Quote:WATERLOO — Planners for KGR Holdings appealed to Waterloo officials this week to approve planning amendments for a six-storey apartment building at 222 King St. S.

A mix of 49 one and two-bedroom apartments, it would back on to Dodds Lane and front on King where the Region of Waterloo’s light rail transit line will run.

“We’re looking to build a modern and contemporary building on the site,” said Aaron Hill of MacKinnon and Associates, agent for the developer. “We want to integrate with the surrounding neighbourhood.”

Hill said the building would be pedestrian-oriented, with street-level landscaping. The main floor would be a mix of commercial uses, primarily intended for the building’s residents.

There would be one level of underground parking with 32 spaces and an outdoor, rooftop amenity space.

The planning amendments the developer seeks are in line with the city’s proposed Official Plan, but councillors had some concerns.

The project is similar to the Red Condos by Momentum Developments located nearby at 188 King St. S. When that project went through the rezoning process, some neighbours were concerned about the building’s height and traffic noise from Dodds Lane.

“We have shared that information with the applicant,” said city planner Laura Dowell. “They’re aware of some of the challenges.”

Dowell said a traffic study by KGR Holdings showed there would be 25 new trips on Dodds Lane and King Street during the morning peak time and 37 in the evening.

“They are quite low,” Dowell said. “The lane is looking at probably 12 cars in any peak time.”

Coun. Mark Whaley pointed out similar projects can be expected in the future, as development intensifies along the light rail transit line.

“The entire length of the LRT route will one day be these types of buildings,” he said.

The application for zone change will now be circulated to various agencies for comment and will be followed by a report to council. Another public meeting will be held after the report and before council makes a decision.

Quote:WATERLOO — A six-storey apartment building at 222 King St. S. received unanimous approval from Waterloo councillors this week and a solid endorsement from the Tri-Cities Transport Action group.

KGR Holdings' The Cortes on King project will limit surface parking, provide rooftop amenity space for residents and is located on the future light rail transit line.

"We appreciate the developers trying to reduce the amount of parking on site," said Chris Klein of the Tri-Cities Transport Action Group, urging council to approve a rezoning request.

A mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, the project will front on King and back on to Dodds Lane.

There will be 49 parking spaces, 17 at street level and 32 underground.

Commercial space is planned for the ground floor for a more active streetscape.

Coun. Melissa Durrell questioned if 17 spots at street level would be enough for visitors to businesses on the ground floor.

"My concern is that there won't be enough parking there and it will spill into the residential area," she said.

Traffic has been a major issue for homeowners in uptown neighbourhoods. A transportation study is underway in uptown west that could lead to traffic calming measures.

The developers say they have a unique solution to meet everyone's parking needs.

Lease agreements will be arranged with five units that would allow commercial enterprises on the building's ground floor to use their parking spots during the day.

J.L. Cortes Architect Corporation is expected to be the main commercial tenant, said Jorge Cortes Jr., president of KGR Holdings.

A bike-parking storage area will be in the underground parking garage, with access off Dodds Lane.

Street-level landscaping will be incorporated into the design. To accommodate larger trees, tunnels will be created underneath the concrete to allow the roots to grow.

KGR Holdings is also expecting site plan approval soon for a project in Kitchener. The nine-floor, 70-unit condo project will be built on King Street East.

tomh009 Wrote:With only 32 parking spaces in the entire building, it's hard to believe that this would have major traffic impact.

tomh009 Wrote:Indeed it's old ... only noticed that now (a new post, though, so that confused me). Is there nothing happening on this for the past year and more?