Would be a wiser thing to do, tomh009! No need to relocate it downtown. It you look at the maps, The Auditorium is <10 blocks from Weber and Frederick already, it's basically going to be downtown soon enough.
Currently, it's a 10 minute walk from Borden Station. Downtown is going to just keep expanding out. We might as well keep the land it is on and when the time comes, replace/renovate the auditorium itself. Lots of future opportunities for developers to make new projects around it. They could easily redevelop, say, the stripmalls on Ottawa Street (between Weber/King) and introduce tons of new retail or restaurant offerings. The current location is right beside some Conestoga Parkway exists as well which is great for people who might be driving to/from events. Permieter Developments has The Junction planned a couple blocks south and Vive Developments is planning a 35(?) floor condo complex the next block away, both of which are very close and would really help revive this area. It is already the perfect "Stadium District".
IMO, it just needs some TLC and a bit of time to allow private developers to catch up. Once The Metz, The Junction and Lower Kitchener get started that will really boost the population, retail and other business in the area. With even more time, more things will come around here. The proximity to downtown and the Ottawa/Conestoga Parkway ramps give this area a hell of a lot of future potential. The Aud could be a very good anchor point for redevelopment around this part of the city, which I believe is all included in the Rockway PARTS plan the City of Kitchener released.
Currently, it's a 10 minute walk from Borden Station. Downtown is going to just keep expanding out. We might as well keep the land it is on and when the time comes, replace/renovate the auditorium itself. Lots of future opportunities for developers to make new projects around it. They could easily redevelop, say, the stripmalls on Ottawa Street (between Weber/King) and introduce tons of new retail or restaurant offerings. The current location is right beside some Conestoga Parkway exists as well which is great for people who might be driving to/from events. Permieter Developments has The Junction planned a couple blocks south and Vive Developments is planning a 35(?) floor condo complex the next block away, both of which are very close and would really help revive this area. It is already the perfect "Stadium District".
IMO, it just needs some TLC and a bit of time to allow private developers to catch up. Once The Metz, The Junction and Lower Kitchener get started that will really boost the population, retail and other business in the area. With even more time, more things will come around here. The proximity to downtown and the Ottawa/Conestoga Parkway ramps give this area a hell of a lot of future potential. The Aud could be a very good anchor point for redevelopment around this part of the city, which I believe is all included in the Rockway PARTS plan the City of Kitchener released.