459 Mill St | 15, 21, 31, 40 and 44 fl | Proposed

[ac3r]

So, is this project (approved by council) a different one at Mill and Ottawa?

166 mid-rise units by the Mill ION light rail station near Mill Street and Ottawa Street South. Council's changes respond to the “missing middle” by changing the Official Plan designation from low-rise residential to medium-rise residential. The proposed development consists of 166 residential units, including 110 one-bedroom units, 49 two-bedroom units, and seven three-bedroom units along with 157 parking spaces located underground and in the rear yard.

It's different. This project is 1500 units and will probably be in the proposal and planning stages for a while. It's also exclusively towers.

I'm unsure what mid-rise project they're talking about. The only mid-rise around Mill and Ottawa I can think of is 368 Ottawa South. It was proposed to have 152 units and 1 more parking space though so I'm unsure if the city is referring to this or not as the numbers have discrepancies. Link to the thread: https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/...p?tid=1675

I see nothing else nearby in my big *.csv file of applications since 2001 so I'm not sure. Perhaps it is indeed the project at 368 and they slightly redesigned it? It's still listed as a current active application though.

[tomh009]

So, is this project (approved by council) a different one at Mill and Ottawa?

It's different. This project is 1500 units and will probably be in the proposal and planning stages for a while. It's also exclusively towers.

I'm unsure what mid-rise project they're talking about. The only mid-rise around Mill and Ottawa I can think of is 368 Ottawa South. It was proposed to have 152 units and 1 more parking space though so I'm unsure if the city is referring to this or not as the numbers have discrepancies. Link to the thread: https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/...p?tid=1675

I see nothing else nearby in my big *.csv file of applications since 2001 so I'm not sure. Perhaps it is indeed the project at 368 and they slightly redesigned it? It's still listed as a current active application though.

I think you are right, it's got to be this one. The approved zoning changes are exactly what they requested, and the size is almost identical. The original had a mix of 1BR, 2BR and 2BR+D units, this one has a mix of 1BR, 2BR and 3BR -- and 14 more units. It's either an extra floor or they have shrunk the units to fit 14 more of them in.

[panamaniac]

So, is this project (approved by council) a different one at Mill and Ottawa?

It's different. This project is 1500 units and will probably be in the proposal and planning stages for a while. It's also exclusively towers.

I'm unsure what mid-rise project they're talking about. The only mid-rise around Mill and Ottawa I can think of is 368 Ottawa South. It was proposed to have 152 units and 1 more parking space though so I'm unsure if the city is referring to this or not as the numbers have discrepancies. Link to the thread: https://www.waterlooregionconnected.com/...p?tid=1675

I see nothing else nearby in my big *.csv file of applications since 2001 so I'm not sure. Perhaps it is indeed the project at 368 and they slightly redesigned it? It's still listed as a current active application though.

Yes, they're talking about the church-backed proposal on Pattandon Ave at Ottawa St S.

[ac3r]

In that case: nice! Guess the neighbourhood didn't waste their time trying to opposing it. Helps that the City of Kitchener is actually fairly progressive in terms of its evolution as well.

[Acitta]

Neighbourhood Meeting - Proposed Development (455-509 Mill Street )

The City of Kitchener has received applications for an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment for the subject lands located at 455-509 Mill Street to allow for a mixed use development with 5 towers ranging in heights from 15 to 44 storeys. A total Floor Space Ratio of 8.0 is proposed. The development will consist of approximately 1500 residential units and approximately 2000 square metres of commercial floor area.

This meeting is your opportunity to:

Learn more about the proposed application and how the process works
Let City staff know your thoughts on the proposal
Ask questions of City staff and the applicant
For more information, please visit kitchener.ca/PlanningApplications. 

To connect to the virtual meeting, go to www.zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID# 838 5737 8698.  To participate by telephone, please dial 1.647.558.0588 and enter meeting ID# 838 5737 8698 when prompted.

[ac3r]

I'll have to ask some colleagues about this one. As far as I know, there are no plans for this to be as high as 44 floors unless things have drastically changed. I don't think any sane developer would even try to propose such height in this neighbourhood because the NIMBYs are going to be out in full force about this one.

[panamaniac]

I'll have to ask some colleagues about this one. As far as I know, there are no plans for this to be as high as 44 floors unless things have drastically changed. I don't think any sane developer would even try to propose such height in this neighbourhood because the NIMBYs are going to be out in full force about this one.

I'd be surprised - it's not really a NIMBY-type neighbourhood, or at least not more than venting NIMBYs.

[ac3r]

I'll have to ask some colleagues about this one. As far as I know, there are no plans for this to be as high as 44 floors unless things have drastically changed. I don't think any sane developer would even try to propose such height in this neighbourhood because the NIMBYs are going to be out in full force about this one.

I'd be surprised - it's not really a NIMBY-type neighbourhood, or at least not more than venting NIMBYs.

Perhaps, but just the sheer size of a 44 - or even 32 - floor skyscraper there would be quite a change. The area is primarily surrounded by low rise single family homes. While the design of the project (and each building) is aiming to minimize shadows on existing properties, a skyscraper at 32 floors/105 meters (or higher...if it has actually redesigned to be 44 floors) is still going to cast quite a shadow and be quite the visual change for existing residents to see. While cities change, it's best if done slowly. Plopping down a half dozen towers in a century old single family home neighbourhood is going to face a lot of opposition.

These are the shadow studies for the project as originally proposed (11 to 32 floors) and even this is quite drastic, so 44 floors would be easily casting shadows well past Acacia Street:

In any case, I do hope the project goes ahead. I suspect it's not actually planned to be 15 to 44 floors and it is just a mistake on the meeting website...because that's unusual for this area and would face much fiercer resistance from the neighbourhood residents which would be quite a gamble for the developer to do, especially now that we're in a global construction slowdown. It would make more sense to propose something modest that has a greater chance at approval. The link Acitta doesn't make sense either. It was always planned to be 1500 residential units...so if suddenly there are extra floors on all these buildings, one would expect there to be more units now, but that's not the case. It's still 1500 units and that hasn't changed since they initially developed this back in 2021 (and even then, initial work started in 2017). I guess we'll find out come the meeting although I'll ask some people I know to see if I can get any more info before then.

[bravado]

Since we never build the missing middle, the contrast from low to high density is even more jarring - the perfect circle of bullshit...

[Momo26]

Wow beautiful based on those first post pics. Do we have more?

Also where is this project at in terms of approval and do the owners of those 6 homes have to agree to sell before approved? Will they make out like bandits? Plus the commerical prop owners?

[Acitta]

Wow beautiful based on those first post pics. Do we have more?

Also where is this project at in terms of approval and do the owners of those 6 homes have to agree to sell before approved? Will they make out like bandits? Plus the commerical prop owners?

I would assume that the developer already owns them. I doubt that they would propose a project for properties that they don't already own.

[Lebronj23]

‘Tallest of five towers now 44 stories in revised plan for central Kitchener Community”

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...unity.html

[ac3r]

Oh no. Well see you guys in a year or so after this slogs through the OLT lmao.

[ac3r]

There are two additional towers being considered in a future phase of this project at somewhere around 25 and 20 floors (subject to change) which would be located right next to the golf course where the long parking lot and 2 low rise buildings currently are.

[panamaniac]

Someday, I’d like to see the section of the golf course “south” of Courtland sold for high density development. It’s all an easy walk to Mill Stn.