Welcome Guest!
In order to take advantage of all the great features that Waterloo Region Connected has to offer, including participating in the lively discussions below, you're going to have to register. The good news is that it'll take less than a minute and you can get started enjoying Waterloo Region's best online community right away.
or Create an Account




Thread Rating:
  • 5 Vote(s) - 2.6 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
The Metz (Schneiders site redevelopment)
At the rate Auburn develops thing there will be a variety of ages between the new buildings (e.g. Barrelyards will span at least 15years).
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
Reply


(11-16-2018, 03:55 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: At the rate Auburn develops thing there will be a variety of ages between the new buildings (e.g. Barrelyards will span at least 15years).

Not quite what I meant but, yeah.  Perhaps we'll get lucky and Auburn will sell off some of the site to other developers and we'll get a bit of variety that way (not holding my breath).
Reply
(11-14-2018, 10:28 AM)Spokes Wrote: I'll test the twitter issue some more.  It's been a PITA for a long time.

Thanks for your time and effort to resolve issues. I am going to try Firefox this week just to see what might happen. I still prefer Chrome and think the issue is with Twitter.
Reply
(11-18-2018, 09:57 PM)MacBerry Wrote:
(11-14-2018, 10:28 AM)Spokes Wrote: I'll test the twitter issue some more.  It's been a PITA for a long time.

Thanks for your time and effort to resolve issues. I am going to try Firefox this week just to see what might happen. I still prefer Chrome and think the issue is with Twitter.

Firefox won't load embedded tweets if you have Tracking Protection turned on.
Reply
Here are two drone videos with incredible footage of the demolition:

https://vimeo.com/goneflying/schneiders

https://vimeo.com/goneflying/demopt2


Source: GoneFlying Photography and Media
Reply
Why couldn't they have kept the smokestack? :/ Everyone loves a 'real' smokestack.
Reply
The Grand market district thinks otherwise Wink

Fake ones for the win
Reply


Wow, the back of that office building they are keeping is ugly. Strange they see potential for it, but not the other buildings,
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
Reply
(11-23-2018, 08:04 AM)Pheidippides Wrote: Wow, the back of that office building they are keeping is ugly. Strange they see potential for it, but not the other buildings,

Yes, Schneiders apparently didn't see the point of spending much money on the back façade! I expect that Auburn will need to do some significant work on the building.

But apparently this building and the warehouse at Courtland/Borden were the only viable buildings on the property.
Reply
With the complete demolition of the buildings on the site, I've gone from super enthusiastic about the future development to "meh".
Reply
I'm definitely less excited too.

Auburn will have to do something significant to get some wow back here. I'm not confident in their abilities.
Reply
(11-23-2018, 11:11 AM)panamaniac Wrote: With the complete demolition of the buildings on the site, I've gone from super enthusiastic about the future development to "meh".

And yet that's what the plan has been for the past two years. 

The reality is that not every old industrial building can be salvaged and repurposed. Like what is now the School of Pharmacy building, this is basically a brownfield opportunity that allows the developer to build from scratch on a large yet relatively central property. We'll have to wait and see what the site plan proposal looks like.
Reply
(11-23-2018, 11:11 AM)panamaniac Wrote: With the complete demolition of the buildings on the site, I've gone from super enthusiastic about the future development to "meh".

(11-23-2018, 11:29 AM)Spokes Wrote: I'm definitely less excited too.

Auburn will have to do something significant to get some wow back here.  I'm not confident in their abilities.

(11-23-2018, 11:37 AM)tomh009 Wrote:
(11-23-2018, 11:11 AM)panamaniac Wrote: With the complete demolition of the buildings on the site, I've gone from super enthusiastic about the future development to "meh".

And yet that's what the plan has been for the past two years. 

The reality is that not every old industrial building can be salvaged and repurposed. Like what is now the School of Pharmacy building, this is basically a brownfield opportunity that allows the developer to build from scratch on a large yet relatively central property. We'll have to wait and see what the site plan proposal looks like.

The demolished buildings were not practical to be saved at all... and they had no aesthetic value like Kaufman, for example. However, a couple buildings on the property will be saved and repurposed for some cool stuff. This will be a true mixed use development (residential, office, commercial, open space), and it will also have really good open space that is badly needed by the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Reply


I find it hard to believe that they can fix up the brutalist building for less than what it would take to demolish it and start fresh with something they could then charge more for.
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
Reply
(11-23-2018, 03:35 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: I find it hard to believe that they can fix up the brutalist building for less than what it would take to demolish it and start fresh with something they could then charge more for.

The five or six storey office building you mean? I'm sure they calculated the costs and they are doing what is most cost efficient to them. It's a big, experienced developer. It's not hard to believe at all.
Reply
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »



Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 2 Guest(s)

About Waterloo Region Connected

Launched in August 2014, Waterloo Region Connected is an online community that brings together all the things that make Waterloo Region great. Waterloo Region Connected provides user-driven content fueled by a lively discussion forum covering topics like urban development, transportation projects, heritage issues, businesses and other issues of interest to those in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the four Townships - North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot, and Woolwich.

              User Links