King-Victoria Transit Hub

[danbrotherston]

This massive (and incredibly under-utilized) plaza implies that this should be a gathering space of some sort, but...... for what? There's not a damn thing around here. Across the street is a private health campus. The other way is the large, inactive wall of the Kaufman lofts, as well as a massive surface parking lot. Behind it we've got the google campus. And kitty corner there's...... one single business, a boardgame cafe.

God, this is so uninspired. You can see what the Region WANTS it to be, in some ideal scenario, but the fact of the matter is that scenario does not exist, there's nothing to do here and there's no possibility of there being anything to do here in the future, given all the surrounding space is now occupied by completely inactive residential buildings

So, no need for public spaces? Don't need Vogelsang Green? The Karl-Zehr-Platz is unnecessary? Because there is not a damn thing next to them? (Not sure what exactly should be next to them, though.)

As for people in the area, there are a lot of them working at Google. More of them living at Kaufman and 1 Victoria. And yet others studying in the pharmacy building. And more yet will be living and working at Station Park -- and in the second-phase development of the hub.

To be fair, this plaza as well as Vogelsang and Francis Greens would benefit from a kiosk cafe suited to three season use.  This new plaza might even be big enough for a small glass structure that could operate year round.  Although this new plaza should see quite a bit of pedestrian traffic, I should think.

Yeah, I think this is a subtle discussion. We need more green open spaces downtown, I'm glad a plaza will be part of this. I do think the plaza could be more activated, I'd say there are a few things around, the University *IS* a major destination and also a major employer--and students are the type to mill around a plaza, plus Kaufman and One Vic have lots of people, and there are other employers nearby.

Food carts (not trucks!) are a great idea, as far as I know there are only a few of these in the city, one at the home hardware on Park St...I used to stop there on walks sometimes. As well as one occasionally in the uptown square.

I'd say the plaza will be orders of magnitude more heavily used than the parking lot next too it, but it would probably improve the plaza if the parking lot was developed into an actual development as well.