03-22-2019, 08:53 AM
Region taking on construction of transit terminal portion of hub in downtown Kitchener
Quote:The landmark mixed-use development planned for downtown Kitchener will now be built in stages, and Waterloo Region will look after the transit portion.https://www.therecord.com/news-story/923...kitchener/
"We are going to take on the construction of the transit hub," Coun. Tom Galloway, chair of the region's planning and works committee, said Tuesday.
"Then we'll chunk out the commercial, residential piece at a later date."
The original plan for the parcel at King and Victoria streets was to have a master developer look after the entire site, which would include transit infrastructure as well as residential, office and retail uses.
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"It's no change to the overall vision for the site," said Ellen McGaghey, the region's director of facilities and fleet management. "They weren't going to do it all at one go, anyway."
This way the region can move forward with the transit terminal, which will seamlessly connect passengers on Ion, GO Transit, Via Rail service and Grand River Transit, while having more control over the look of the hub.
"This is going to have a high level of design. This is going to be an iconic building," Galloway said.
The province has committed $43 million for the transit-related components of the project. It's not expected the stumble with the master developer will significantly affect the original schedule, with construction on the transit hub expected to be completed in late 2021 or early 2022.