Shops at Waterloo Town Square

[tomh009]

The Shops at WTS needs to be demolished.

Maybe.  And maybe it can't ever be successful.  And yet it's not our decision, or even the city's: as long as the owner wants to work on the current concept, it's their property, their money, their opportunity cost.

Can it work better with the LRT?  Absolutely.  The LRT will benefit Waterloo Square much more than it will benefit Conestoga Mall or Fairview Mall, which will probably only see a tiny improvement.  The LRT will bring Waterloo Square much closer to Kitchener core residents, and if they have the right tenants in the mall, Waterloo Square can grab a non-trivial share of the shopping revenues.  (I say forget bringing in another discount store, find a way to use that space for smaller shops and/or restaurants.)

And if they are successful with this, they can convert some of the parking areas (LRT shoppers don't need parking) to expand and improve the shopping.  Maybe even to integrate it better with King Street.