably end up getting purchased by one of these groups at some point.


RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - panamaniac - 06-11-2015

(06-11-2015, 01:54 PM)white_brian Wrote: There are a few groups going around offering to buy your home "as is" along Courtland. My mother has been approached by three different groups, they are not offering a very good prices yet!

I don't know about Courtland between Rockway GC and Ottawa St, but there would seem to be no downside to waiting to sell on Courtland between Stirling and Benton Sts.  Once a clearer picture emerges for any redevelopment of the Schneider lands, I'd think there'd be good upside for properties along Courtland.  Some bits, especially between Borden and Stirling, are just waiting to be redeveloped when the time is right, I should think.


RE: Mayfair Hotel - BuildingScout - 06-12-2015

(06-09-2015, 01:55 PM)tomh009 Wrote: David's Gourmet was too early: only the Kaufman Lofts was occupied then, as I recall, and that's not enough to make a difference.  Once City Centre and One Victoria are occupied (and Arrow Lofts already is), there will be a lot more people living in downtown Kitchener.  (But there is already competition for David's in the core, too much so, I think for them to succeed.)

I'm afraid that even then it won't be enough, judging from other urban examples. We are going from 0 buildings to 1 (Kaufman) to 3 (Kaufman+One Victoria+City Centre) so while the increase sounds like a lot, density is still extremely low in that area as far as downtown urban districts are concerned. We will need the other City Centre tower as well as the two towers in One Hundred Victoria before we start seeing critical mass. The transit hub will help a lot as the fact that a trip to downtown will be a breeze away when the LRT is in place. Then we'll see a clear pickup.


RE: Mayfair Hotel - Owen - 06-12-2015

(06-12-2015, 09:47 AM)BuildingScout Wrote:
(06-09-2015, 01:55 PM)tomh009 Wrote: David's Gourmet was too early: only the Kaufman Lofts was occupied then, as I recall, and that's not enough to make a difference.  Once City Centre and One Victoria are occupied (and Arrow Lofts already is), there will be a lot more people living in downtown Kitchener.  (But there is already competition for David's in the core, too much so, I think for them to succeed.)

I'm afraid that even then it won't be enough, judging from other urban examples. We are going from 0 buildings to 1 (Kaufman) to 3 (Kaufman+One Victoria+City Centre) so while the increase sounds like a lot, density is still extremely low in that area as far as downtown urban districts are concerned. We will need the other City Centre tower as well as the two towers in One Hundred Victoria before we start seeing critical mass. The transit hub will help a lot as the fact that a trip to downtown will be a breeze away when the LRT is in place. Then we'll see a clear pickup.

This brings up my biggest issue with the LRT - "a trip downtown is a breeze away when the LRT is in place" ... for who?? Maybe a few folks who happen to live around the line, but not for most residents of the city (and by most I mean everyone in Wards 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8). I understand the planning rationale for creating a corridor that induces development (and a long-term shift in population from the suburbs to condos along that corridor), but I really wish the LRT as more useful for more existing residents - meaning it had lines that extended out into the existing suburbs to the east and west and made it easy for people to come downtown as a destination. I get it - that was way out of the budget - but presently I have a hard time seeing how the LRT would help me get anywhere I want to go (have you ever found yourself on King street saying "gee, I really wish I could hope on a train and get to uptown waterloo?") ... most of the city's residents (again, everyone in Ward 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8) live outside walking distance from the LRT, which means they will have to keep driving everywhere they want to go.

Since the province is now providing 100% funding for this sort of thing we should be lobbying for a Phase II LRT that adds loops from the outer areas into the core to augment the main line!


RE: Mayfair Hotel - panamaniac - 06-12-2015

Are there any recent figures on the number of people living Downtown (however defined)?  I know that the employment numbers have been rising, although it has been some time since I've seen any figures for that as well.

Edit:  Sorry, that's very off-topic.


RE: Mayfair Hotel - neonjoe - 06-12-2015

The new cross town iXpress routes on Highland/Victoria, Ottawa and University are meant to feed into the LRT for those in the suburbs.


RE: Mayfair Hotel - tomh009 - 06-12-2015

(06-12-2015, 09:47 AM)BuildingScout Wrote: I'm afraid that even then it won't be enough, judging from other urban examples. We are going from 0 buildings to 1 (Kaufman) to 3 (Kaufman+One Victoria+City Centre) so while the increase sounds like a lot, density is still extremely low in that area as far as downtown urban districts are concerned. We will need the other City Centre tower as well as the two towers in One Hundred Victoria before we start seeing critical mass. The transit hub will help a lot as the fact that a trip to downtown will be a breeze away when the LRT is in place. Then we'll see a clear pickup.

Four, including Arrow.  But, yes, it's only the beginning.  Hopefully 100 Victoria will be approved in September and take us that much closer.


RE: Mayfair Hotel - tomh009 - 06-12-2015

(06-12-2015, 10:17 AM)Owen Wrote: This brings up my biggest issue with the LRT - "a trip downtown is a breeze away when the LRT is in place"  ... for who?? 
Maybe a better statement would be a "a trip between downtowns is a breeze".  It'll make downtown Kitchener easily accessible for downtown Waterloo residents, and vice versa.  That is not so much the case now, so it still adds to the critical mass of customers for businesses.


(06-12-2015, 10:17 AM)Owen Wrote: Since the province is now providing 100% funding for this sort of thing we should be lobbying for a Phase II LRT that adds loops from the outer areas into the core to augment the main line!
I agree and I hope they are working on this.  Something along the lines of the old "8-loop" bus route would be good, but really need to focus on areas where there will be (or already is) intensification, and thus enough passengers.


RE: Mayfair Hotel - BuildingScout - 06-12-2015

(06-12-2015, 10:17 AM)Owen Wrote: This brings up my biggest issue with the LRT - "a trip downtown is a breeze away when the LRT is in place"  ... for who?? 

30,000+ students/faculty at UW, 15,000+ at WLU, and the thousands of people who happen to work close to R&T Park, Northfield, and Uptown. I estimate the total number of people who could jump on the LRT and head downtown for lunch or after work dinner around 60,000.


RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - white_brian - 06-12-2015

The area they have been fishing in is the Benton to Stirling stretch. I know a few units have been picked because the for rent signs phone numbers match the phone numbers she was given as contact info.


RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - panamaniac - 06-12-2015

(06-12-2015, 01:57 PM)white_brian Wrote: The area they have been fishing in is the Benton to Stirling stretch. I know a few units have been picked because the for rent signs phone numbers match the phone numbers she was given as contact info.

Both units of the duplex beside the site for the future "Noir", across from Courtland SPS are currently listed for sale.