Barrel Yards | 25 floors | 1006 units | revised proposal
Barrel Yards Waterloo, ON Auburndev Developments Inc. Revised Proposal is $200-$250 million, 1006 units, 25 floors http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/Deskt...spx?tabid=1690 TAKE NOTICE that the Council of The Corporation of the City of Waterloo will hold a Formal Public Meeting on Monday, June 25, 2007, at a time to be determined, in the Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, Waterloo City Centre, 100 Regina Street South, Waterloo, to consider the following application to amend the Zoning By-law pursuant to Section 34 of the Planning Act and to amend the Official Plan pursuant to Section 17 of the Planning Act. Original Proposal(for reference) http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...ardsPage47.jpg http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...ardsPage48.jpg Revised Proposal :banana: http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...YardsPage1.jpg http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...YardsPage2.jpg http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...escription.jpg http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...onceptPlan.jpg http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...ardsPage20.jpg http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...lYardsMap8.jpg $200-$250 million (up from 100-130) 1006 units (up from 750) Building heights up to 25 stories (up from 17) 230,000 sq ft of commercial and office space (up from 150,000) 280 hotel rooms (up from 120-150) Plus a more modern design All these changes equate to WaterlooInvestor being one happy guy :D :cheers: (I dare someone to say Waterloo Region isn't urbanizing :haha:) |
Very cool, but what's with the surface lot at the corner of F David Bauer and Erb? There should be a building right up against the street on that site.
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This is not really very urban, there are clusters of highrises just like these all over the place. People will still drive uptown from this location and much of the site and surrounding area is dedicated to parking.
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for those not from Waterloo, most of the parking lots pictures are existing (WMRC, perimetre institute/clay and glass and train station) |
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1006? Why 1006? What an unusual number.
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http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...ardsPage20.jpg By the way, I'd LOVE to see those parking lots developed by the train station. My idea: the Waterloo Regional Convention Centre. (the region has $100 million now that it probably won't have to pay for LRT) It would fit in really well with the Perimeter Institute, CIGI, Clay & Glass Gallery, new hotel, tech Waterloo, etc.. In return for Kitchener's support of a CC in Waterloo, I'd give Kitchener the new Waterloo Region Reference Library - it makes sense since there's already two large libraries in Waterloo at UW and WLU. Anyone else like this idea? Quote:
An overview of the site (slightly outdated, you can see the WTS RBC building is still under construction): http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...lYardsSite.jpg This is from the original proposal showing how Father David Bauer Drive would look. It looks alright to me, and I'm sure it even looks better with this new design: which turns FDB into a "boulevard" http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...BDriveView.jpg Also from the original proposal showing the Office Building where FDB Drive and Erb Street meet: http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...OfficeView.jpg |
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Original: 520 surface, 890 underground, 190 deck = 1600 total New: 408 surface 1842 underground = 2250 total The number of surface spaces has actually decreased! Surface parking now represents only 18.1% of all parking - a large drop :) It's still a bit high, but the developer has made it better. Overall this is a great development, with modern Toronto-style glass buildings. I'll take this development as well. Question: Where does this development rank in Ontario (outside of Toronto)? Is it a top 3 proposal? Someone mentioned how big of a day June 25th is: 1) Public meeting on the Barrel Yards (1008 units) 2) Public meeting on the Centre Block (400 units) Interesting Fact: With this updated plan, there are now over 1000 residential units proposed in both Uptown Waterloo and Downtown Kitchener. With close to 3000 units either constructed in the past 2 years, under construction or proposed, this has to be the biggest urban building boom we've ever seen! Waterloo Region is absolutely on fire! :cool: |
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I'm largely satisfied with this development, but I think there are some things that could enhance it. For example, I still think there's too much surface parking. Waterloo Region has an addiction to this. I'm impressed with the facade of FDB Drive, but will Erb Street be mixed-use? Other than that, I think improvements need to be made to the surrounding area to give it better connectivity with Uptown. For one, I'd like to see the big empty lot and the parking lot beside CIGI developed, as well as the actual mall of WTS bulldozed and something more urban put in its place. I don't know if the latter will ever happen because there are successful businesses there already who will oppose it. It be nice though with the front parking lot turned to a public square (which is going to happen in the next couple of years). Ultimately, I'd like to see a mixed-use development replace the mall itself. Since Barrelyards is quite a bit of residential, I'd like to see a couple office towers on top of the retail podium that would replace WTS. Add to this, I'd also like to see the row of parking lots on Caroline Street be redeveloped into a mixed-use corridor.
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I was in Waterloo over the weekend and scoped out the site. It's closer to uptown than I thought. Waterloo is lucky to have such a massive chunk of vacant land so close to the core.
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Waterloo OKs BarrelYards vision
Region's largest development project to create brand new town in centre of city TAMSIN MCMAHON WATERLOO (Jun 26, 2007) http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...7Jun26-A04.jpg Waterloo council gave the green light to the $250-million BarrelYards project, paving the way for the largest development project in the region. Councillors unanimously approved changes to zoning requirements that will allow London-based Auburn Developments to build highrise luxury condominiums and apartments buildings, along with hotels, shops and offices in the old industrial heart of the city. "We're creating a brand new town in the middle of our city," said Coun. Mark Whaley. "It's pretty marvellous." Plans for the complex on about five hectares (12.7 acres) of the former Canbar lands at Erb Street and Father David Bauer Drive include: -Two 25-storey condominium towers; -Four apartment towers, two 21-storeys high, one 18 storeys high, one 12 storeys high; -12 townhouses; -10 lowrise mixed-use residential and retail units; -Two hotels with 280 rooms; -230,000 sq-ft of commercial office and retail space; -2,250 parking spaces, most of which would be in a two-level underground garage. The project was the first major development proposal approved by the new council, which earlier this year supported plans to redevelop a parking lot at Waterloo Town Square into a public square. The city scrapped a height and density cap that would have restricted the apartment buildings and condominiums to no higher than seven storeys. Instead, the developer is planning several highrise buildings along Father David Bauer Drive. Yesterday's council approval signalled an end to a decade-long debate on the property between the city and residents who wanted to keep their low-rise leafy streets from becoming a crowded city core overrun with traffic. In 1998, Canbar asked the city to change its zoning restrictions in order to turn the site, which once held its fibreglass and plastics manufacturing business, into a commercial and residential complex. The company hoped to sell the land to a developer that would build a series of highrise apartments, hotels and business space. But those plans were scuttled after residents balked at bringing Toronto-style development and traffic into the quiet suburban core. The company scaled back its plans and Auburn Developments bought the site in 2005. The land had undergone an environmental cleanup and passed a 2003 Ministry of the Environment audit. The BarrelYards is the largest project that Auburn has undertaken, said company president Jamie Crich. The company is also developing the Arrow Lofts in Kitchener. Plans for the project were scaled up from original concept, which was for 750 apartments and condos in mostly low-rise buildings, a 120-room boutique hotel and mostly above-ground parking. Construction could start as early as this fall and would take between four and seven years, depending on how strong the market is for the project, Crich said in an interview. But he said he's confident there is strong interest in a massive development in Waterloo and that his company has been flooded with calls from interested residents and businesses. "You can't do everything overnight, but there is definitely a good strong market here. The city's done a great job with their Uptown and people are responding. They want to live there." Local companies have long been pushing for a downtown Waterloo hotel and conference centre. Yesterday, Crich said the company is proposing both a long- and short-stay hotel, and would push for conference facilities. Auburn has been getting as many as five calls a day from interested hotel chains since putting out a request. The hotels would be built by the hotel chains themselves. He wouldn't name the potential hotel operators, but Crich said they were "some five-star hotels. Great brands have expressed an interest in being here." Both the city and the developer said they would ask the region to make some road improvements, such as traffic lights and left-turn lanes, to Erb Street, said consultant Chris Pidgeon of GSP Group. The developer isn't expecting the region to support the proposed changes, Pidgeon said, but they are critical to building the hotels. The city is still negotiating to share the cost of about $100,000 in improvements to Father David Bauer Drive, such as landscaped medium and bike lanes on both sides. John Shortreed, who lives on neighbouring Euclid Avenue, was concerned that the city was approving zoning changes before knowing the region would support road improvements to protect residents and pedestrians from an onslaught of new traffic. "It's a huge impact on a very small neighbourhood," he said. Mike Hudson, who also lives on Euclid, was concerned the proposed highrise condos and apartments would destroy the natural skyline of Waterloo Park. "We should consider what it is about Waterloo Park that makes it special and try and see if that can be preserved," he said. "I don't think it can be preserved in its current form with very large office towers immediately adjacent to the park." The proposal doesn't include any affordable housing, but a staff report said the developer plans to look into any low-cost housing opportunities and that creating luxury units would free up affordable housing elsewhere in the city. Uptown Coun. Ian McLean said the project shows Waterloo is a leader in intensifying in its downtown. "Because we're running out of land, we will continue to be a leader and show Kitchener and Cambridge and other parts of the region how to intensify in a way that respects our existing neighbourhoods and provides for our future," he said. |
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I've been waiting for this for a long time. Great news! That is a prime piece of land in / near Uptown. |
The office space at Barrel Yards has started leasing. :cheers: These buildings are greatly needed as the Waterloo Region's vacancy rate is a low 4.4%. Photos thanks to thryve (SSC):
http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/1250/aug309ea3.jpg http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/7904/aug3011wg0.jpg Thryve's Initial Impression: I would describe it as our own "Project Symphony" a la Toronto. Very conservative design and not overly prominent at such a prime corner, but definitely attractive! It looked so basic in initial renderings but it is clear that it will be two 7/8 floor buildings joined by a 4-floor glass atrium! That's going to be awesome! There will be retail at base. There will be 225,000 sq. ft. of office space in the complex. Only now has it hit me how much larger than the Waterloo Town Square office buildings this will be... they are large for three floors, but this baby is actually going to reach 8 floors. In the rendering, you can see a new angle of the preliminary hotel design, which looks to be quite contemporary, almost drawing on the Perimeter Institude in its shape. The hotel should be quite promising, and will face onto Erb Street with retail. |
They look plain but decent. :) They'd fit in in any city, and that is the sign of great architecture! And an atrium! Novel!
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Can a mod please update this threads title to the "Thread naming convention": [WaterlooR.-DWTN]BarrelYards|76,76,64,64,54.9,36,34m|25,25,21,21,18,12,10fl|Approved
I left out the spaces so it would all fit. |
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