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414 Westhaven Street | 13 fl | Proposed
#1
An unknown developer will be building a project at 414 Westhaven Street in the far western suburbs of Waterloo. MartinSimmonsSweer has done the project design.

The project is to have 426 residential units contained within two 13 floor towers as well as 5 blocks of 3 floor contemporary rowhouses. Amenity spaces will be built in a 2 floor building adjacent to the towers. All parking sans visitor and short-term parking will be contained underground. The architecture team had a goal to create a self-contained pedestrian friendly project by constructing a network of pathways and a traffic calmed street that will curve, be built out of a unique form of material and contain colours to allow vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to share the internal road in a safe manner.

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#2
(05-12-2022, 12:25 PM)ac3r Wrote: The architecture team had a goal to create a self-contained pedestrian friendly project by constructing a network of pathways and a traffic calmed street that will curve, be built out of a unique form of material and contain colours to allow vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to share the internal road in a safe manner.

But where are the bicycles and people walking going to go to? Argh. Sucks.
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#3
Good question haha. Maybe they can do laps around the property? Because yeah...this is in the middle of nowhere. The only retail is a collection of big box stores across the road and The Boardwalk a bit further away. There's not much else to go to. It's funny because there is a quote about the developer has "a grand vision for his building legacy, one who is willing to commit to good design and look to substantially to improve livability in our community" and yet building out here is hardly going to achieve that.
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#4
(05-12-2022, 01:06 PM)plam Wrote:
(05-12-2022, 12:25 PM)ac3r Wrote: The architecture team had a goal to create a self-contained pedestrian friendly project by constructing a network of pathways and a traffic calmed street that will curve, be built out of a unique form of material and contain colours to allow vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to share the internal road in a safe manner.

But where are the bicycles and people walking going to go to? Argh. Sucks.

I have to say it seems somewhat meaningless if retail isn’t integrated. And what do they mean by “adjacent”? Apartment residents should not have to go outside to get to the party room. It’s simply not believable that interior connections can’t be provided attractively in a single development like this.

Also, what is this internal roadway for? It shouldn’t be for the tower parking: that can just exit directly or almost directly on to whatever main street this is on. It doesn’t make sense to make a woonerf for something which is the access to hundreds of residential units (i.e., larger than many entire villages). If the idea is that the townhouse driveways connect to it then that could make some sense.

Finally, unless the pedestrian friendliness extends to links to adjacent developments, existing and future, it’s also meaningless. Single developments can’t really be pedestrian friendly, unless they are essentially an entire settlement within themselves; it’s how the different properties in a city link together which determines pedestrian friendliness. I mean, the inside of a Home Depot is a fairly pedestrian friendly environment; it’s how one would walk to another nearby property which makes it unfriendly.
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#5
The developer is Lexington Park, if I am not mistaken
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#6
In fairness, though they could maybe do more to add it themselves, is the lack of walkable retail out in big box land there a this developer problem or a planning problem?

At least this is in an area with bike lanes and MUTs that could let someone get to somewhere, albeit not anywhere particularly close by.
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#7
Walking distance to Chuck's Roadhouse = Pedestrian Friendly! Apparently that's all that matters!
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#8
(05-12-2022, 02:32 PM)neonjoe Wrote: Walking distance to Chuck's Roadhouse = Pedestrian Friendly! Apparently that's all that matters!

That’s a 96 Walk Score for the development!!
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#9
(05-12-2022, 01:06 PM)plam Wrote:
(05-12-2022, 12:25 PM)ac3r Wrote: The architecture team had a goal to create a self-contained pedestrian friendly project by constructing a network of pathways and a traffic calmed street that will curve, be built out of a unique form of material and contain colours to allow vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to share the internal road in a safe manner.

But where are the bicycles and people walking going to go to? Argh. Sucks.

The Boardwalk is only about 1-2 km away, so easy cycling distance (don't recall if there are MUTs in the area though) and not a bad walk for those of us that like to walk. It's not downtown but it's not totally isolated.
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#10
(05-12-2022, 08:20 PM)tomh009 Wrote:
(05-12-2022, 01:06 PM)plam Wrote: But where are the bicycles and people walking going to go to? Argh. Sucks.

The Boardwalk is only about 1-2 km away, so easy cycling distance (don't recall if there are MUTs in the area though) and not a bad walk for those of us that like to walk. It's not downtown but it's not totally isolated.

I would go twice as far just to avoid crossing Ira Needles on foot or bike.
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#11
If it does everything it claims to want to do, then all the power to them for the effort. It will give the residents of the Westhill Retirement residence a place to walk and make a connection into the Westvale neighbourhood. There is a 202 iXpress stop less and 100m from the property. Theoretically, this could also fill the gap for those who wish to "age-in-place" by downsizing from a house in Westvale and/or Beechwood, before moving to the Westhill.
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#12
This appears to have started construction. In the fall Musselman Excavating was doing a bunch of earthworks on site, and there now appears to be a tower crane set up, I've only seen it from a distance while taking the bus so I can't directly confirm it so it could be for another project but afaik this is the only project in that area of the city.
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#13
20min bike ride to Uptown Waterloo via Erb, that's not too bad
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#14
(02-13-2024, 01:58 PM)Kodra24 Wrote: 20min bike ride to Uptown Waterloo via Erb, that's not too bad

Well, it's better than going east from Uptown on Erb. The ride on Erb/Bridgeport to Lancaster is awful, especially but not limited to the 85 crossing. But there is a nontrivial slope going west. I have biked out to near the Boardwalk a couple of times and I hate it every time.
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