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General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours
(11-02-2018, 02:11 AM)Quadcities34 Wrote: That site is under the microscope of two local developers looking to do a mixed use, residential (condo-sale) and commercial build. 3 Mill for only 3 stories wont cut it. Will have to do minimum 9 with commerical and potentially the need to have a podium structure within for parking.

Momentum/Zehr partnership.  Called it here first.
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(11-02-2018, 02:11 AM)Quadcities34 Wrote: That site is under the microscope of two local developers looking to do a mixed use, residential (condo-sale) and commercial build. 3 Mill for only 3 stories wont cut it. Will have to do minimum 9 with commerical and potentially the need to have a podium structure within for parking.

Mmmm...parking requirements....
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Not necessarily parking REQUIREMENTS, simply the need for parking because people have cars.
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(11-01-2018, 11:32 PM)Momo26 Wrote: Not sure which thread this belongs in, but given the  nature of the companies in the innovation district - tech, start ups, software etc., any word on who is coming I to the soon to be Manulife employee free massive brown building next door to Charlie West? I wonder if that will undergo major renos.

Unsubstantiated buzz from the inside is that Manulife's real estate arm is still in their assessment and decision-making phase about what to do with the building. Nothing has been announced internally.
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(11-02-2018, 01:44 AM)Quadcities34 Wrote:
(11-01-2018, 11:32 PM)Momo26 Wrote: Not sure which thread this belongs in, but given the  nature of the companies in the innovation district - tech, start ups, software etc., any word on who is coming I to the soon to be Manulife employee free massive brown building next door to Charlie West? I wonder if that will undergo major renos.

That entire (now vacant) site is under consideration for redevelopment. Manulife proposed a two phase project earlier this year on one of their parking lots, but are now in the midst of planning a mega redevelopment or selling their land, plans, and rezoning to a new developer, similar to what happened with SIXO.

Point of clarification: 25 Water (The old King Centre building) is not vacant (and won't be for many months at least). The parking lot between 25 Water and the Tannery is also used by employees every day. Before the building can be vacated considerable renovation at 500 King needs to take place. Right now there is some shuffling of desks there to make room for renovations. It's possible as well that several employees homed at 500 King will be moved to 25 Water to make room for renovations.

(This post is coming from inside the building but is based largely on rumour and observation, not formally issued communication).
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(11-02-2018, 10:07 AM)robdrimmie Wrote:
(11-02-2018, 01:44 AM)Quadcities34 Wrote: That entire (now vacant) site is under consideration for redevelopment. Manulife proposed a two phase project earlier this year on one of their parking lots, but are now in the midst of planning a mega redevelopment or selling their land, plans, and rezoning to a new developer, similar to what happened with SIXO.

Point of clarification: 25 Water (The old King Centre building) is not vacant (and won't be for many months at least). The parking lot between 25 Water and the Tannery is also used by employees every day. Before the building can be vacated considerable renovation at 500 King needs to take place. Right now there is some shuffling of desks there to make room for renovations. It's possible as well that several employees homed at 500 King will be moved to 25 Water to make room for renovations.

(This post is coming from inside the building but is based largely on rumour and observation, not formally issued communication).

Right. That parking lot between the building and Tannery seems pretty packed every day. But I imagine if they were to sell and then the new buyer demolish, they'd want to do something w/ that parking lot also. Imagine a parking garage with an elevated pedestrian pass-over to a condo development! 

That's a massive building to demolish me think. As you mentioned, retro-fitting it to 21st century open concept offices inside might make more sense, at least for part of it. 

Are there any recent, substantiated 2017 or Q1 + Q2 2018 numbers out that support job growth in DTK (and or K-W as a whole)? Likewise, how many people commute in vs moving for a new job? 

I've seen estimates on marketing material for condos, but the hard numbers!
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(11-02-2018, 10:07 AM)robdrimmie Wrote: (This post is coming from inside the building but is based largely on rumour and observation, not formally issued communication).

I've heard employees from 500 King are supposed to start getting moved over in January but no idea on the number of employees moving or for how long.
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By "portions", I 'm guessing they mean the front facades?
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Does anyone have a picture of the new design?

Also does ROOF has a new home yet? Doesn't that have to happen before they'll be able to build anything?
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I'm told we'll have a high-quality render available shortly.

Yes, ROOF will have a new home. I don't have any specific details on that though.
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Another important detail that isn't in the article is how the unit type will be changing. Are average square-footages going down, are average rents going up, are affordable components going down? Any of these are a cost that council and heritage has to answer to.
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(11-07-2018, 03:56 PM)tomh009 Wrote: I prefer the original design, but the new one is not terrible. It certainly could be much better if the heritage advocates (hello, Ms Reid!) had not forced Vive to keep the two old houses on the property. That constraint significantly reduces the degrees of freedom for the development project.

I know the new design isn't public yet, but was the old one?  I don't remember seeing it.
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Looks like Vive Development is snatching up properties in the East end of DTK

Quote:Across the street at 388-400 King St. E., Vive Development has plans to tear down two homes that have been converted to businesses, and build a seven-storey, 72-unit apartment building. In a report to the city's committee of adjustment, city planners said the proposal "will allow redevelopment of a property that is rundown with new, mixed-use transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly development that will help achieve the city's objectives for the central transit corridor."


   


According to this, they're calling it The Market Flats:

Quote:Description: 6-story 73-unit purpose-built rental apartment building proposed on an infill site which sits on the main public transit route in Downtown Kitchener. Situated on .40 acres, the design currently contemplates a net leasable floor area of 55,522 square feet and construction is scheduled to begin in 2019.
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Further down King too:

Quote:Another major project is in the works a bit further down King Street. Vive has been buying up property in the block bounded by King, Ottawa and Charles streets and Borden Avenue, and now owns close to two acres in the block, where it hopes to build 500 or more rental units, said Stephen Litt, a principal at Vive.

The development is in the early stages, but it will likely be built in phases over the next several years, Litt said. It could include a grocery store as well as hundreds of apartments priced in the mid-range. He sees the site as having great potential as a gateway to the downtown.
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(11-10-2018, 01:00 AM)Spokes Wrote: Looks like Vive Development is snatching up properties in the East end of DTK

Quote:Across the street at 388-400 King St. E., Vive Development has plans to tear down two homes that have been converted to businesses, and build a seven-storey, 72-unit apartment building. In a report to the city's committee of adjustment, city planners said the proposal "will allow redevelopment of a property that is rundown with new, mixed-use transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly development that will help achieve the city's objectives for the central transit corridor."





According to this, they're calling it The Market Flats:

Quote:Description: 6-story 73-unit purpose-built rental apartment building proposed on an infill site which sits on the main public transit route in Downtown Kitchener. Situated on .40 acres, the design currently contemplates a net leasable floor area of 55,522 square feet and construction is scheduled to begin in 2019.

Where was the quote taken from?  Is this proposal still making progress toward a construction start in 2019?
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