The floorplans for the retail in Building E, pages 6-8 of https://app2.kitchener.ca/AppDocs/OpenDa...0Plans.pdf , are pretty interesting. Looks Building E is being designed heavily around having a full size grocery store in it. At street level there's a loading dock for three trucks, with an elevator up to the area marked "Food Store". The grocery store appears to be one-two levels above ground (ground is sloped), with escalators up from the street level lobby at the corner closest to downtown/the transit hub. There's smaller retail units fronting King St on the level below the grocery store.
I think this is the first multi-level retail complex I've seen proposed in DTK, probably since the now failed malls were built. The setup with the second level grocery store is similar to what Loblaws has in downtown Toronto, https://goo.gl/maps/y3oRi4mTYTQwTwwS6 . Having been in that grocery store, it's as large as a suburban one with far more product selection than you'd find in somewhere like Marche Leo's.
I'm also relieved to see retails units facing King St, as the rest of the project hasn't really been great for addressing King St. So far having preferring to orient its retail units inwards.
I think this is the first multi-level retail complex I've seen proposed in DTK, probably since the now failed malls were built. The setup with the second level grocery store is similar to what Loblaws has in downtown Toronto, https://goo.gl/maps/y3oRi4mTYTQwTwwS6 . Having been in that grocery store, it's as large as a suburban one with far more product selection than you'd find in somewhere like Marche Leo's.
I'm also relieved to see retails units facing King St, as the rest of the project hasn't really been great for addressing King St. So far having preferring to orient its retail units inwards.