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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEcon Dev Adv - 2007-06-27 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES June 27, 2007 City of Kitchener The Economic Development Advisory Committee met this date, chaired by Councillor Christina Weylie, the following people were in attendance: Adrian Conrad, Glen Woolner, Len Carter, Jeremy Auger, Steven Voll, Don Zehr, Howie Budd, Bob Denton, Lawrence Bingeman, Peter Benninger and Paul Singh The following people from the Downtown Advisory Committee were in attendance: Bernie Neimer, Suzanne Ronald, Denis Pellerin, Scott Hayter, Nadine Cybulski, Karen Taylor-Harrison and Glenn Scheels The following people sent their regrets: Mark Collins, Sherryl Petricevic, Willy Heffner The following people were absent: Staff in attendance: Rod Regier, Kathy Weiss, Silvia Wright, Hans Gross, Cory Bluhm, Eric Saunderson, Janette MacDonald, Justin-Damien Guenette, Rob Morgan, Laura Mann, Shelley Adams, Don Chapman, Michael May, Brian Scott, Jeff Willmer and Tracey DeVille Approval of Minutes Minute approval will be done at the August Meeting. 1. Discussion Items 1.1 King Street Master Plan – Concept Selection Mr. Cory Bluhm provided a PowerPoint presentation on the King Street Master Plan Concept Selection. He provided information on: ? Process ? Public Input ? Next Steps The Committee provided the following questions and feedback: ? Has a study been done to determine how much the downtown can handle in terms of parking, pedestrians etc.? It was advised that this information would be provided through the business case process. ? Will there be a conflict with the proposed LRT and the changes proposed for King Street? It was advised that this will be taken into consideration before construction begins ? Should buses and trucks be rerouted so that it is a true pedestrian friendly King Street 1.2 Centre Block – Design Proposal Presentation Mr. Peter Smith, President Andrin Homes Ltd. provided the Committee with a presentation on their proposal for the redevelopment of Centre Block. He provided information on the following: ? Diversity of residential ? Live work units ? Heritage / Public Art ? Incorporating Forsyth façade ? Boutique Hotel (Mayfair Hotel redevelopment) ? LEED certification ? Parking ? Development phase process The Committee provided the following comments / questions: ? How many spaces are City parking? City has requested 250 underground spaces in the RFP. ? Will you look to go down another level in the parking garage? The cost is too high and the water table is problematic. ? There is a responsibility to replace the current surface parking on Centre Block; however, since this parking was created through demolition, why did the RFP request 250 spots? A parking study was completed and showed there was a need in this area for more parking. ? Concerns about the accessibility to the greenspace ? Concerns about the hotel being completed in the final phase – current priority is to bring the people into the downtown through the development of Phases 1 & 2 ? Could the terraced section be used for performing arts or other activities – The area is not intended for that use at this time. ? Public square effective quiet space ? Condos are shown as glass, has the developer considered the cost of heating and cooling? – no final determination on the material and the LEED standard needs to be taken into consideration ? Concern about the water way in the winter time ? Could greenspace be used for outdoor vendors? – need to determine the open space use and balance needs of the residents with that of the public. ? Good mix of low and high rise buildings with higher buildings at the back, can be a positive look for the downtown ? The proposal has character. It picks up on angles of City Hall and complimenting the building ? How do we balance the mix of old and contemporary buildings and materials ? Successful cities have green space in the core. 2. Business Arising 2.1 Consolidated Maintenance Facility The Committee raised the following concerns: ? Proposed cost of the facility ? Possible alternative strategies ? Possibility of joint facility with other existing facilities in other municipalities ? Cost may seem high but it needs to be balanced when thinking about the number of homes the City services Staff had the following comments: ? Cost is a potential cost range – cost is based on concept not design ? Project is in preliminary stage ? Operations can not continue the way they are now ? Fleet Operations current work out of the Grand River Transit building and need to vacate by 2009 so the Region can expand ? When current estimate was done, a site had not been determined ? Recommendation to Council by November 2007 On motion, the meeting was adjourned at 1:10 pm.