02-24-2016, 10:49 AM
A common lament on Waterloo Region Connected is that a new development has "no commercial component." Rather than hijack one of the threads, I think it's more appropriate to start a new one on urbanism. Of course, to a large extant, WRC is all about urbanism.
I don't have the education, training or knowledge to call myself an urbanist. I just have a keen interest in the growth and development of Waterloo Region, same as most of the folks who post to WRC.
The lament about some developments not having a commercial component puzzles me. I don't understand why projects off the main commercial roads should have a commercial component. For example, why should Victoria Commons or Avalon Urban Towns offer something commercial? Why should 155 Uptown? Yes, 155 Uptown is next to the ever popular Vincenzo's but what kind of business would thrive there? A new restaurant? A shoe store? A dental office?
If you had the money, would you invest in a business in one of these developments? To succeed a business needs lots of foot traffic, parking or access by transit and, most importantly, repeat customers. The ION will be close to 155 Uptown but will people get off just because there is a new restaurant there? I'm sure some will but unless this new restaurant becomes a destination it would be a very risky investment.
Personally, I don't do a lot of shopping and some of it I do online. I like to try new restaurants but I seldom go back. There's always some new place to try. I do my major grocery shopping at Highland Hills and some of the specialty grocery stores on Highland Road. Occasionally I go to the Kitchener Market and New City Supermarket. And sometime I stop at Mill and Stirling and go into Torreense Store to buy some Portuguese custard tarts and I'll stop at Sproll's Fine German Bakery on Trillium Dr. to pick up some Linzer torte.
So those of you who would like to see a commercial component in many new developments off the main streets please unpuzzle me. Why would you like to see that? Do you have some kind of romantic notion of what a city should be like? I'm asking this because I certainly have that view but as transportation, technology and cities change, I just don't see that happening. If only....
I don't have the education, training or knowledge to call myself an urbanist. I just have a keen interest in the growth and development of Waterloo Region, same as most of the folks who post to WRC.
The lament about some developments not having a commercial component puzzles me. I don't understand why projects off the main commercial roads should have a commercial component. For example, why should Victoria Commons or Avalon Urban Towns offer something commercial? Why should 155 Uptown? Yes, 155 Uptown is next to the ever popular Vincenzo's but what kind of business would thrive there? A new restaurant? A shoe store? A dental office?
If you had the money, would you invest in a business in one of these developments? To succeed a business needs lots of foot traffic, parking or access by transit and, most importantly, repeat customers. The ION will be close to 155 Uptown but will people get off just because there is a new restaurant there? I'm sure some will but unless this new restaurant becomes a destination it would be a very risky investment.
Personally, I don't do a lot of shopping and some of it I do online. I like to try new restaurants but I seldom go back. There's always some new place to try. I do my major grocery shopping at Highland Hills and some of the specialty grocery stores on Highland Road. Occasionally I go to the Kitchener Market and New City Supermarket. And sometime I stop at Mill and Stirling and go into Torreense Store to buy some Portuguese custard tarts and I'll stop at Sproll's Fine German Bakery on Trillium Dr. to pick up some Linzer torte.
So those of you who would like to see a commercial component in many new developments off the main streets please unpuzzle me. Why would you like to see that? Do you have some kind of romantic notion of what a city should be like? I'm asking this because I certainly have that view but as transportation, technology and cities change, I just don't see that happening. If only....