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Bauer Buildings
King & Allen, Waterloo
Websites: http://www.bauerlofts.com/
http://www.bauerbuildings.com/index.html
http://www.projectbuildings.com/bauer.php
Architect: Roth Knibb Architects Inc.
Developer: Laurence Development LP
Condos Registered April 28-30, 2010
King & Allen, Waterloo
Websites: http://www.bauerlofts.com/
http://www.bauerbuildings.com/index.html
http://www.projectbuildings.com/bauer.php
Architect: Roth Knibb Architects Inc.
Developer: Laurence Development LP
Condos Registered April 28-30, 2010
12-30-2009 06:00 AM
Unknown Author
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Kitchener-Waterloo
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Office: 107,392 sq. ft.
Retail: 42,600 sq. ft.
• Building A – Existing 2-storey building to be retained and to accommodate ground floor retail, restaurant and service uses with office uses on the second floor;
• Building B – New 15-storey building to accommodate ground floor retail and restaurant uses, two floors of office uses and 12 storeys of residential apartment units (131 units proposed);
• Building C – New 4-storey building proposed to accommodate specialty food store (Vincenzo’s which is relocating from Belmont http://www.vincenzosonline.com/) on the ground floor and 3 storeys of office uses above the ground floor.
LOCATION: Southwest corner of King Street South and Allen Street West in the heart of uptown Waterloo.
THE PROJECT: The retail component of the Bauer Project is centered on a European style courtyard. In addition to the support offered by the 160 plus residences, and over 60,000 square feet of commercial offices, the Retail shops at Bauer are sure to be a popular destination for all of Waterloo.
SIZE: Fully developed the Bauer Project will yield over 500,000 square feet of commercial offices, retail shops, residential lofts, and underground parking.
ANCHOR TENANTS: Vincenzo’s, Williams Coffee Pub, an exciting new restaurant by the Charcoal group.
Renders:
12-30-2009 06:08 AM
Unknown Author
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Kitchener-Waterloo
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(Jun 15, 2005)
The Record
The historic Bauer Industries property located on King Street in Waterloo will undergo an extensive redevelopment incorporating modern commercial office space, retail shops, restaurants and a multi-story "loft style" condominium complex with 75 to 100 residential suites.
For more 100 years, Bauer Industries had been on of the economic engines driving the local economy. Several generations of families have been employed at this location and the Bauer family has maintained a strong interest and commitment to the community.
With the completion of Bauer's commercial consolidation activities, a decision was taken to look for redevelopment opportunities for the site which is strategically located along the central corridor of King Street.
At the same time, the principals of Laurence Development LP, a locally based development firm, were keen to undertake a redevelopment project in Waterloo. The location of the Bauer property, coupled with the growing interest in downtown renewal and intensification, make this property an ideal fit.
In preparation for the redevelopment undertaking, Laurence Development has completed the necessary background studies including environmental, engineering, planning and architectural design. The company is planning a creative and exciting mixed-use development that will encompass the entire Bauer property located at the corner of King and Allen Streets.
In recognition of the historical significance of Bauer Industries to the City of Waterloo, the original Bauer Industries building will be retained as the cornerstone of the new development following restoration to become contemporary commercial office and retail space.
The area will be know as the Bauer Buildings and will be designed by Roth Knibb Architects Inc., a renowned Torontofirm. Roth Knibb has been responsible for the design of the new Kitchener Farmers Market building and Old Quebec Street, the successful downtown development in Guelph.
Laurence Development is led by local businessman Peter Schwartz, with the support of other local investors including the Seegmiller family.
The combined expertise of these principals will ensure the successful outcome of this exciting project.
Constructions management will be handled by another loca firm, Projectbuildings.com, which is owned by Heri Polzl.
Other local businesses involved include MHBC Planning, Stantec Consulting and Paradigm Transportation Solutions.
Preliminary discussions have been held with City o Waterloo officials to outline the redevelopment plans.
It is expected that building demolition on selected areas and site restoration will commence this summer and continue through the fall.
Planning applications will be submitted shortly to the city and Region of Waterloo, which are expected to be reviewed over the net six to eight months.
This redevelopment represents one of the key objectives of local government to encourage development of brownfield sites and intensification of development along the central transit corridor.
Informal Public Meeting: October 3, 2005 (Tentatively)
COB LP (Peter Schwartz)
Location: 187 King Street South & 0 Caroline Street
Request: To amend the Official Plan designation from Industrial and Special Policy Area No. 4 to Office Commercial. In addition, the request is to amend the zoning on the subject lands from Industrial ‘I’ to Commercial Two – 25 ‘C2-25’ with site specific provisions.
Purpose: The applicants have requested an amendment to the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law to rezone the property in order to facilitate a mixed use development with office commercial, ancillary retail, restaurants, personal service uses, and approximately 80 to 90 residential dwelling units.
Informal Public Meeting: October 3, 2005 (Tentatively)
Formal Public Meeting: (pending)
The Record - January 2006
More than a year before being constructed, the Bauer lofts in Waterloo's downtown are completely sold out and demolition work to make way for redevelopment of the former industrial property has begun, says a planner for the developer.
The majority of the lofts sold within three weeks of the presentation centre opening in November, said Carol Wiebe, a partner in MHBC Planning.
She is doing planning work for Laurence Development Ltd. Partners, the company behind the $40-million project to turn the former Bauer Industries site in downtown Waterloo into a mixed-use complex with trendy lofts, offices, boutiques, cafes and restaurants.
Wiebe said the larger lofts, up to almost 2,000 square feet in size, were spoken for first, and some of those sold for more than $400,000.
Then, some people bought two or three of the remaining smaller lofts to put them together into larger lofts.
So the development, which initially included 96 lofts, will now have 89 residential units altogether, Wiebe said.
"That's the beauty of the modular design -- you can put the units together."
She said before the presentation centre even opened, about 1,500 people had registered on a website to book appointments for an opportunity to buy the lofts .
"I don't think anyone expected it would be that overwhelming. I know the client was blown away by the response," Wiebe said.
"It has also set a new benchmark for prices for highrise condominiums in this region."
She said people are attracted to the "great location," and the fact that there will be restaurants and cafes to go to within the complex.
The lofts will have high ceilings and large windows with great views, and terraces, she said.
She said there will also be completely enclosed, self-contained parking underground -- another big draw.
In terms of age, people who put deposits down were anywhere from in their 20s to their 70s, Wiebe said.
"There were a lot of professional people who wanted to be in this part of the city," she said.
"But we also got a lot of empty-nesters."
The buildings have yet to be built and the official plan and zoning amendment process for the property is still ongoing.
The lofts won't likely be ready for occupation until mid-2007.
But the demolition work to make way for the redevelopment began about two weeks ago, Wiebe said.
The original Bauer Industries building at King and Allen streets will remain and be renovated for retail and office uses.
But the factory additions on the 1.15-hectare (2.8 acre) site are being demolished and two other buildings will be constructed.
One of those new buildings, at Caroline and Allen streets, will have the Vincenzo's food market as the anchor customer, as well as offices.
The other, on King Street next to the renovated factory, will have retail and offices on the lower floors with the lofts on the upper floors.
Although the demolition work is going on now, the construction at street level won't likely be visible until later this year because the excavation and construction of underground parking will need to take place first, she said.
The development will bring "a lot of vitality to this whole block," with people living and working in the area, Wiebe said.
Everything is conditional on getting the planning approvals, but this is exactly the kind of development that the city wants to see in re-using the original factory building and intensifying the urban core for the transit corridor, she said.
March 2006 (SSC)
The developer of the Bauer Lofts in Waterloo is planning to add three storeys due to the high demand for its condominiums.
Peter Schwartz, president of Laurence Development LP, said his firm plans to add 39 units to the proposed condo building on the site of the former Bauer Industries property near the city core.
Don't expect to see any advertising though. Prospective buyers are being culled from a list of about 1,500 who registered an interest in buying a unit at the end of last year.
The first 89 lofts are completely sold out, with the vast majority quickly snapped up within three weeks of the opening of sales in November.
$50M Bauer project gets OK to proceed
Residential, office, retail space will be created near Waterloo core
PHILIP JALSEVAC, The Record
WATERLOO (May 18, 2007)
However, he said it will be several weeks before he has an estimate of the occupancy dates of two new buildings.
Wiebe said Schwartz is "sitting down with the contractor and everybody to hammer out a schedule" with realistic targets.
"They want to make sure it's thought through before making an announcement."
Last November, Schwartz said he hoped construction would begin sometime early this year, with the first occupants moving in by March 2008. It now appears the pace of approvals will result in a delay of at least a few months.
"The process has been so frustrating that, even now, it's a bit of a bittersweet moment, because we were hoping to be underway a lot sooner," Wiebe said.
"It's a complicated process whenever you're dealing with environmental issues."
An environmental assessment in 2004-05 identified chlorinated solvents as the contamination, likely associated with the old Bauer Industries operations. However, while that was being cleaned up, more of the same contaminants migrated to the property from an unknown off-site source.
July 2007
Thank you for your interest in Bauer Lofts located in uptown Waterloo. We are writing to invite you to the encore release on Sunday, July 8th, 2007. Due to the fact that construction of Bauer Lofts is well underway, we have relocated our sales presentation centre to 541 Mill Street in Kitchener. (Just off Courtland Ave East, north of the Conestoga Parkway.)
You will be among the first to view these exciting new floor plans. The presentation centre hours will be 11am - 6pm. We urge you to come early to avoid disappointment.
We look forward to seeing you!
The Bauer Lofts Sales Team
CLARIFICATION
August 08, 2007 - THE RECORD
http://news.therecord.com/article/225417
BAUER LOFTS COVERED BY PLAN
Condominium owners in the Bauer Lofts project will be covered under the province's new-home warranty plan because they are going into a new building, not a conversion of an old one. The old Bauer Industries building at King and Allen streets will be used for stores and offices. This wasn't clear in an article in Saturday's Record.
Delivery their specialty
October 04, 2007
NICOLE O'REILLY, RECORD STAFF - WATERLOO
http://news.therecord.com/article/250888
Chris Varney, general manager of HighJump Software, delivery division, stands at the entrance to the company's Waterloo office.
After three years of acquiring other companies, Global Beverage Group of Waterloo was sufficiently experienced in the challenges of mergers to be bought themselves by a major U.S. company.
The smooth November 2006 takeover by HighJump Software, a 3M company, has proved fruitful for local operations.
The Randall Drive office is now the delivery division for HighJump, which is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn.
It develops software used to map direct-to-store delivery -- the route from the warehouse to the store shelf. While many products are involved, beverage companies, including Pepsi, are its main clients.
"As our former company, we had gone through nine acquisitions of U.S.-based companies so it's been very interesting for us that we had had that experience," says Chris Varney, general manager and vice-president of operations of the delivery division.
Global Beverage Group was spun off from Descartes Systems Group, a Waterloo-based provider of logistics software and services, in 2000. Between 2002 and 2005, it was involved in nine acquisitions of small distribution software firms.
The delivery division has about 150 employees, about 70 of whom are based in the HighJump office on Randall Drive in Waterloo.
Being part of a larger brand-recognized company has a lot of advantages, says Varney.
"We have points of interaction that we did not have before as a solo company. We are interacting a lot more closely with the research and development groups, the marketing groups, the finance groups."
Other HighJump offices work higher up the supply chain, interacting more with manufacturing and warehouse management.
Varney says that before the acquisition, the two companies had many common clients. Now, those customers can deal with one software management company, from production to store delivery.
"We are now marketing end-to-end solutions to customers," he says.
Being part of a bigger company also gives the Waterloo operations a voice.
"We now have a seat at the table with Pepsi-Cola North America in New York," Varney says.
The Waterloo office has more than 20 software applications that focus specifically on the needs of distributors.
Many of the applications run on mobile computerized devices, such as tablets. The software does everything from organize the most effective way to load a truck, to planning the truck's route, to analyzing inventory on a store shelf.
The software saves time because orders can be transmitted back to the centre immediately.
It also saves gas, a key selling point in a world in which oil prices are increasing and environmental concerns are growing.
Clients can pay for a software licence up front or by subscription, a new method that allows clients to pay monthly or annual fees.
Staff, including marketing manager Alison Clarke, attended a user conference in San Diego in September. It was the first time clients and HighJump were able to get together to discuss ways to better work as a team and more efficiently utilize HighJump applications, Clarke said. Customers ran the software and gave the company feedback.
Despite the fact that 95 per cent of HighJump's clients are U.S.-based, the company views the Waterloo office as a key asset.
"One of the discussion points we had with 3M during the acquisition phase was their excitement about the University of Waterloo being here," Varney says.
Many employees in the research and development group are graduates of the University of Waterloo. Many started as co-op students.
HighJump plans to stay in Waterloo indefinitely. Cramped for space, the company has signed a lease for space in the office portion of the Bauer Lofts project in downtown Waterloo.
It plans to move in when construction is completed.
"We are making do with space we have now, but it is certainly not what we want to have," says Varney. "We started looking around and the Bauer building looked like a perfect fit for our organization."
Executive summary
Global Beverage Group, 120 Randall Dr., Waterloo.
Founded in 2000. Acquired in 2006 by HighJump Software of Minnesota.
Clients are direct-to-store distributors of beverages (such as Pepsi) and other products, largely in the U.S.
www.highjumpsoftware.com/
Full steam ahead
The Record - January 22, 2008
http://news.therecord.com/article/298401
Steam billows from concrete as construction crews pour a floor yesterday at The Bauer Buildings project at the corner of King and Allen streets in Waterloo. The former Bauer Industries buildings on the site will contain shops, offices and restaurants while a new tower will contain loft condominiums.
Bauers Limited made batting, twine and padding
March 01, 2008
CHRIS MASTERMAN, RECORD STAFF
http://news.therecord.com/article/316736
Last week's featured photo showed the old Bauers Limited building at the corner of King and Allen streets in Waterloo. The photo was taken on June 14, 2005.
Aloyes Bauer opened a mill he called A. Bauer and Co. in 1888 after buying the property from a carriage company.
The mill made cotton batting and cotton flock for bedding and furniture. In 1915, the company started making seat cushion padding for automobiles. The firm incorporated in 1917, becoming Bauers Limited. At that time the building was 1,533 square metres (16,500 square feet) in size and the company employed 22.
In 1933 the company began manufacturing yarn and twine. Around 1939, a new product, sisal padding, was introduced. It was sold to automobile and furniture makers.
In 1954, the company began producing foam rubber. It was sold in padding form to both furniture and auto industries for seating.
Bauers opened a second factory on Dutton Drive in Waterloo in 1966. The company's name was changed to Bauer Industries Ltd. in 1973.
Over the years the company expanded at least 12 times; eventually the buildings consisted of 23,225 square metres (250,000 square feet) at the two Waterloo plants. As of its 110th anniversary in 1998, Bauer Industries employed approximately 250 people, operating the Waterloo plants and one factory in Hildebran, N.C., and a Detroit -area sales office.
In the fall of 2001, Bauer Industries Ltd. closed its King Street plant and consolidated operations at its Dutton Drive facility. By then, there were only 160 employees. After Bauer moved out, the King Street building was mainly used for storage.
Bauer Industries is still going strong. Its website says: "Bauer ... the family that keeps vehicles comfortable and quiet!"
The 1.2 hectare (three-acre) site is now being redeveloped by Peter Schwartz's development company, Laurence Development Ltd. Partners, into a mixed-use complex called The Bauer Buildings, containing loft-style condominiums, offices, retail stores and restaurants.
The factory additions have been demolished, but the original two-storey factory at King and Allen streets will be retained and will house a restaurant on the main floor and office space upstairs.
A second, four-storey building at Caroline and Allen streets will have a food market, with Vincenzo's as the anchor on the main floor and office space on the upper floors.
A third building beside the renovated factory will be called the Bauer Lofts. It will feature retail space on the main floor, office space on the second and third floors and condominium lofts on the upper floors. Plans call for the building to be 15 storeys high, with a two-level, underground parking garage. Construction is expected to be finished in 2009.
Thanks for your replies. Here's a sampling:
Elizabeth Bauer wrote, "The company was started by my great-great grandfather, Aloyes Bauer.
"Later, it was run by his son Sir Edgar, and at one point, my grandfather, Gene, helped run the plant with some of his siblings.
"The family home is right across the street (the corner of King and Allen) where the Red Cross is.
"One winter, I remember there was a crush along King Street during the Christmas parade, and some of my cousins were able to sit roof-side to get a bird's-eye view of the festivities."
Dianne Bauer said: "The sidewalk in front of the family business was our favoured place to watch the annual Santa Claus and Oktoberfest parades with our young children.
"In the early 1980s, Bauer Industries was among the first area employers to provide CPR training for their workers, following Ray Bauer's cardiac arrest in the intersection of King and Allen streets.
"After hitting two other vehicles in the intersection, Ray's car came to rest against the wall of the building below his office, where passing off-duty emergency and medical personnel administered life-saving CPR."
Good luck with this week's photo. I'll be away for training next week, so answers are not due until Tuesday, March 11.
SOURCES: Record files, Bauer Lofts website, Bauer Industries website. Special thanks to Robert A. Glover for his extensive background information.
New life for old properties
Creative developers are turning brownfields into golden opportunities
March 31, 2008
Bob Burtt
http://news.therecord.com/article/357175
...
The Bauer Buildings, now under construction at King and Allen streets, is a good example. Laurence Development is putting up a mixed use development -- it will contain shops, offices, restaurants and 141 loft condos -- on the site of the former Bauer Industries factory. The property was contaminated with a chemical called perchloroethylene, a known cancer-causing agent that was once commonly used in dry cleaning and other industrial operations. The site has been cleaned up and it now meets Ministry of the Environment standards for new development.
...
12-30-2009 06:44 AM
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February 24, 2009
Chuck Howitt, RECORD STAFF - WATERLOO
http://news.therecord.com/article/493019
...
Launched in 1888, Bauer is one of the area's oldest family-owned businesses. It closed its original manufacturing plant on King Street in Waterloo in 2001. The building is now being converted into lofts.
ENTERPRISE - NETWORKING
April 15, 2009 - Record staff
http://news.therecord.com/article/520779
Caesars Closet
If all goes according to schedule, a Caesars Closet (www.caesarscloset.com) women’s and men’s clothing store will open in Waterloo’s Bauer Lofts development (near King and Allen streets) by September.
Caesars is owned and operated by siblings Cathie Romeo and Brad Galway. Romeo founded the business and opened a store in 1996 in Cambridge at 140 Hespeler Rd., and was joined by her brother as a business partner in 2000.
Romeo said they’re impressed by the “amazing retailers” and the concept behind the Bauer project and she’s confident Caesars Closet will be a “perfect fit” for the development and for uptown Waterloo. Romeo manages the women’s division of Caesars while Galway is responsible for menswear. They will divide their time between the two locations. Eight people will be hired for the Waterloo store.
Tenants count weeks to Bauer opening
May 05, 2009
Liz Monteiro, RECORD STAFF - WATERLOO
http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/531760
Lisa Littlefield has been waiting more than four years to launch her flower shop in a new location in Waterloo.
And it looks as if she and several other businesses will finally be opening their doors this fall in the former Bauer building at King and Allen streets.
"It's going to be awesome in terms of business,'' said Littlefield, owner of Les Fleurs Floral Boutique, now in downtown Kitchener.
The 15-storey, 151-residential-unit tower, known as the Bauer Lofts, is already up and tenants have received notice from Laurence Developments that occupancy is to start July 1.
Coun. Mark Whaley bought a unit in the building.
"I'm so delighted to be involved in something iconic that brings retail and living spaces together," he said. "It's a mini-village."
The developer, Peter Schwartz, could not be reached for comment.
The property will be a mixed-use complex of condos, offices, retail stores and restaurants.
Estimated at $50-million in 2007, the project has had its share of delays. Among them, soil contamination from the site's industrial past.
The original Bauer building, which dates back to the 1880s, is being restored and will house retail businesses and offices.
Brad Galway, co-owner of Caesar's Closet, a women's and men's clothing store in Cambridge, will open a second location in the old Bauer building.
"We are excited. We can't wait,'' said Galway, whose storefront will face King Street.
The store, which sells clothes ranging from denim to evening wear, will have 2,600 square feet. The Cambridge store opened in 1996.
"We are trying to fill a void by bringing the brands and looks that we offer to Waterloo,'' Galway said. "The building project is a cool new concept."
He hopes to take possession on July 15 and begin setting up the store.
A hair salon and spa will also be in the Bauer building.
Carmen Caccioppoli, co-owner of Vincenzo's food store on Belmont Avenue, plans a September opening in the four-storey building going up at Allen and Caroline streets. The new location will triple the size of the popular food store. About 150 parking spaces will be available.
"I get asked every day, several times a day, when we're moving,'' he said.
Caccioppoli said the store will consolidate its current space, which includes a warehouse in Kitchener, at the new location.
Vincenzo's will also add a seafood market.
Charcoal Group of Restaurants, which has four restaurants in the region, will open its fifth in the Bauer project.
The 6,500-square-foot restaurant with 270 seats will face a courtyard between the two buildings on Allen Street, co-owner Tim Wideman said.
Managing partner Jody Palubiski said the Bauer Kitchen will feature an urban setting inspired by restaurants in Soho and Tribeca in New York City.
"The decor will be industrial, with funky lighting and an urban warehouse esthetic,'' he said.
Palubiski said the restaurant will likely open in early October.
12-30-2009 07:15 AM
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http://www.vincenzosonline.com/Artic...UpdateDec.aspx
Moving Update:
The Final pieces of equipment have arrived. Look for our opening on or about January 12th, 2010.
How is the parking?
There are over 150 ground level parking spots. All parking is free. Some spaces will have a 2 hour limit. On weekends and evenings the first level of undergound parking will be available, adding another 200 spots.
12-30-2009 12:29 PM
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12-30-2009 10:02 PM
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Have you been to the rest of the stores? Bauer Kitchen?
12-31-2009 12:04 PM
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I've ate at TBK quite a bit and am going there for new years tonight. It's a nice place, pretty industrial look. Goes with the whole "bauer" feel and reminds me of the distillery district in toronto.
12-31-2009 01:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Bauer123 Have fun tonight!
01-07-2010 04:01 PM
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December 5, 2009
01-07-2010 04:38 PM
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December 17, 2009: Views From Two Lofts
01-07-2010 10:49 PM
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01-07-2010 11:41 PM
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01-08-2010 09:28 AM
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01-08-2010 11:21 AM
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01-08-2010 11:37 AM
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01-08-2010 12:59 PM
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i'm hoping for next week also!
01-09-2010 12:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Bauer123 01-09-2010 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by UrbanWaterloo 01-10-2010 02:27 PM
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Price List - July 7, 2007
Originally Posted by mpd618