The Breithaupt Block Phase III | 11 fl | U/C

[taylortbb]

Thanks for posting those.  While disappointing compared to what it was, I still think this will be a show stopper.

Has it changed much compared to what was supposed to be there? it looks like all that was lost was 1 story and the parking garage? The building form looks pretty similar. I don't know how I feel about the lose of the parking garage structure. I kind of hope it just opens up the possibility of the another future office expansion haha. Although I would prefer that to happen at the old McDonald site.

If you compare to https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/...p?aid=4949 you'll see that the floorplate for the glass box above used to be two partially-overlapping rectangles with slightly different cladding for each, now it's just a simple rectangle. The old design broke up the facade more, with varying depths and styles creating more corners and less of a monolithic glass wall. It also added some height variation using the mechanical on the roof.

If the renders posted here are correct, the footprint is larger to make up for the lost height — the parkette at Wellington & Moore is gone.

Yes, this too. The old render was 13 windows along the length of the lower building, now it's 15.

I hadn't even noticed the park change originally. So now I can say that to have a 11fl building, rather than 12fl building, we gave up a parkette and architectural quality. Seems like the neighbourhood NIMBYs really scored a huge victory there. /s

I don't by any stretch hate the new building, I think it's a great addition to the city. But the older one was clearly better, and I can't imagine that a 1fl reduction in building height actually changed anyone's view.

[ijmorlan]

I hadn't even noticed the park change originally. So now I can say that to have a 11fl building, rather than 12fl building, we gave up a parkette and architectural quality. Seems like the neighbourhood NIMBYs really scored a huge victory there. /s

I don't by any stretch hate the new building, I think it's a great addition to the city. But the older one was clearly better, and I can't imagine that a 1fl reduction in building height actually changed anyone's view.

They should have just proposed 13 floors in the first place, then settled for the original 12 floor plan.

I’m not even sure I’m joking.

[Spokes]

You've got to think developers do this most of the time though right?

[Bjays93]

       

[Momo26]

So it begins

[KingandWeber]

Thanks for the photos Bjays93! It's awesome to see this project get off the ground so fast, all things considered.

[jwilliamson]

It looks like they've got all the piles in along Wellington and Moore.

[jwilliamson]

Shoring walls have been built along Moore and Breihthaupt. They look to be about a storey high.

[Bjays93]

Looks like they've built a moat. 

               

[rangersfan]

Very nice, thanks for the photos.

[Spokes]

Alligators in there? Drawbridge??

[nms]

Clearly a low-tech solution to prevent hacking and/or corporate espionage.

[westwardloo]

So I was at a neighbourhood planning meeting yesterday and some one from Mount Hope - Breithaupt neighbourhood who obviously opposed this development. kept taking about how they won a LPAT challenge against this development. Which technically is true (less floors and no parking), but I found out it cost them $80,000 to take the case to the LPAT.  Interesting to see that those who oppose development and the city changing have deep pockets.

[panamaniac]

So I was at a neighbourhood planning meeting yesterday and some one from Mount Hope - Breithaupt neighbourhood who obviously opposed this development. kept taking about how they won a LPAT challenge against this development. Which technically is true (less floors and no parking), but I found out it cost them $80,000 to take the case to the LPAT.  Interesting to see that those who oppose development and the city changing have deep pockets.

As one would expect of a neighbourhood that has experienced some gentrification, no?

[westwardloo]

So I was at a neighbourhood planning meeting yesterday and some one from Mount Hope - Breithaupt neighbourhood who obviously opposed this development. kept taking about how they won a LPAT challenge against this development. Which technically is true (less floors and no parking), but I found out it cost them $80,000 to take the case to the LPAT.  Interesting to see that those who oppose development and the city changing have deep pockets.

As one would expect of a neighbourhood that has experienced some gentrification, no?

Absolutely, I just had no idea how much it would cost to take a developer to the Province. I would say that this fight they would never completely win. The city would have to be pretty short sighted to allow a few concerned citizens stopping Google doubling their work staff in the region. 

I am still not sure why people have such negative view when it comes to gentrification. Studies have shown that it benefits everyone in the neighborhood not just the wealthy home owners.Interesting article in the Atlantic if anyone wants to read.   https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/in-defense-of-gentrification/413425/

Also this was a vacant parking lot, its not like they were tearing down low income housing to build an office building.