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Gateway Park/Sportsworld Retail Area
#16
Two words: Shuttle bus. Wouldn't cost much, in the larger scheme of things, (for Sportsworld) to run a free customer/employee shuttle (or pair of shuttles) all day between the LRT stop and a few key Sportsworld locations.

That might free up enough parking, too, to put in a mini-golf course!
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#17
I never said going to Sportsworld was realistic, but being even the station this short a distance away is going to have an effect.
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#18
New update: the former Staples is shedding its red for blue. The 'for lease' signs are still up, so it's probably just a way to make it look less brand-specific.

The sign and website for 4505 King (across from Tu-Lane) are still active, but there's been zero development on the property; I won't be holding my breath.
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#19
So what's the solution here? How do you fix this area, because it's clearly not working.
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#20
(08-18-2015, 11:38 AM)Spokes Wrote: So what's the solution here?  How do you fix this area, because it's clearly not working.

Develop the hell out of it. This would be a great place to build many towers for people who are 401 commuters. This would bring density and make the development viable.
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#21
(08-18-2015, 11:47 AM)BuildingScout Wrote:
(08-18-2015, 11:38 AM)Spokes Wrote: So what's the solution here?  How do you fix this area, because it's clearly not working.

Develop the hell out of it. This would be a great place to build many towers for people who are 401 commuters. This would bring density and make the development viable.

Yep, it would be a very appealing location for people who drive east for work. A new secondary plan as The85 suggested, with mixed usages, is the answer: townhomes and a number of towers, a Go bus hub, and right-sized retail.
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#22
I agree with the above. The Deer Ridge and Preston Heights neighborhoods clearly are not enough to sustain this major commercial node. If we actually see Phase 2 of ION (in 10-15yrs hopefully), then it would only make sense to develop the remaining parcels of land for mixed-use towers, or go even further and re-purpose the dead big box plaza's into residential towers. 

Having said that, maybe for Phase 2 they can look into taking the routing off the rail spur next to Highway 8 and routing it down King St. or down Gateway Park Dr which would spur development. However, I see this being a pipe dream due to cost and maybe adding extra time to the route. 

In the mean time some residential towers could be added to the Sportsworld Crossing development (fronting Sportsworld Dr, next to the Arena, and the parking lots) or there are a few parcels of land left on King St (the 4505 King which was mentioned earlier would be a great spot for a mixed-use development).
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#23
(08-18-2015, 01:42 PM)gomesjustin Wrote: I agree with the above. The Deer Ridge and Preston Heights neighborhoods clearly are not enough to sustain this major commercial node.

I was told by a real estate agent that the Deer Ridge neighbourhood is floundering, with lots of properties listed for sale and nothing moving. Looking at the number of MLS listings it certainly looks that way to me.
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#24
I am not sure that this area needs to be "fixed" with more retail or even more residential. It's a pretty unlikely area to be in demand for either. Why not allow some industrial / employment uses? Perhaps allow and encourage them to be denser than usual, in keeping in mind the proximity to transit.
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#25
(08-18-2015, 05:23 PM)mpd618 Wrote: I am not sure that this area needs to be "fixed" with more retail or even more residential. It's a pretty unlikely area to be in demand for either.

I think you are underestimating the number of 401 commuters. Just drive down Canamera Pkwy to get an idea of how much demand there is for a house close to the highway.
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#26
I didn't mean strictly residential/commercial. Offices/employment buildings would be a welcome asset to the area. 

I also am cautious with my ideas for this area, as this could potentially draw funds/allocation of funds away from our central cores. However, we cannot ignore the fact people like to be close to the major highways in our region. 

ANYTHING except for retail/more gas bars/plazas.
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#27
(08-18-2015, 08:04 PM)gomesjustin Wrote: ANYTHING except for retail/more gas bars/plazas.

Hear, hear!
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#28
A lot of these cures are already happening. There's loads of commercial going in along Maple Grove, both right on it and behind the police station in the Creekside Campus. Retail, too, at Highway 8 and Deer Ridge. More residential is going in in Preston Heights; the first foundations have been poured for the Grand River Woods project.

More office developments would probably help the area; make it a destination as well as a departure point. Smaller scale retail should be prioritized over big box; most of the stores we've discussed have been big box retail, which has proved more vulnerable to internal competition with other sites.
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#29
(08-18-2015, 02:09 PM)BuildingScout Wrote:
(08-18-2015, 01:42 PM)gomesjustin Wrote: I agree with the above. The Deer Ridge and Preston Heights neighborhoods clearly are not enough to sustain this major commercial node.

I was told by a real estate agent that the Deer Ridge neighbourhood is floundering, with lots of properties listed for sale and nothing moving. Looking at the number of MLS listings it certainly looks that way to me.

Number of MLS listings only tells you the number of properties being sold, not how quickly they are selling.

In any case, condo/apartment buildings would address a different market.
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#30
(08-17-2015, 08:28 PM)DHLawrence Wrote: New update: the former Staples is shedding its red for blue. The 'for lease' signs are still up, so it's probably just a way to make it look less brand-specific.

The sign and website for 4505 King (across from Tu-Lane) are still active, but there's been zero development on the property; I won't be holding my breath.

On the 4505 King website, they cite being on one of the roads in the region with the highest traffic counts (over 35,000 daily). The sad thing I'm afraid is the vast majority of traffic in this area on King Street and Highway 8 is just passing through to get to the 401 or connect Kitchener and Cambridge. Once the MTO moves closer to build the south-west ramp from Highway 8 to the 401, it will unfortunately remove a lot of the traffic between KW and London/Windsor off King Street. I didn't think of this when I started the thread, but this will be another blow to the area's future retail base. Add to this the rapidly changing format of brick and mortar retail.

If a secondary plan or something along those lines is done, I think it could definitely be complimentary to the new Creekside Corporate Campus recently approved on the other side of Highway 8 in Cambridge.

All in all, I think something visionary needs to be done to prevent this area from turning into a sprawling and underutilized greyfield site at arguably a very central location in the region.
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