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Charles Street Terminal Visioning

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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. 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 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.

Visioning the future use of Charles Street Terminal

Community engagement beginning in 2021, including community-inspired feedback led by Land Back Camp, included aligned support for the project’s guiding priorities, emphasized community needs and ambitions across downtown Kitchener, and provided site-specific features to be reflected in preliminary design concepts.

Engagement phases to date include:

  • Phase 1: Project Priorities - Public Engagement
  • Phase 2: Identifying Needs - Community Engagement
  • Phase 3: Identifying Site-Specific Features - Equity-focused Engagement, Community and Interest Holder Consultation

Phase 4: Designing the Vision

Phase 4 focuses on creating preliminary design concepts for the Terminal Lands, guided by community input, that reveals the potential for a sustainable, human-scale redevelopment vision around Charles Street and downtown Kitchener. The established preliminary design concepts will guide future decision-making and redevelopment plans in early 2025.

Design Firm

Brook McIlroy (BMc), an award-winning and interdisciplinary design firm, is leading Phase 4 of the Charles Street Terminal Visioning Project. For more information on Brook McIlroy, please visit their website https://brookmcilroy.com/

Leveraging the diverse building fabric surrounding Charles Street and downtown Kitchener, the project will ensure that future buildings and open spaces promote a memorable, people-focused, sustainable, and human scale community environment. The Charles Street Terminal Lands offers an extraordinary contemporary growth opportunity, that will have a positive regenerative effect on the surrounding mixed-use neighbourhood within downtown Kitchener.

Design Process

BMc has thoroughly reviewed existing policies, frameworks and community feedback from earlier engagement phases, ensuring the designs are informed by the extensive efforts from community and City and Regional staff. The developed design concepts will ensure to reflect community input and the local context. In addition, BMc will conduct engagement for Phase 4 of the project, which will continue to inform the visioning for the project.

Incorporating Indigenous Cultural Knowledge and Placekeeping

A key part of this project is the involvement of Brook McIlroy’s Indigenous Design Studio. BMc and its Indigenous Design Studio is committed to embedding Indigenous feedback, honoring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. This work includes:

  • Indigenous Space Needs Assessment Review
  • Incorporate Indigenous cultural knowledge and community-led engagement work conducted by O:se Kenhionhata:tie LandBack Camp
  • Conduct Indigenous-Focused Workshops: These workshops aim to incorporate Indigenous perspectives and practices into the design process. Invitations to workshops will be sent directly to Indigenous interest holders who have expressed interest and consent to be engaged in this work.

Community Engagement and Public Feedback – Upcoming Activities

The public will have several opportunities to provide comments and feedback on the draft design concepts for the Terminal Lands in the upcoming months. Phase 4 will include the following opportunities for public feedback:

Design Workshop – Charles Street Terminal Visioning
Friday, November 8 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Downtown Kitchener community members and interest holders are invited to a collaborative design workshop to discuss and contribute to the design aspects of the Charles Street redevelopment project.This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with others, share ideas, and ensure the redevelopment reflects the needs and priorities of the community. The workshop will focus on specific design elements—such as pathways, green spaces, gathering areas, and building massing—through interactive group activities. Space is limited. Details and registration information can be viewed here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/design-workshop-charles-street-terminal-visioning-tickets-1043192907067?aff=oddtdtcreator

Pop-up Public Input Sessions

November 21st 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Kitchener City Hall Rotunda Space
November 30th 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM at the Kitchener Market
Join us at a pop-up public input session to learn about and provide feedback on the Charles Street redevelopment design options. Residents and community members will have the opportunity to review design concepts, ask questions, and share their thoughts with the project team. These sessions will gather feedback from the community to ensure the designs meet local needs and aspirations.

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. 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 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.

Visioning the future use of Charles Street Terminal

Community engagement beginning in 2021, including community-inspired feedback led by Land Back Camp, included aligned support for the project’s guiding priorities, emphasized community needs and ambitions across downtown Kitchener, and provided site-specific features to be reflected in preliminary design concepts.

Engagement phases to date include:

  • Phase 1: Project Priorities - Public Engagement
  • Phase 2: Identifying Needs - Community Engagement
  • Phase 3: Identifying Site-Specific Features - Equity-focused Engagement, Community and Interest Holder Consultation

Phase 4: Designing the Vision

Phase 4 focuses on creating preliminary design concepts for the Terminal Lands, guided by community input, that reveals the potential for a sustainable, human-scale redevelopment vision around Charles Street and downtown Kitchener. The established preliminary design concepts will guide future decision-making and redevelopment plans in early 2025.

Design Firm

Brook McIlroy (BMc), an award-winning and interdisciplinary design firm, is leading Phase 4 of the Charles Street Terminal Visioning Project. For more information on Brook McIlroy, please visit their website https://brookmcilroy.com/

Leveraging the diverse building fabric surrounding Charles Street and downtown Kitchener, the project will ensure that future buildings and open spaces promote a memorable, people-focused, sustainable, and human scale community environment. The Charles Street Terminal Lands offers an extraordinary contemporary growth opportunity, that will have a positive regenerative effect on the surrounding mixed-use neighbourhood within downtown Kitchener.

Design Process

BMc has thoroughly reviewed existing policies, frameworks and community feedback from earlier engagement phases, ensuring the designs are informed by the extensive efforts from community and City and Regional staff. The developed design concepts will ensure to reflect community input and the local context. In addition, BMc will conduct engagement for Phase 4 of the project, which will continue to inform the visioning for the project.

Incorporating Indigenous Cultural Knowledge and Placekeeping

A key part of this project is the involvement of Brook McIlroy’s Indigenous Design Studio. BMc and its Indigenous Design Studio is committed to embedding Indigenous feedback, honoring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. This work includes:

  • Indigenous Space Needs Assessment Review
  • Incorporate Indigenous cultural knowledge and community-led engagement work conducted by O:se Kenhionhata:tie LandBack Camp
  • Conduct Indigenous-Focused Workshops: These workshops aim to incorporate Indigenous perspectives and practices into the design process. Invitations to workshops will be sent directly to Indigenous interest holders who have expressed interest and consent to be engaged in this work.

Community Engagement and Public Feedback – Upcoming Activities

The public will have several opportunities to provide comments and feedback on the draft design concepts for the Terminal Lands in the upcoming months. Phase 4 will include the following opportunities for public feedback:

Design Workshop – Charles Street Terminal Visioning
Friday, November 8 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Downtown Kitchener community members and interest holders are invited to a collaborative design workshop to discuss and contribute to the design aspects of the Charles Street redevelopment project.This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with others, share ideas, and ensure the redevelopment reflects the needs and priorities of the community. The workshop will focus on specific design elements—such as pathways, green spaces, gathering areas, and building massing—through interactive group activities. Space is limited. Details and registration information can be viewed here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/design-workshop-charles-street-terminal-visioning-tickets-1043192907067?aff=oddtdtcreator

Pop-up Public Input Sessions

November 21st 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Kitchener City Hall Rotunda Space
November 30th 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM at the Kitchener Market
Join us at a pop-up public input session to learn about and provide feedback on the Charles Street redevelopment design options. Residents and community members will have the opportunity to review design concepts, ask questions, and share their thoughts with the project team. These sessions will gather feedback from the community to ensure the designs meet local needs and aspirations.

  • New Short-Term Parking

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    The Region of Waterloo has opened short-term parking at the former Charles Street Terminal (15 Charles Street West) to support visitors attending summer festivals, events, and patios in downtown Kitchener. The lot has been added to the HONK parking app, with rates matching those of the City of Kitchener's paid lots.

    Planning for the Charles Street Terminal Redevelopment project continues, with the next phase of community engagement starting this fall to gather public input on initial designs for redevelopment.

  • Downtown Kitchener Community Survey live until March 1, 2024

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    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.

    The project is in the third phase of engagement to understand how the downtown Kitchener community and other interest holders envision the project's four guiding principles on the site. These site-specific attributes will inform the design phase of the project.

    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.

  • Design Consultant - Request for Proposals

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    The Region of Waterloo on October 27th, 2023, has initiated a Request for Proposals to procure a qualified architectural firm that will join the public consultation process to help guide the visioning process for the Charles Street Terminal Site in downtown Kitchener. The successful architect will assist the region and the city in developing the design principles for the site and lead design conversations with the community.

    RFP - Bid Details(External link)
    Bid Closing Date: Fri Dec 1, 2023 2:00:00 PM

  • The Region of Waterloo is currently seeking public applications for Community Connector position(s) for the Charles Street Terminal Working Group

    Share The Region of Waterloo is currently seeking public applications for Community Connector position(s) for the Charles Street Terminal Working Group on Facebook Share The Region of Waterloo is currently seeking public applications for Community Connector position(s) for the Charles Street Terminal Working Group on Twitter Share The Region of Waterloo is currently seeking public applications for Community Connector position(s) for the Charles Street Terminal Working Group on Linkedin Email The Region of Waterloo is currently seeking public applications for Community Connector position(s) for the Charles Street Terminal Working Group link
    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    As described in the June 2022 report to Council, the Region of Waterloo is now accepting applications for community representatives to work alongside Region of Waterloo and City of Kitchener staff to strengthen community involvement in the Charles Street Terminal visioning process, and create space for residents to help inform future engagements. These community connectors will join the Charles Street Terminal Working Group, and should represent a diverse mix of expertise and people with lived experiences in priority communities. The Region of Waterloo is currently seeking public applications for Community Connector position(s).

    Learn more and apply here.

  • Second survey now closed

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    Thank you to everyone who participated in our second survey – either online or in person throughout downtown Kitchener. The survey is now closed, and we are beginning analysis on the feedback we collected.


    In the coming weeks, we will be recruiting for members of the community to join the engagement working group for this project.


    Technical studies on the property have been initiated, with preliminary environmental and geotechnical soil sampling completed last week. This work will continue into 2023.


    Subscribe to this page to keep to up-to-date.

  • Second round of engagement kicks-off August 5, 2022

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

    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. Starting Friday, August 5 our Charles Street Engagement Team will be out actively seeking input from the community.

    The engagement team can be identified by their blue “Ask me about the Charles Street Terminal Visioning Project” t-shirts.

    The team will be in and around downtown Kitchener from August 3 through to mid-September collecting input and ideas on the future vision for the site.

    Look for team members at downtown ION light rail transit stops, the Kitchener market, central library branch, local farmers and artists markets, and summer events happening along Gaukel Street and in Victoria Park.

    Feedback can be provided:

    • In person to a member of our street team
    • Online through the survey tab on this page
    • By phone at 519-575-4400

  • Project Updates

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    CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
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    On behalf the planning teams at the Region of Waterloo and the City of Kitchener, we would like to extend sincere thanks for your response to our initial survey on the future of the Charles Street Terminal site.

    We are grateful to have received significant interest in this project and are still working through the data and responses you submitted. We intend for the findings of this survey to inform the next stage of engagement, which we expect to share in the coming weeks. An update on, and invitation for, the next phase will be posted to Engage.

    Thank you again for your participation in this process and we look forward to continuing this work with you.

Page last updated: 28 Oct 2024, 02:00 PM