Shops at Waterloo Town Square

[white_brian]

Lens, that's perfect when do we break ground?

[BuildingScout]

I don't think this is the case on the mall side. While Kodoo and Vape are real openings, all other were direct substitutions, and since then several stores as well as a Matter of Taste closed. I think this is the most empty stores I've seen in the last three years.

This situation really needs to be addressed. You are trying to hire a senior exec, place them in the Delta, try to impress them with the town offerings and the first thing they do is walk over to the Town Square which is half empty and making it look like the town is dying.

[tomh009]

I don't think this is the case on the mall side. While Kodoo and Vape are real openings, all other were direct substitutions, and since then several stores as well as a Matter of Taste closed. I think this is the most empty stores I've seen in the last three years.

This situation really needs to be addressed. You are trying to hire a senior exec, place them in the Delta, try to impress them with the town offerings and the first thing they do is walk over to the Town Square which is half empty and making it look like the town is dying.

Personally ... if I were visiting a town like Waterloo, I would be much more likely to check out the restaurants on King Street rather than going inside a mall.  But maybe that's just me.

(Incidentally, part empty malls are pretty common in the US, too, even when there is lots of parking available.)

[BuildingScout]

Personally ... if I were visiting a town like Waterloo, I would be much more likely to check out the restaurants on King Street rather than going inside a mall.  But maybe that's just me.

(Incidentally, part empty malls are pretty common in the US, too, even when there is lots of parking available.)

Even if they visit the mall third, the impression still stands.

Also personally I've only seen dying malls like this either far out of the way or in truly dying places like Detroit, Buffalo and Rochester.

[Drake]

This situation really needs to be addressed.

Fear not. As intensification increases and the Ion is completed, this area will be ripe for a redo. The current ownership is no doubt keenly aware of the potential gold mine they are sitting on. It is a matter of timing I suspect. There could end up being some really high end destinations here. And yes, this would be the third mall on the Ion route.

[tomh009]

This situation really needs to be addressed.

Fear not. As intensification increases and the Ion is completed, this area will be ripe for a redo. The current ownership is no doubt keenly aware of the potential gold mine they are sitting on. It is a matter of timing I suspect. There could end up being some really high end destinations here. And yes, this would be the third mall on the Ion route.

I think this is really it.

And hopefully they won't attempt a Conestoga Mall clone (which doesn't work) but come up with an urban concept that will draw in a different set of people.

[notmyfriends]

Fear not. As intensification increases and the Ion is completed, this area will be ripe for a redo. The current ownership is no doubt keenly aware of the potential gold mine they are sitting on. It is a matter of timing I suspect. There could end up being some really high end destinations here. And yes, this would be the third mall on the Ion route.

I think this is really it.

And hopefully they won't attempt a Conestoga Mall clone (which doesn't work) but come up with an urban concept that will draw in a different set of people.

Such as that in the picture attached by Lens...

[BuildingScout]

Such as that in the picture attached by Lens...

Which was rejected by city council because didn't preserve enough parking space, if I remember correctly.

[notmyfriends]

Aren't there 3 or 4 stories of parking garage in that picture? Ohhh Waterloo.

[tomh009]

Maybe we can replace the city council while we're at it?

[insider]

I've been doing some research for a small feature writing piece and came across this master plan of what the town square could have looked like.

Wow... this is an amazing find! Looks like something from an alternate universe... very familiar, but completely different. Did you find any more? Any site plans? Any idea of who designed this?


Edit: Found it, BNC Architects...

Edit 2: Early master plan... wow:

[mpd618]

Maybe we can replace the city council while we're at it?

We kind of have. Out of the current 7 ward councillors and 1 mayor, only 1 was at the horseshoe before the 2006 elections, and only 3 after.

The clearest example of what parking "needs" to be provided is being shown in the university district, which somehow is making do with a lot less parking. I hope that that example is used to inform decisions in other urban parts of the city.

[notmyfriends]

Instead, they look to be moving forward with the next bland disappointment
http://www.realtor.ca/Commercial/Office/...rio-N2J1P2

[insider]

Instead, they look to be moving forward with the next bland disappointment
http://www.realtor.ca/Commercial/Office/...rio-N2J1P2

Wow, it's sad that we'll get a clone of the rest of the buildings when we could've had this:



Probably the biggest loss for Uptown Waterloo, IMO. It was not approved because....... not enough parking. Of course. 

[ookpik]

It was not approved because....... not enough parking.

As I recall the stumbling block was that the city wanted the hotel developer to build a parking garage which made the project unfeasible to the developer. (That may also have been just the official excuse for the developer backing out.)