Wonderful Waterloo Archive

This site is maintained by Sam Nabi as a record of the vibrant Wonderful Waterloo community, which was taken offline in 2014. This site is a partial archive, containing some posts from 2009-2013. To read more about the recovery effort and access the data in a machine-readable format, check out the GitHub page.

U/C 171-191 Lester Street | 53 m | 17 fl

Post #39931 Unknown date Unknown Author	171-191 Lester Street City of Waterloo 17-storey \| 91-units \| 455 bedrooms Rendering
Post #39932 10-15-2012 01:02 PM Unknown Author Moderator Kitchener-Waterloo Joined Dec 2009 5693 posts	City of Waterloo Special Council Meeting: October 15, 2012 6:30 p.m. 4. CONSENT MOTION “That Consent Motion Items (a) to (c) be approved.” b) Demolition Control Application DC2012-146 ( Existing Conditions Rendering
Post #39933 10-15-2012 01:38 PM Unknown Author City Member Kitchener Joined Oct 2010 954 posts	455 bedrooms / 91 units = 5 bedrooms per unit. Interesting that it consists of all the remaining houses except for the last one that is actually at the corner of Lester and Seagram. This will no doubt reduce the developability of that corner space. Considering that Seagram is to be the grand entrance to Laurier (from the horrifically poorly located Seagram LRT stop), this doesn't really bode well for urbanization. That said, I like the retro-futurism design.
Post #39935 10-15-2012 01:54 PM Unknown Author Urban Issues Moderator Joined May 2010 990 posts "I have always believed that what is originally an abuse does not cease to be one by having become customary."	Originally Posted by markster 455 bedrooms / 91 units = 5 bedrooms per unit. Interesting that it consists of all the remaining houses except for the last one that is actually at the corner of Lester and Seagram. This will no doubt reduce the developability of that corner space. Considering that Seagram is to be the grand entrance to Laurier (from the horrifically poorly located Seagram LRT stop), this doesn't really bode well for urbanization. That said, I like the retro-futurism design. At least its aesthetic of yesterday's-tomorrow-today works well with the preemptively outdated future currently being developed in Waterloo.
Post #39939 10-15-2012 04:22 PM Unknown Author Urban Issues Moderator Joined Jul 2010 1641 posts	Waterloo's motto: Yes the carpet is ugly but it matches the curtains.
Post #39943 10-15-2012 06:52 PM Unknown Author Town Member Joined Dec 2011 252 posts	Lester's already ruined, so why not
Post #39951 10-15-2012 08:35 PM Unknown Author Metropolis Member Joined Mar 2010 1083 posts	What is with the portholes?
Post #39952 10-15-2012 08:43 PM Unknown Author Metropolis Member DOWNTOWN Joined Mar 2010 2089 posts	Originally Posted by DHLawrence What is with the portholes? Bless this student box and all those who sail in her.
Post #40113 10-22-2012 01:33 AM Unknown Author Hamlet Member Joined Aug 2011 14 posts	There is still no grocery store in that area. One could make a tidy profit putting up a grocery store smack dab in the middle of university Avenue. Unless you consider Farah Foods to be a grocery store
Post #40119 10-22-2012 10:17 AM Unknown Author Metropolis Member Waterloo, ON Joined Jan 2010 2122 posts	Originally Posted by ThatGuy There is still no grocery store in that area. One could make a tidy profit putting up a grocery store smack dab in the middle of university Avenue. Unless you consider Farah Foods to be a grocery store Until the Northdale zoning is fully in place, I don't think there's anywhere in that area where the city will allow a grocery store.
Post #40120 10-22-2012 10:24 AM Unknown Author Urban Issues Moderator Joined Jul 2010 1641 posts	Originally Posted by mpd618 Until the Northdale zoning is fully in place, I don't think there's anywhere in that area where the city will allow a grocery store. Of course, because University Ave. is zoned commercial for most of its traditional extent except between the two universities.
Post #40919 11-27-2012 09:15 AM Unknown Author Hamlet Member Joined Aug 2011 14 posts	The city is made up of elected people, who are subordinate to the will of the people. If the will of the people is for a grocery store, it shall be, no questions asked. At least thats how it was explained to me.
Post #40926 11-27-2012 12:26 PM Unknown Author City Member Joined Dec 2009 591 posts	Originally Posted by ThatGuy The city is made up of elected people, who are subordinate to the will of the people. If the will of the people is for a grocery store, it shall be, no questions asked. At least thats how it was explained to me. Some things are harder to change than others. Zoning can always change, but councils are sometimes unwilling to change zoning unless there's a lot of pressure, because there's a feeling that it shouldn't change on a whim.
Post #40938 11-27-2012 09:24 PM Unknown Author Village Member Kitchener Joined Feb 2012 52 posts	A grocery store looks to currently be permitted in the "C4-25" zone applied to the University shops plaza (both sides of Philip St), and the "C6-25" zone applied to the starbucks plaza at University and King, all the way to Hickory St. Might it be that for whatever reason, grocery chains have made decisions not to locate in this area? I wonder if convenience (fast) food is winning out here based on demand? This area needs a grocery store. I hope a chain finds a reason to step into this market, but equally hope that any future chain does not come at the expense of Uptown's Valumart.
Post #40945 11-27-2012 10:55 PM Unknown Author Metropolis Member Waterloo, ON Joined Jan 2010 2122 posts	Originally Posted by planningthatplannyplan Might it be that for whatever reason, grocery chains have made decisions not to locate in this area? I wonder if convenience (fast) food is winning out here based on demand? I think there's demand for far more retail than is currently supplied near the universities. Current retail uses in those plazas are probably higher revenue per square foot than a classic grocery store concept would be, I assume. And the chains probably don't look too far beyond the biggest downtowns for their urban format stores.
Post #44253 05-11-2013 07:27 PM Unknown Author Village Member Calgary, Alberta Joined Jan 2010 69 posts	Is there anything going on with this monster?
Post #44254 05-11-2013 08:04 PM Unknown Author Urban Issues Moderator Joined Jul 2010 1641 posts	Originally Posted by Waterlooian4Life Is there anything going on with this monster? They just completed demolition last week.
Post #44364 05-17-2013 10:34 AM Unknown Author Moderator Kitchener-Waterloo Joined Dec 2009 5693 posts	May 16, 2013
Post #45186 06-15-2013 08:25 PM Unknown Author Hamlet Member Westvale, Waterloo Joined Nov 2012 22 posts	June 14, 2013
Post #46162 07-17-2013 07:11 PM Unknown Author Urban Issues Moderator Joined Jul 2010 1641 posts	Crane went up today, with European style control pod. Sorry, no pictures.