Charles Street Terminal Visioning

The Region of Waterloo in collaboration with the City of Kitchener, are working with Brook McIlroy consultants to explore redevelopment opportunities for the Charles Street Terminal (CST) lands in downtown Kitchener. We’re in Phase 4 of the project, focusing on preliminary design concepts that incorporate important technical considerations, city policies and guidelines, financial analysis and community input.  

These design concepts showcase the potential for a vibrant and sustainable site that strives to balance the project's financial viability with community’s needs and aspirations. It is important to note that these designs are not final; they serve as aspirational ideas to guide redevelopment planning in 2025. 

Here’s what you need to know before sharing your feedback: 
This redevelopment aims to transform the Charles Street Terminal area into a vibrant, mixed-use space that serves community needs, with considerations for green space, connectivity, and sustainable design. Feedback from the community has shaped guiding principles that inform these concepts. For all project information visit https://www.engagewr.ca/charles-street-terminal-redevelopment where you can view a a full preliminary research report created Brook McIlroy. 

 Community engagement timeline: 

• Phase 1: Broad Community Survey on Values (establishing the four guiding priorities to guide redevelopment planning. These include: 1. Affordable housing options, 2. Climate action, 3. Equity, diversity and inclusion and 4. A thriving economy) 

• Phase 2: Identifying Community Need and Aspirations in Downtown Kitchener 

• Phase 3: Interest Holder Visioning Labs, Expansion of the Working Group and Indigenous Community Engagement 

• Phase 4 (current): Developing and refining design concepts through site analysis, financial modelling and engagement activities. 

What’s included in the design concepts? 
The designs consider key elements such as: 

• Built form and height (striking a balance between density, livability, and enhancing the downtown neighborhood) 
• Green spaces and sustainability (incorporating plants and eco-friendly elements to create a liveable space, with less impact on the environment). 
• Circulation and connections (how pedestrians will access the site, making it welcoming and easy to get around) Include reference to the broader connections to existing networks like bike lanes, LRT. 
• Mixed uses and programming (a site that includes different kinds of uses, identified through community engagement, such as housing, community and public space and retail space). 

In addition to the above strategies, Brook McIlroy continues to further develop development phasing and site grading strategies to ensure the potential design concept strongly considers grading challenges on the site and future phasing for the potential development.

Why your feedback matters: 
This is an opportunity to create an inspiring and practical vision for the Charles Street Terminal lands to ensure preliminary design concepts align with community priorities. Your input will help refine these design concepts as we move toward redevelopment planning in 2025. 

For more details on earlier project phases and reports, visit the project page at www.engagewr.ca/charles-street-terminal-redevelopment. 

Thank you for helping us shape the future of this important downtown space!

The Region of Waterloo and City of Kitchener are working towards a vision for a mixed-use development on the former Charles Street Terminal site, in the heart of downtown Kitchener, and are actively seeking input from the downtown Kitchener community. This vision will be informed by environmental and technical findings, financial modeling and community engagement. 

Located at 15 Charles Street West, the property occupies a key location in downtown Kitchener. With a footprint of 10,470 square meters (1.047 hectare / 2.59 acres in size), the size and location of the property make the future use of this site an important discussion point for the community. Based on the strategic direction of the Region of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener, and determined by the community, the site's four guiding priorities include:

1. Affordable housing options
2. Climate action
3. Equity, diversity and inclusion
4. A thriving economy
   
   

Technical studies to date include the completion of a property boundary survey to understand current physical infrastructure on the site, as well as Environmental and geotechnical work to understand the make-up of the soil, and the presence of any contaminants in the ground or groundwater as a result of previous and/or surrounding uses. To read the summary of these technical and environmental studies, review the Technical Considerations section of the project page: https://www.engagewr.ca/charles-street-terminal-redevelopment

Your informed survey response will enable staff to gather ideas across the community to ensure the successful redevelopment of the Charles Street Terminal site.

This survey is open until March 1, 2024.

The Region of Waterloo and City of Kitchener are working towards a vision for a mixed-use development on the former Charles Street Terminal site, in the heart of downtown Kitchener, and are actively seeking input from the community.

Until mid-September, you can help the engagement team collect input and ideas on the future vision for the site by filling out this short, four-question survey. 

We look forward to hearing what you have to say!

 The Charles Street Terminal has been a foundational element of the downtown Kitchener community for more than 30 years. Bus service ended at the site in 2019 and the site is currently under contract, serving the community as a COVID-19 testing facility. With the contract set to come to an end in the coming months, the Region of Waterloo and City of Kitchener are eager to begin conversations with the community about the potential redevelopment of the site.

Located at 15 Charles Street West, the property occupies a key location in downtown Kitchener with close proximity to the new King Victoria Transit Hub and ION LRT. With a footprint of 10,470 square meters (1.047 hectare / 2.59 acres in size), the size and location of the property make the future use of this site an important discussion point for the community. 

Based on the strategic plans of the Region of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener, four initial areas of consideration have been created to help guide the site redevelopment process. They include:

1. Affordable housing options
2. Climate action
3. Equity, diversity and inclusion
4. A thriving economy

With these areas in mind, we would like to invite you to participate in a brief 5-10 minute survey on the values that will drive the redevelopment of the site. This survey will close for public feedback on December 31, 2021. 

Thank you for taking the time to help shape the future of our community!