09-06-2015, 08:14 AM
(09-05-2015, 10:07 PM)BuildingScout Wrote: The commercial space in The Red didn't quite take off... this shows that demand at the edge of a commercial area is weak. Increase density first, create the spaces later, otherwise we end up with boarded up commercial space, like so much of downtown kitchener.
That's a pretty good point about the Red space, although there's no way to know for sure if it was just the wrong business for the area. It may well have been, since there is thriving commercial right across the street.
Is "so much of downtown Kitchener" boarded up commercial space? That's not what I see when I walk around, but I guess it's perspective. I've never seen any numbers saying that vacancy rates are very high, especially among high-quality spaces.
Realistically, we'd be talking about a few small commercial units whose tenants could be supported primarily by the building's own residents. The Cortes project only a few blocks up is aiming for that, and doing this each and every time a lot on King is developed will ensure we have a great streetwall one day and an overall healthy street. If we don't insist on moving towards that now, then when? To get the full benefits of density, people need to live in proximity to jobs and amenities- if we encourage new developments to accommodate new residents here, but don't provide them with the services they need, the positive impacts are not nearly as high.