General Urban Waterloo Updates and Rumours

[ijmorlan]

That reminds me of some of the marketing stuff for the UP Express. I don’t remember much about what they actually said, but a commenter said something like “this is a train, not the second coming of Christ and Steve Jobs”.

[nms]

The video makes it sound like some kind of mystical Shangri-la.

Just checked out their website and they describe every project in such a goofy pretentious way. They describe the project at 20 University West as:

The design of 20 University is based on the theme and magnificence of Niagara Falls with the sun above. [...] The podium level at the parking garage will have perforated screens that symbolized the rocky base, along with the white paneling of the mist with grey paneling representing rocks piercing through. Going up the tower, tapered balconies convey the turbulence of the mist. The white linear lines on the tower itself symbolize the power and magnificence of the falls. Above the top of the tower is the sun, that will be lit up at night identifying the building through out the area. Mesmerized by its beauty, 20 University conveys a powerful message about our willingness to use nature within its design.

Who the heck is writing this stuff? Lol.

Damn ChatGPT...

Speaking of mental health, I am aware of at least one student who did leap to their death out of one of the Icon buildings.

[rdaner]

Hi: Longtime lurker and first time poster from central Toronto. I am wondering if Laurier has plans to redevelop the stadium site once it is torn down. Looked for information here but didn’t see anything. Seems to be on a prime corner! Thanks.

[Chris]

Can anyone figure out what the city's strategy is with (allegedly) not responding to three developers for 90 days? Maybe they think the developer would lose interested and not go to the OLT? Do they know they are going to lose so they don't bother responding or negotiating? Other?


https://archive.ph/88DNv
Proposed towers in Waterloo under appeal by developers

[taylortbb]

Can anyone figure out what the city's strategy is with (allegedly) not responding to three developers for 90 days?

I suspect it's just workload. There seem to be new major developments every week in KW, and I doubt they've expanded staffing much.

[KaiserWilhelmsBust]

Can anyone figure out what the city's strategy is with (allegedly) not responding to three developers for 90 days?

I suspect it's just workload. There seem to be new major developments every week in KW, and I doubt they've expanded staffing much.

I talked to someone involved with the project. Very confusing but it seems like the City decided that they won't allow high density in the floodplain, so they just aren't responding to these. 

Pretty weird because there are a load of high density projects in floodplain areas around kw and ontario, they just need part of the building to be higher (which according to her, all these projects have)

[cherrypark]

This is why we need more midrise apartment blocks which can add density yet mitigate the health and social issues related to living in higher towers and skyscrapers. I think issues like these are often forgotten by people who promote high density. They're only looking to solve certain issues (loss of green space, farmland etc) by mitigating sprawl and assuming high density is the key, but it comes at a cost. 

Pack the kids studying and young graduates in these existing dense areas like this whilst building midrise buildings and some single family homes elsewhere which provide a better environment for raising families. Balance is the key, but it feels like Waterloo only goes in either polar opposite of SFH's and these towers up to 25 floors (which is the maximum height they allow in the city).

What is your take on how to incentivize more of this? As someone who agrees, I feel like this problem is often presented but what to do about it is less obvious, beyond a sense of the barriers (still too much red tape meaning 6 or 20 stories is about the same; as-of-right zoning; NIMBYs complaining no matter what; dollars still sloshing around post low interest rates meaning small units have investor demand).

[nms]

Hi: Longtime lurker and first time poster from central Toronto. I am wondering if Laurier has plans to redevelop the stadium site once it is torn down. Looked for information here but didn’t see anything. Seems to be on a prime corner! Thanks.

Laurier has a "Campus Master Plan".  This particular project is the "Grandstand Demolition Project" though I can't find reference to any of these on the WLU website or on the Cord (student newspaper) website.  I would hope that if Laurier no longer wanted University Stadium, that there might be an opportunity for the City of Waterloo to buy it back so it can be added back to the Waterloo Park property footprint.  From Wikipedia: "Initially owned by Waterloo College, the stadium was sold to UW which sold it to the City of Waterloo on August 12, 1974 for $1 million, after leasing it to the city from 1968 to 1974. At that time, the stadium was in need of extensive repairs. In July 1992, the city sold the facility to Wilfrid Laurier University."

A February tweet from the Laurier Football Twitter account promised an update in March.  There is no update that I can see.

[Bytor]

What is your take on how to incentivize more of this? As someone who agrees, I feel like this problem is often presented but what to do about it is less obvious, beyond a sense of the barriers (still too much red tape meaning 6 or 20 stories is about the same; as-of-right zoning; NIMBYs complaining no matter what; dollars still sloshing around post low interest rates meaning small units have investor demand).

It's not just about incentivising. A large part of the reason that missing middle hosing is, well, "missing" is because of zoning, which municipalities control.

Kitchener, for examples, has something like 75% of residential land zoned for single-detached, 15% for tall towers, and only 10% for things like triplexes, townhouses, fourplexes, three-storey walk-ups, stacked townhouses, and low-rise apartments.

That 75% needs to be all turned into RES-5 (no limit on units, 3 storey maximum).

[ijmorlan]

What is your take on how to incentivize more of this? As someone who agrees, I feel like this problem is often presented but what to do about it is less obvious, beyond a sense of the barriers (still too much red tape meaning 6 or 20 stories is about the same; as-of-right zoning; NIMBYs complaining no matter what; dollars still sloshing around post low interest rates meaning small units have investor demand).

It's not just about incentivising. A large part of the reason that missing middle hosing is, well, "missing" is because of zoning, which municipalities control.

Kitchener, for examples, has something like 75% of residential land zoned for single-detached, 15% for tall towers, and only 10% for things like triplexes, townhouses, fourplexes, three-storey walk-ups, stacked townhouses, and low-rise apartments.

That 75% needs to be all turned into RES-5 (no limit on units, 3 storey maximum).

Right — there is no mystery why we’re having trouble getting what we need: it’s illegal! Start by making it legal to build what is needed, then worry about more complicated ideas if that isn’t enough.

[CP42]

Hi: Longtime lurker and first time poster from central Toronto. I am wondering if Laurier has plans to redevelop the stadium site once it is torn down. Looked for information here but didn’t see anything. Seems to be on a prime corner! Thanks.

Laurier has a "Campus Master Plan".  This particular project is the "Grandstand Demolition Project" though I can't find reference to any of these on the WLU website or on the Cord (student newspaper) website.  I would hope that if Laurier no longer wanted University Stadium, that there might be an opportunity for the City of Waterloo to buy it back so it can be added back to the Waterloo Park property footprint.  From Wikipedia: "Initially owned by Waterloo College, the stadium was sold to UW which sold it to the City of Waterloo on August 12, 1974 for $1 million, after leasing it to the city from 1968 to 1974. At that time, the stadium was in need of extensive repairs. In July 1992, the city sold the facility to Wilfrid Laurier University."

A February tweet from the Laurier Football Twitter account promised an update in March.  There is no update that I can see.

They just released this today:
https://laurierathletics.com/news/2023/4...ities.aspx

[CP42]

And a few more photos:

[nms]

It's hard to tell, but it looks as if the entire playing field might be shifted north in order to add the stands on the south side. The just-demolished stands had about 35-40 rows of seating (from what I can tell from the Google Maps aerial photograph). The images above only seem to have about 20 rows of outdoor seating on the north side.

The other surprise is that the sample photos also seem to have eliminated the running track around the perimeter of the field. If the running track is retired, I don't think that there are any other outdoor running tracks of similar construction in the Region. The one at Centennial Stadium in Kitchener has long since been retired. The University of Waterloo did not include one when they created Warrior Field. Conestoga College does not have one. The high schools have stone dust versions around their football/soccer fields.
I know that University Stadium (née Seagram Stadium) was popular for school track meets. I don't know if they still happen.

I took a quick Google Maps flight over Ontario to look at other campuses and I discovered that most had a running track around their sports fields (eg Western, McMaster, Toronto, McGill) but at least one (Queens) did not.

I also realize that all of the photos for were illustrative purposes only and maybe a track will appear in a later design.

[CP42]

It's hard to tell, but it looks as if the entire playing field might be shifted north in order to add the stands on the south side.  The just-demolished stands had about 35-40 rows of seating (from what I can tell from the Google Maps aerial photograph).  The images above only seem to have about 20 rows of outdoor seating on the north side. 

The other surprise is that the sample photos also seem to have eliminated the running track around the perimeter of the field.  If the running track is retired, I don't think that there are any other outdoor running tracks of similar construction in the Region.  The one at Centennial Stadium in Kitchener has long since been retired.  The University of Waterloo did not include one when they created Warrior Field.  Conestoga College does not have one.  The high schools have stone dust versions around their football/soccer fields.
I know that University Stadium (née Seagram Stadium) was popular for school track meets.  I don't know if they still happen.

I took a quick Google Maps flight over Ontario to look at other campuses and I discovered that most had a running track around their sports fields (eg Western, McMaster, Toronto, McGill) but at least one (Queens) did not.

I also realize that all of the photos for were illustrative purposes only and maybe a track will appear in a later design.

Might be others, but St David and Resurrection both have rubber tracks similar to university stadium.

[nms]

St Benedict's has a rubber track too. But St. Mary's does not (according to Google's satellite view). It may be that the Catholic Board has different infrastructure priorities to the Public Board.