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I think it might have to do with the fact that those streets in Toronto and Ottawa have more people overall and so the homelessness is less prominent overall than it is in DTK in the evening.
Regarding ground-level commercial, it can sometimes surprise you where it might be desirable. I can think of a number of buildings that were not build with ground-level retail in mind in locations where you wouldn't necessarily expect it would work, and yet where it's been retrofitted in a very unsuited space. If construction had planned for it from the get-go, everyone would probably be better off.
I think part of the problem is that mentalities are hard to change.
I moved back to KW in 2007 after having left for Ottawa in 2003. When I got back things were just starting to get going with the pharmacy school and Kaufman lofts. Before I left though DTK was a place you didn't go.
I'd prefer some sort of discount off the total development charges based on the percentages of 2, 3, 4 bedroom units. Make it a scale that rises up to 20% of the units in the building to encourage building that will have a variety of family "styles" in them from singles to DINKs to parent(s) plus kid(s).
I wish the article included investigation into why commercial rental rates are as high as they are. I'd expect the high vacancy rate to drive down prices, but it doesn't seem to be happening. In theory, lower rents would enable more interesting and independent shops to open downtown, accelerating retail revitalization and making it a more appealing place to live and visit. As it is, though, it seems like a lot of property owners are holding out for big money tenants, leaving prominent retail spaces vacant and depressing.
I'd love to see reporting on why property owners don't reduce their rental prices in the face of high vacancy rates. The current state of affairs is so confusing and destructive.
(01-07-2020, 03:30 PM)Belmonster Wrote: I wish the article included investigation into why commercial rental rates are as high as they are. I'd expect the high vacancy rate to drive down prices, but it doesn't seem to be happening. In theory, lower rents would enable more interesting and independent shops to open downtown, accelerating retail revitalization and making it a more appealing place to live and visit. As it is, though, it seems like a lot of property owners are holding out for big money tenants, leaving prominent retail spaces vacant and depressing.
I'd love to see reporting on why property owners don't reduce their rental prices in the face of high vacancy rates. The current state of affairs is so confusing and destructive.
It seems that I read the article differently than you did. To me the issue seemed to be that many of the spaces are too big, not that the rental rates are too expensive.
Quote:Dolson said many of the spaces currently up for rent in the downtown are too large to be a viable option for many small businesses and that having more small spaces available will help spur the retail sector.
"To sign a lease where it's like 3,000-5,000 square feet? [It's] super intimidating, super expensive and too big of a risk for most small businesses," said Dolson.
Didn't Cambridge do something about vacant shops in the downtown area, I remember some property owners complained about the city putting it's nose in where it didn't belong. If I recall the city was trying to push to have them filled
Waterloo has actually been discounting 1BR/studio apartment development charges at $6,108; these will now be the same as 2BR and 3BR units at $8,684, removing the disincentive to build 2BR or 3BR units.
Kitchener charges a flat $6,418 regardless of the number of bedrooms. (For the sake of comparison, a single-family house attracts a fee of $12,700.)
(01-07-2020, 03:30 PM)Belmonster Wrote: I'd love to see reporting on why property owners don't reduce their rental prices in the face of high vacancy rates. The current state of affairs is so confusing and destructive.
I believe this is widely understood to have happened at Waterloo Town Square over the last many years. I don’t understand it, especially in commercial rental where there is no rent control — if the landlord can rent the space for double the rent to somebody else at the end of a lease, then they may do so. Also, non-payment = gone.
In run-down buildings I understand it more — the landlord may not want to pay to fix up the building, especially if the building is in a state where significant renovations are required for commercial occupancy.
(01-07-2020, 04:18 PM)tomh009 Wrote: It seems that I read the article differently than you did. To me the issue seemed to be that many of the spaces are too big, not that the rental rates are too expensive.
If only there were some technology that would allow separating a large space into smaller ones…
01-07-2020, 05:31 PM (This post was last modified: 01-07-2020, 05:33 PM by plam.)
(01-07-2020, 08:04 AM)Spokes Wrote: I think part of the problem is that mentalities are hard to change.
I moved back to KW in 2007 after having left for Ottawa in 2003. When I got back things were just starting to get going with the pharmacy school and Kaufman lofts. Before I left though DTK was a place you didn't go.
I think a lot of people still think that way
OK so I'm in Wellington NZ for the next few months. Wellington is about the same population as Waterloo Region (Wellington 521k, Waterloo 535k). Yet somehow there is a lot more stuff "downtown" in Wellington vs Waterloo. I think that part of it is that Wellington doesn't have the malls on the edge of town that Waterloo has (and which, to be fair, DTK and all North American municipalities tried to combat in the 70s onwards, with no success). Why? I don't know.
Also, for ijmorlan: a lot of stores in Wellington do have awnings (see attached pic). I guess the weather is rainy often? It does make the street feel more closed off. I'm not convinced that is good. I'll buy that not being rained on is good.
(01-07-2020, 04:18 PM)tomh009 Wrote: It seems that I read the article differently than you did. To me the issue seemed to be that many of the spaces are too big, not that the rental rates are too expensive.
If only there were some technology that would allow separating a large space into smaller ones…
True, but you then need to have each unit with its own hydro circuit, with fire code compliant exits, etc; this can be costly to re-work, especially in a space not built for it.
(01-07-2020, 05:31 PM)plam Wrote: Also, for ijmorlan: a lot of stores in Wellington do have awnings (see attached pic). I guess the weather is rainy often? It does make the street feel more closed off. I'm not convinced that is good. I'll buy that not being rained on is good.
Thanks for the image. That’s pretty neat. I like that a lot of it is glass.
I will say that my ideal configuration is a regular sidewalk immediately next to the covered walkway (except at bus stops, where obviously the cover should reach over to where the buses are). So when it’s not raining you can walk fully outdoors without having to change your route. One of the things I don’t like about UW’s links is that typically to walk from one building to another several buildings away one has to decide: in or out; and the route is very different depending on the choice.
(01-07-2020, 04:58 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: If only there were some technology that would allow separating a large space into smaller ones…
True, but you then need to have each unit with its own hydro circuit, with fire code compliant exits, etc; this can be costly to re-work, especially in a space not built for it.
That actually is a good point. It’s not usually a matter of just tossing a partition in there. That being said, if the alternative is leaving it vacant for years, it feels strange that a relatively minor renovation would not be in order.
