General Suburban Updates and Rumours

[Chris]

I personally feel that Sportsworld Drive itself should be changed to Maple Grove Road. Its a major road thats such a short stub.

Yes, I think so too.  I'm not sure why we memorialize the old Sportsworld park.  Why not just call the area "Eat N Putt"...it lasted longer than Pioneer Sportsworld?  In fact when we were kids I think we probably would say we were going out by the Eat N Putt or Pioneer Tower when going to that area...maybe also referred to the area as "Old King"?  

 I'd be happy with a practical name for the LRT station like Maplegrove or "Kitchener 401" or even just calling it "Pioneer Tower Station"...it will be over a century old by the time this gets built.

Brings back memories of riding in a burlap sack down a slide.

Also memories of not building the highway 8 bypass to access 401 W because the owners of the Two-Lane and the gas stations were afraid they'd go out of business if all traffic could avoid King St.

[Momo26]

Really should have built that bypass...

[curiouschair]

Looks like construction has started on 528 Lancaster. The sites been cleared and there is some sort of pile driver doing stuff.

[tomh009]

Looks like construction has started on 528 Lancaster. The sites been cleared and there is some sort of pile driver doing stuff.

That's the fourth active new-build project for Vive (the others are Market Lofts, Ophelia and OTIS).

[ac3r]

DoubleTree by Hilton (formerly the Holiday Inn) at King East and Fairway has fencing up and a lot of heavy equipment in the parking lot. I'm not sure what they're doing there.

There is also fencing up around the old school at Trafalgar and Franklin North so I'm guessing they're going to demolish that building at some point. It's quite a big piece of land so I am curious to see what they do with that. Does anyone know when they closed this school? I had no idea it ceased being a school and it looks like it hasn't been one in a long long time. I remember when KPL used to have a satellite location here but that was probably 15 or 20 years ago.

[TMKM94]

Does anyone know what's happening with the former Petro Canada site at Victoria and Edna? I noticed it's fenced off and it looks like they are digging. Could it just be tank removal?

[bgb_ca]

Does anyone know what's happening with the former Petro Canada site at Victoria and Edna? I noticed it's fenced off and it looks like they are digging. Could it just be tank removal?

depends when it closed down (I'm hardly ever in that part of town). I was under the impression they need to remove the tanks shortly after they wind down operations.

Could possibly be some remediation of the land as well for redevelopment.

[TMKM94]

Does anyone know what's happening with the former Petro Canada site at Victoria and Edna? I noticed it's fenced off and it looks like they are digging. Could it just be tank removal?

depends when it closed down (I'm hardly ever in that part of town). I was under the impression they need to remove the tanks shortly after they wind down operations.

Could possibly be some remediation of the land as well for redevelopment.

I believe it Closed in 2018 or 2019. I was under the same impression about tank removal. Guess we will see soon.

[ac3r]

Waterloo NIMBYs are trying to stop yet another development: https://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news-st...hbourhood/

[Acitta]

Waterloo NIMBYs are trying to stop yet another development: https://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news-st...hbourhood/

I guess that the developers couldn't persuade the owner of #333 to sell.

[tomh009]

Waterloo NIMBYs are trying to stop yet another development: https://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news-st...hbourhood/

24 homes on 2.4 acres isn't even super dense.

[ijmorlan]

Waterloo NIMBYs are trying to stop yet another development: https://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news-st...hbourhood/

I guess that the developers couldn't persuade the owner of #333 to sell.

I have some sympathy for #333, but none for the guy across the street.

I wonder what would happen if zoning regulations were easier to navigate for ordinary people. Right now, subdivision is usually done by developers aka evil large corporations just in it for the money. But at one time, property owners would gradually sever pieces of the property for family members and build infill. This would gradually turn a rural area into an urban one; it might be harder to oppose a property owner putting more of their family on a property.

In any case, what is fundamentally being opposed here is more people moving into the city, even if it is filtered through an anti-development framing.

As to the suggestion that this might lead to Beechwood backyards seeing infill projects, sounds good to me. If somebody wants a bigger backyard they should buy it, not use zoning rules to prevent their neighbour from changing the use of their backyard.

[danbrotherston]

Waterloo NIMBYs are trying to stop yet another development: https://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news-st...hbourhood/

24 homes on 2.4 acres isn't even super dense.

I don't think density really matters to NIMBYs.

[Rainrider22]

Mean while Kitchener is considering allowing tiny homes to be allowed in backyards that meet certain conditions... Good luck seeing that in Waterloo.

[ac3r]

I've said it on here before, Waterloo is an incredibly conservative minded city. On the other hand Kitchener has done a great job at setting an example for not only itself but the province as whole, whether it's about how to densify a sprawling suburban environment, tackling homelessness, promoting rapid transit development in mid-sized cities or through investment in tech/engineering - which, oddly, is something Waterloo does very little of despite UW being present. The major tech/engineering companies and incubators are all based in Kitchener. Kitchener is also doing a good job developing new housing in order to continue to retain and attract the talent.