General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[plam]

Yes, Waterloo Park station is the only one with no bus connections (more's the pity; several routes on University don't visit UW station).

The only bus connection is the Flixbus to Toronto which sometimes parks in the bike lane as it waits for its departure time.

[timc]

Yes, Waterloo Park station is the only one with no bus connections (more's the pity; several routes on University don't visit UW station).

Yep. I now have to take two different buses to get to UW station and then transfer to a third one from there. Somehow the buses I take park at opposite ends of the transit plaza, and there is quite a long walk between bus platforms. If I wanted to ride ION, a bus stopping at Waterloo Park station might save me some time.

So I guess this is mostly just me griping about the inconvenience of my personal transit journey.

[SF22]

Yes, Waterloo Park station is the only one with no bus connections (more's the pity; several routes on University don't visit UW station).

Yep. I now have to take two different buses to get to UW station and then transfer to a third one from there. Somehow the buses I take park at opposite ends of the transit plaza, and there is quite a long walk between bus platforms. If I wanted to ride ION, a bus stopping at Waterloo Park station might save me some time.

So I guess this is mostly just me griping about the inconvenience of my personal transit journey.

I mean, isn't that really what it's all about? Who cares if there are buses or trains if they don't go to useful places? And everyone's concept of 'useful' is a little different. I emailed the City of Waterloo this week about whether or not they plan to expand the active transit facilities in some of the industrial parks, because that would be useful to me, but I know that most people wouldn't care at all.

[Momo26]

100% would like to see some other loop LRT

Sure! Once other routes have the ridership to make an LRT worth while. None currently do, however. Not even pre-pandemic. That's basically the reason why we're waiting for ION stage 2.

or how I've putt it before, 6 to 8 'tentacles' (leaning towards 8 if not more), that reach out and bring people to node stops on the line.

In K-W the only routes that do not connect to an ION are 36 and 76 down in Doon/Pioneer Park.

As it stands I need to take 2 busses and the LRT to get DTK proper (1h15m one way trip assuming zero delays, can shave off 15mins occassionally if one of the bus drivers is kind enough to make a particular stop on an express run - even then no guarentee).

It sounds like you live in somewhere on the fringes, like to the south and/or east of Cambridge, as even Doon South in Kitchener, a badly connected area, is less than an hour from DTK by the bus schedules.

Hehe ;/ 

As I said, 2 busses and the LRT....and only 'under a hour' coming back if last driver makes an unscheduled stop . 

Btw...to where my company is moving, still withinthe borders of K-W, it is (short walk) -> bus -> bus -> entire LRT line ride -> bus -> long ass walk. Literally, I kid you not, 1h46min. 

It literally suggests I drive part of that trip on the PREFERRED Google Maps PUBLIC transit directions (ranks that higher). Ahaha *sigh*.


Edit: typo

[tomh009]

An excellent write-up by @dtkmelissa about the proposed Walser funeral home parking expansion, and the associated demolition of two triplexes:

Paving Paradise for a Parking Lot?
https://citified.substack.com/p/paving-p...arking-lot

[GtwoK]

This started construction (site servicing) yesterday. King St E is currently closed in front of the property, building permit was issued late September.

Went to the developer's (Elev8 Properties) site, and seems theyve got another project listed on there —26 King St E, slated for construction in spring of next year


This is on the far end of the American Block, in the empty lot, if that isn't clear. Anyway, seemed oddly narrow, so I looked it up, and sure enough, that's the size of the lot alright

They've finally started work on this (excavated for the foundation) and.... it sure is narrow alright

[ac3r]

There's a pretty big project proposed for the Sun Life parking lot in midtown. Can't say much, but there could be a lot of new towers coming to this parcel of land at some point.

[CP42]

There's a pretty big project proposed for the Sun Life parking lot in midtown. Can't say much, but there could be a lot of new towers coming to this parcel of land at some point.

Who even owns this parcel? Sun Life, GRH, City of Kitchener?

[Momo26]

Oh wow literally between the SLF building and GRH? That's exciting. That's a solid piece. easily big enough for 4 slenderish towers.

Man king st is going to be transformed even more.

I want to see some good cluster restos/entertainment be built up a la a Square One type area. You get 6 to 8 restos, maybe a Dave and Busters. I had hopes for Fairway Road to provide this but it doesn't seem to be the case

[panamaniac]

There's a pretty big project proposed for the Sun Life parking lot in midtown. Can't say much, but there could be a lot of new towers coming to this parcel of land at some point.

There's a pretty big project proposed for the Sun Life parking lot in midtown. Can't say much, but there could be a lot of new towers coming to this parcel of land at some point.

Who even owns this parcel? Sun Life, GRH, City of Kitchener?

That will put paid to an expansion of GRH.

[Lebronj23]

Is that this one?

https://www.therecord.com/local-waterloo...erloo.html

[KevinL]

Is that this one?

https://www.therecord.com/local-waterloo...erloo.html

No, that article is about developing the Waterloo side.

[Momo26]

Both are the Waterloo side arent they? Or is Union the divide?

[tomh009]

Is that this one?

https://www.therecord.com/local-waterloo...erloo.html

No, that one is on the Waterloo side of Sun Life. The parking lot is across Union Blvd, toward Kitchener. (Unless ac3r is referring to the tiny parking lot next to the above project.)

[ac3r]

The entire block sans the 2 houses are owned by BentallGreenOak which is the Sun Life real estate investment firm, one of the largest on the continent. They primarily develop malls and office and/or residential towers around the world.