General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[tomh009]

people would be less likely to oppose mid density building projects than they would 40-50+ floor skyscrapers.

I agree with your general point on mid-rises and European-style density, but this line stuck out. As far as I can tell, any development of single-detached residential into denser forms faces fierce opposition regardless of density. Even projects to replace two detached houses on large lots with several townhomes get neighbourhoods up in arms, despite no increase in height. I think anything denser than a semi-detached will face fierce opposition unless it's on a major road or in the downtown core, which is a small enough subset of properties that we're left with towers.

Yes, it's the zoning, and the expectations that it has given people. We're too late to get to a Paris or Montreal-like mid-rise concentration, but hopefully we can enable more mid-rise construction yet.

We have to deal with the constraints of zoning and heritage districts, but there are still infill mid-rise (up to six floors) projects in the urban areas both recently completed (Midtown Lofts, Walter, RED, Courtland Ave townhouses) and ones in the works (Alexandra apartments, Vive on Borden Ave, Woodside Terraces, townhouses on Brick St, Benton/Courtland project etc). And more in the suburbs where zoning is less of a constraint. But we do need more ...