Waterloo Street Update

A few weeks ago in this article, we discussed how the Region is planning on placing a Traction Power Sub Station (TPSS) on Waterloo Street and our many concerns over that decision. The MHBPNA met with Rob Horne (Commissioner of Planning), Thomas Schmidt (Commissioner of Transportation and Environmental Services) and John Hill (Manager of Development, Reurbanization) in mid-February to talk about the plans for the Hub and also Waterloo Street. In a previous article I discussed general plans for the Transit Hub and in this post I’m providing an update on Waterloo Street.

According to quantum physics “everything is connected” and in this case the Region has control over much of this area. However, the TPSS is part of the current LRT/ION project and Waterloo Street will also be a neighbourhood entry point to the future Transit Hub. So they are separate, yet connected, issues.

Originally, the TPSS was slotted to be built behind the School of Pharmacy at King and Victoria. However, placing the TPSS there would involve digging into contaminated ground that is already being “managed” by a private company. We were told that if the Region disturbs that area it makes them liable for the cleanup or containment of a much larger section of land along the railway tracks. This cost could be enormous. Or, they could leave it and it would continue to be contained as it is today.

The Region showed us about 9 potential sites they had available in which to situate the TPSS and Waterloo Street was by far the best option. They provided us with a diagram showing the accurate scale of the TPSS and the street (click to enlarge):

Their pedestrian path is planned to be 7 metres wide which is more than twice the official requirement for a “shared use path”. There will be access maintained for the deliveries to the back of the Google building but these occur about twice a week for a short duration of time and there would still be plenty of room for pedestrian access to the Transit Hub even during those times.

MHBPNA is committed to working on a “smart access” entry to the Transit Hub via Waterloo street. The Region is aware they have dropped the ball a bit with a lack of communication and are committed to having a public meeting about Waterloo Street and related issues in April or early May. We will keep everyone posted on that meeting via our Blog, website and Facebook. They would like to have our input on the potential design of the area which could include landscaping and various options for the path and open areas.

Related issues: The latest report (Feb 23, 2016) on the Transit Hub is available on this link and commits to “Holding a Public Information Centre to update residents and adjacent land owners on the King-Victoria Multi-modal Transit Hub project, including feedback on the Waterloo Street pedestrian access options, and invite the City of Kitchener to co-host and provide updates on associated planning initiatives”. 

The report also states: “An important component of the project is a pedestrian connection envisioned for Waterloo Street. The Steering Committee reviewed and recommends that a pedestrian overpass be considered as an additional option for the Waterloo Street pedestrian connection. Conceptually, the overpass would be an enclosed bridge with lighting that could also be an architectural feature of the Transit Hub. To consider this option, additional consultation is required with Metrolinx, the City of Kitchener and the community. To date, only an underground pedestrian access has been discussed. Staff recommend holding an additional Public Information Centre to update the broader community on the Transit Hub project.”

We urge all residents to read through the February 23 report as it provides a welcome update to a very large project that will forever alter our neighbourhood. We were told bike access would be allowed through Waterloo Street but the main bike route would be along Duke St. to Victoria and they are proposing a multi use trail along the rail corridor all the way to the Bramm St. Yards which will be the site of future development. 

Ted Parkinson
CoChair MHBPNA

Transit Hub Update

Some very exciting things are happening in the Mt Hope – Breithaupt Park Neighbourhood and probably the biggest will be the “Multi-Modal Transit Station” (AKA “the Hub”) planned for Victoria and King Streets.

This is a Region project just like the LRT. And, like the rapid transit system, government is hoping to engage in a “private/public partnership" (3P) to build the Hub. In 2012 and 2013 the Region hosted a number of public information sessions and all the information can be found here. Things seemed to be moving along in a transparent manner but then there was silence for almost two years.

MHBPNA CoChairs Lane Burman and Ted Parkinson met with Rob Horne (Commissioner of Planning), Thomas Schmidt (Commissioner of Transportation and Environmental Services) and John Hill (Manager of Development, Reurbanization) in mid-February to talk about the plans for the Hub and also Waterloo Street. A few days after this meeting the Region released a new update report (February 23) which can be accessed on this page.  

Officials admitted they had been very quiet for a couple of years but part of the reason is that their negotiations with potential private partners are “delicate” and there is not much that can be revealed publicly. Construction on the Hub will not begin until 2017 and its actual structure is still to be determined.

We have seen plans like this:





 


 And this:


 

But the final shape is a work in progress and depends on a number of circumstances. For example, if more condos are built around the downtown then there will be less demand in the Hub. A number of options exist for retail, restaurants, offices etc. The different sections (or “towers”) could be built in different phases according to changing demands for different types of space. So this is an ongoing discussion.

MHBPNA has specifically asked for community space to be made available. There has been much condo development in downtown Kitchener over the past few years and more is planned as the province and city have plans to build up intensification. But no new community centres have been developed for many years. We believe people should have places to meet and socialize other than bars and restaurants. Bars can be great, but it is hard to run a Lego or “self-defense” program in them. The Region’s response to the community space issue was “that is up to the City of Kitchener to pay for so you should talk to them”. We were a little disappointed in this reaction but will press the issue at every opportunity.

Please read the latest report for all the Hub details. Public Meetings are being planned within the next couple of months.

Ted Parkinson, CoChair MHBPNA

Update on Waterloo Street will be posted on this Blog soon!

Spur Line Trail Update, Feb 2016.....

The Spur Line Trail is not completely finished but it is being used every day by more and more people. Even when construction was started and the width plowed and graded, it saved close to 10 minutes walking time from around Duke and Wilhelm to Uptown Waterloo. What a bonus! 

 

Walking along it for the past couple of months we have noticed how many more groups of people use it. There are often 2 to 4 people walking together, sometimes with dogs. They are chatting and enjoying this new route. It is maintained throughout the winter so it is also a safe place to walk when many streets and sidewalks are icy. 

Some residents have had questions about lighting levels and the ongoing development of the trail. MHBPNA has been in contact with the Region and we have some general answers:

As many people have noticed the lights are now on. They are controlled by photocells that turn them on at dusk and off at dawn. The lighting levels are still being calibrated over the next few weeks. Further "fine tuning" of the lights will happen over the next few months and will be in consultation with residents. We will try to watch the Region's website for notification about this but feel free to email us, or post on our Facebook page, if you hear about any meetings.

Len's Mill: Yes, the MHBPNA and everyone else understands the signage is a bit contradictory. The trail appears to go through the parking lot, but the signs tell you to walk around via Roger and Moore streets. The fact is the Region owns the land, but Len's Mill has used it for parking for years and they are "working it out". A solution will hopefully be presented to Regional Council in April/May.

Is the trail really closed at night like the signs state? This is an ongoing issue because CN is worried about pedestrians and cyclists being too close to the tracks at night but the Region doesn't agree with this position. It is currently before Transport Canada. Now seriously, many of us walked beside the track at night for many years on the rough hewn trail with patches of mud so now that it is several metres wide and paved it is even more popular at all hours. That is all we'll say.

How do you contact someone at the Region about lighting or something else happening on the trail? The best contact is the Region's One-Call number: 519-575-4400.

GrandLinq and Region plan to further restrict access to Waterloo Street

As we all know, Waterloo Street, between Breithaupt Street and Victoria, has been closed for some time and will never reopen.  This is because of the future Transit Hub.

Regional report P-14-061 of May 27, 2014, identifies this portion of Waterloo Street as a “main entrance from the Breithaupt Block and the residential area north of the Transit Hub” that will “form a strong pedestrian connection through the Hub site”.

The City of Kitchener handed over this part of Waterloo Street to the Region in the name of progress and the future of transit and added the caveat that it be “used primarily for pedestrian or vehicular movement”. While everyone hopes for the best, and we believe in the rosy future of transit, the Region and GrandLinq do not always have our neighbourhood interests at heart. In fact, it is mainly through the diligent research of local resident Bryan Smith that we even know some of their plans.

Since the Region is cutting off one of our streets, which was a convenient access to downtown Kitchener, we expected them to uphold their promise to make it a “strong pedestrian connection”.  Yet a couple of years ago (at one of the final public meetings) planners indicated they were considering putting in stairs and an elevator. When we objected and said cyclists would want a clear path with no stairs, they claimed that would be too expensive because of the infrastructure that needed to be moved. We are still trying to monitor this issue.

We in the neighbourhood have tried to follow the Transit Hub plans but his has been difficult because things are very quiet now while the LRT construction takes over as the biggest concern in our area.

However, an LRT issue has unexpectedly become very important to the Waterloo Street “corridor”.  There will be a transit station at the corner of Victoria and King and all stations need a “Traction Power Sub-Station” (TPSS).  Originally this structure was going to be located behind the School of Pharmacy where it would not interfere with pedestrians or traffic. 

Here is an generic image of a TPSS:

However, apparently some contamination of the area was discovered and GrandLinq decided to relocate this structure to Waterloo street! From the documentation we have managed to acquire it seems the Region, and their private partner GrandLinq, believe this relocation is a formality. They have made no attempt to inform anyone about it.

The TPSS building itself measures 13 feet by 42 feet and with a yard and the heavy duty fence surrounding it, the total area is estimated to be 31 feet by 92 feet. This would sit on a lot occupying 39 feet by 128 feet: larger than many lots in the neighbourhood! Here is another example of a TPSS:

It would be a huge eyesore on this grand pedestrian entrance to the Transit Hub and would take up the majority of the street. This portion of Waterloo Street descends towards Victoria. The lot would be filled to the Breithaupt Street level with a retaining wall down the west side six to eight feet high toward the tracks.

Additionally, there is a loading area off Waterloo Street and into the back part of the Breithaupt Block. This is used daily by trucks delivering food to Google workers and for other deliveries. The TPSS would significantly reduce the room on the street and, combined with the loading dock activity, pedestrian and cyclist traffic would be impeded.

The proposed relocation of the TPSS raises several questions:

1. Why does public consultation seem to be a lost art? At the same time the City of Kitchener is moving to embrace neighbourhoods and give us more ownership, the Region and its private partner GrandLinq, seem to ignore neighbourhoods.

2. Whatever contamination is present around the School of Pharmacy did not prevent it and the social work and medical school structures from being built. Why should it stand in the way of a TPSS? Why does government (and GrandLinq) run away from contamination? Would they not prove themselves to be more community minded if they cleaned it up?

3. Why does it take hours of work by private citizens to unearth obscure documents to find out some simple truths? Did none of the planners ask themselves basic questions like “how will this look?” and “would I like to live around this area?”

So far the LRT folks have not asked the city for permission to relocate their TPSS. At some point they will and they expect it to be approved without any real consideration.

Here is a diagram showing the size of the TPSS in relation to the street:

Ted Parkinson

CoChair MHBPNA

mhbpna@gmail.com