General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[neonjoe]

Cautiously optimistic that something will actually happen there. The lot is in decent shape and the fencing suggests that its not just a simple repave!

[Lebronj23]

I think their setting up for some concert as there is now a stage there lol. Way to get our hopes up CP42!

[CP42]

I think their setting up for some concert as there is now a stage there lol.  Way to get our hopes up CP42!

Haha that’s too bad…

At least for one day it will be used for something other then being an empty parking lot.

[panamaniac]

I think their setting up for some concert as there is now a stage there lol.  Way to get our hopes up CP42!

Hey, a concert is good news too!

[Rainrider22]

Maybe for part of the Summer Lights Festival this Saturdday ? Sadly this will be the last one... The city should step up with assisting the funding.

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...treet.html

[ac3r]

Yeah it's not a building project lol. If it was, you'd be able to find that on the City of Kitchener website.

[Chris]

Now the lot is filled with food trucks, Wellington Brewery tent, porta-potties and the previously mentioned stage.

[taylortbb]

Maybe for part of the Summer Lights Festival this Saturdday ?

It's a party for Google employees.

[Chris]

I thought this build was cool, I've never seen a build like this before. Giant lego-like blocks for walls.

[timc]

I'm not a construction expert, but I think that is ICF.

https://www.cement.org/cement-concrete/p...rms-(ICFs)

[ac3r]

Yeah that's ICF. Not a common building material here so that's interesting to see.

[ZEBuilder]

The new addition (8 floors) to the retirement home at Blockline and Westmount is being built out of ICF, the only concrete walls in the new addition that aren't ICF are the elevator shaft and some interior walls.
.

[ac3r]

Once again, Christian organizations are stepping up to contribute solutions to the housing crisis.

St. Peter's Lutheran Church and Indwell (a charitable Christian organization that builds affordable housing across Ontario, who have been behind the transformation of St. Mark's Place in midtown Kitchener) had proposed an adaptive reuse of part of their property to add 41 affordable housing units with additional building amenities for residents. Earlier this month they formally submitted a building application to the City of Kitchener which is currently under review, so hopefully this goes ahead soon.

They are accepting donations to help fund the project which is estimated to cost 1'750'000 dollars. 1'205'155 dollars have been raised thus far and every dollar donated will be matched by a donor (up to a maximum of $250'000). If you're interested, you can donate to them here: https://indwell.ca/projects/kitchener-st-peters-church/

[CP42]

Are the highrise condo towers out of our control?
https://archive.ph/ijkO8

While I agree with the need to add parkland (potentially to convert city owned parking lots), I don’t see how this has to do with towers. That is on the city to implement. They know the towers are coming, so make a plan.

I also don’t understand why there is so much criticism on condo developers offering affordable units under $368k being an issue that investors can buy and flip them? Please direct me to a non-tower housing development that has units below this price. Why isn’t there scrutiny for single detached developments being unaffordable? Go to a new suburb development in the SW end of Kitchener and I bet you the cheapest home you can purchase is around $1M, yet nobody is complaining there because it matches the status quo of what has been “normal” in Kitchener.

[ac3r]

Tl;dr...Luisa D’Amato wrote it. She's The Record's official NIMBY columinist.