General Urban Waterloo Updates and Rumours

[Pheidippides]

   
   
I can’t help but think that this was a bit of a wasted opportunity to re-orient this plaza away from a traditional auto-centric model. Many of the tenants of the plaza cater to active users (Runner’s Choice, Courts Plus, moksha yoga, physiotherapy, etc.) and yet the whole back side of the building is still left with a its boring and blank back to the now increasingly busy trail where many of these active users arrive from…not to mention from which the rebranded plaza has stolen its name! The space behind the plaza has never really been heavily used and is essentially dead and wasted; why not take this opportunity to reanimate it and make better use of it?
 
I think had Runner’s Choice located in the old Diapers N’More Location on the southwest end they could have punched some windows and a door through the back side and had exposure to the trail (and potential customers) for their training groups and I could easily imagine a café-pub with a patio along the backside as well, which would be in the sun most of the data and largely sheltered from the prevailing winds, and would also be a great place for all those “active” plaza customers to catch a pre/post workout bagel and coffee, or a post-workout beverage, or for active trail users to get something on their commute in/out (or even a walk-up/bike-through window just off the trail).