06-03-2020, 07:51 PM
(06-03-2020, 06:29 PM)jeffster Wrote:(06-03-2020, 12:13 PM)urbd Wrote: Even though it's a nice building, I personally don't think it's the perfect building for that location. A mixed use building with an affordable housing component (or at least mixed income) would be great. It could be a model truly mixed use building with residential, retail, office, and even a community use (such as a mini-community or arts centre). There is now talk at the Regional level about requiring affordable housing in projects close to ION stations, which would be a very positive move IMO.
Waterloo would never allow that sort of thing. Especially in their core. Maybe if it was on Weber St by the Kitchener border.
Waterloo builds more mixed-use buildings and is generally more supportive of infill development than Kitchener. I think the city is taking the right approach to affordability by encouraging large amounts of market-rate purpose-built rentals to keep average rents down, instead of focusing on condos and then trying to build subsidized housing to house people who can no longer afford market rates.