HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Adv - 2009-04-09
DOWNTOWN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
April 9, 2009 City of Kitchener
The Downtown Advisory Committee met this date, chaired by Glenn Scheels;
with the following members in attendance: Councillor John Smola, Tamara
Minns, Bryan Larkin, Mark Garner, Mark Yantzi, Lisa Polonoski, Lesley Cooper
Staff in attendance: Cory Bluhm, Ken Carmichael, John McBride, Kim Feere,
Rod Regier, Tracey DeVille
Delegations: Peter Smith, Andrin Homes and GO Transit
Discussion Items
Minutes & Agenda
Approval of Minutes
That the minutes of the March 12, 2009 meeting be approved.
Moved by Bernie Nimer
Seconded by Jamie Yantzi
Advisory Committee Updates
Economic Development Advisory Committee
Kitchener Growth Management discussion regarding the goals of the City,
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staging of development plans and intensification priorities
Labour force data updates
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Long term parking strategy
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Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee
Goal setting and strategic direction, work on Terms of Reference updates
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New Business
Endorsement of New Member
Tracey DeVille advised the Committee that an application for the Suburban
Resident Representative has been received and asked that the Committee
consider the application. Mr. Alan Doherty, applicant, was in attendance and
introduced himself and provided background on his connection to the downtown.
The Committee advised that they were in favour of Mr. Doherty’s application, and
would move to approve.
On motion by: Lesley Cooper
Seconded by: Lisa Polonski
“That Mr. Alan Doherty be appointed to represent the Suburban Sector of
the Downtown Advisory Committee, for a term expiring November 30,
2010.”
Centre Block
Rod Regier asked that the Centre Block item be moved forward on the agenda to
accommodate the delegation, Peter Smith.
Glenn Scheels declared a conflict of interest and left the table as a member of
DAC.
Rod provided information on the purchase and sale agreement and that he is
looking for feedback on the general structure of the agreement.
A report will be brought forward to the Finance & Corporate Services
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Committee on April 20, 2009 with the ratification vote at the April 27, 2009
Council meeting. Staff are recommending that Council accept the current
Agreement of Purchase and Sale
Key features of the agreement – lays out the price of the land, lays out the
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structure or approach to the parking, provides terms of security to ensure
performance of the city and the developer, we as a city have an interest in
the site being redeveloped and in that process we will have ownership of
parking spaces on P1 of that structure. The agreement allows for the
current market conditions within that scope.
How is this agreement different?
A private to private sector transaction would not have obligations to meet
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public expectations – this agreement includes a LEED certified, design
excellence, extensive public consultation, development concept on the
public agenda, timing of development is restricted in this agreement.
Under this agreement the nature and quality of project has been
determined by the City of Kitchener.
The Committee was advised that marketing will start this summer; model suit will
be located in the open space of Centre Block that fronts on King Street. Presales
will start at that point. An overview of the conceptual phasing of the project was
provided to the Committee.
The purchase and sale agreements will allow for the next steps in the process.
Questions / Comments
When will the city parking be complete?
Phase one will include the public parking, which will have access
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off of Duke Street. The private condo parking will have access off
of Young Street.
Is 80% sales still the target for the development to begin?
Peter Smith advised that banks normally ask for 70% sales but with
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the current state of the market, the banks are asking for 80% sold
per phase, not the entire development.
How will the city parking be phased?
That will depend on the final design and the final number of spaces
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What about road closures in the area, will Duke Street be affected?
There may be restricted uses from time to time but no anticipation
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of road closures since there are a good amount of staging areas for
the purpose of construction.
These dates are they maximum dates, can you develop the project sooner if you
sell out?
Yes, if we sell out in less time then that is what we want, we have a
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stable market in Canada and we have been seeing changes for the
better, Andrin is confident that the market will rebound and into
2010 – 2011 it will be even stronger.
Peter Smith advised the Committee that they are committed to everything they
have been committed to since the beginning of this process.
The city is paying for the remediation of the site?
Yes, however, Andrin is doing the remediation and the City has the
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option of doing the remediation themselves there has been record
of site condition done and it is a modest amount of material related
to an oil facility that was in Forsyth at one time the estimated costs
are around $200,000. Andrin will have to pay the cost of removal of
soil that they would need to excavate for the construction of the
buildings.
Is this a done deal?
It is a binding agreement, Andrin will have to comply to the
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timelines and outlines in the development agreement
The Committee was advised that the process was difficult, and to get to a final
agreement there was a lot of resources and time to deal with and this was a
necessary step to the creation of the agreement. They were advised that the
clear development concept with draft site plans, parking and strata agreement
were guiding factors to the creation of the development agreement. This has
been encapsulated in a legal document to ensure that should the project not
proceed, the City has the right to retain the land and start the process over again.
Peter Smith advised that they have invested $400,000 so far and for them to
move to development agreement and increase costs, they needed to know there
is an agreement to buy the land and the city knowing that they have timelines
they need.
What is taking so long?
Appraisals of the land value, negotiations of the development
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agreement and purchase of sale.
Beyond timelines, does Andrin plan to remain as the long term building
manager?
The condo corporation decides that. Andrin plans to retain the
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retail, however, are unsure at this point who will manage the
condos.
What are the processes Council needs to take to ensure that Andrin is in
compliance with the agreement?
The city plays a roles in site plan and building permit process which
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is done by the Planning Division, the final development agreement
will outline the final specs and those will be monitored by the
building inspectors to ensure compliance
Mark Garner advised that the Kitchener Downtown Business Improvement Area
has many questions and is concerned with the timing.
Rod Regier advised that if questions were forwarded to him he would respond
and circulate to the Committee.
It was agreed that due to time constraints, the Committee would continue with
the regular agenda.
GO Transit Update
Peter Smith, Board of Director, GO Transit provided the Committee with an
update. Mr. Smith advised that he is confident that this area will see changes in
terms of GO Transit within the next 5 years in terms of rail. GO Transit has
currently acquired a key piece of land to connect the current Brampton to
Georgetown rail that will allow for the connection into the Region. He advised
that the Province fully supports the initiative and GO Transit is looking at some
short term solutions.
Civic District Vision and Master Plan
Cory Bluhm provided a presentation on the proposed Civic District Vision and
Master Plan.
The Committee provided the following feedback:
We are seeing a lot of talk of pretty buildings and open space but when do the
discussions happen to ensure that the businesses succeed and what is being
done to make sure that this is going to work?
All the projects will go through a business case process since they are
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on city land. The strategy will outline that along with the funding sources
for programming before anything is built. The idea is to advance the
original vision from the 60s – only three of the buildings on the site now
(KPL, Weber courthouse and the Federal building on Frederick Street).
The process for the redevelopment of the remainder of the block will be
contingent on the partnerships and funding looked at on a case by case
basis
What about public events and sense of community, it appears as though this
area is more of an office concentration.
Cory advised that the main users know they need to make use of the
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green space, for example, the KPL knows they need to bring in
programming, same for the other buildings, they know they need to
provide the civic engagement and programming if the outdoor spaces
are to become active
Based on the conceptual design it appears that the emergency road is blocked
off, there are concerns from the Police Department in regards to response times,
and safety that may be compromised, has this issue been addressed?
We know the police building needs are unique and discussion will
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take place to ensure that they are addressed properly.
As the KPL expansion and underground parking garage move to a detailed
design process, the City will ensure that the fine details are taken into account, to
look at the flow of traffic from the police station, the regional building and how
they relate to the KPL traffic.
What about Otto Street?
The details of Otto Street still need to be addressed in an open
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public forum; however, it has been noted that there may be benefits
to opening Otto Street to through traffic
Would the buildings be interconnected?
The underground parking structure will be designed to allow for
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future access to each building.
What is the KPL parking garage Request for Proposal at now?
It is currently out for tender and that tender is scheduled to close
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next week.
Cory Bluhm advised the Committee that if there are any further questions or
comments to visit the Centre in the Square website.
Long Term Parking Strategy
Rod Regier provided an overview of the parking investment in the city. Cory
Bluhm provided the Committee with an overview of the work that has been done
to date and the key elements of that work.
The Committee had the following comments:
When will the strategy be finalized?
The strategy will be complete within the next couple months.
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Timing may allow for another presentation / discussion at DAC.
Due to time, the Committee agreed to continue the discussion at the next DAC
meeting in May.
On motion the meeting adjourned at 6:15