Developers listen, revitalize historic Kitchener neighbourhood

Toronto developer Stirling Bridge Homes has gone to bat for an historic Kitchener community, working to turn a local brownfield into a thriving neighbourhood landmark. Situated along Woodside Avenue, the property is nestled in a quiet neighbourhood enclave, halfway down the Queen Street stretch that runs from St. Mary's Hospital to bustling downtown Kitchener. In the early 1900's, these industrial grounds were home to Canada Blower and Forge, and more recently to Howden Fans. Howden Fans closed its operations in the late 1990s. Their former building and property remained vacant and were later purchased by a waste disposal company. When plans were leaked regarding development of the site in May 2001, Woodside Avenue sat squarely in the eye of a civic storm.

Concerned Residents
At the centre of the controversy was the waste disposal company's proposed land use: the creation of a contaminated soil processing plant, to import and treat tons of tainted earth. Within days of the news breaking, neighbourhood residents formed Concerned Citizens for Neighbourhood Preservation, a group led by co-founder and lifetime Kitchener resident Heather Thompson. Together with fellow citizen's groups, developers and Kitchener City Hall, Concerned Citizens for Neighbourhood Preservation would play a pivotal role in the co-operative battle for the future of the Mill-Courtland Woodside Park community. While information was scarce at first, the group found allies in unexpected places. City Hall officials seemed at a loss initially to explain how such a major project could have gotten so far in the planning process without residents being notified or consulted. The waste disposal company kept communication to a minimum and residents felt they had been kept in the dark regarding many key issues, but City Hall took rapid steps to improve communication. A staff member was assigned to liaise with the residents' group and keep them informed of the latest developments, which Thompson saw as a positive development. "They (City Hall) have done an excellent job of maintaining an open, positive and, most important, a two-way communication environment," she says.

A New Direction
With the contaminated soil processing plant development averted, something would have to be done with this valuable piece of property so close to downtown. City Hall directed its attention to rezoning the site for possible residential redevelopment. Toronto-based developer Stirling Bridge Homes saw an opportunity to turn the situation around and stepped in to design a128-unit townhouse and live/work community with individually owned lots fronting on a private road.

"Our projects tend to be infill sites in the center of cities, where there are opportunities to put former industrial land to better use," explains Stirling Bridge Homes principal Jeff Wilson. "We look for opportunities to build in the heart of an existing community, to reinforce and enhance the neighbourhoods we are working within."

From the beginning, the developer's philosophy of regeneration and the cooperation of city hall ensured transparency in the development process and the beneficial involvement of citizens' groups. Before any of the developer's designs were considered, a meeting was arranged with Concerned Citizens for Neighbourhood Preservation to introduce their firm and hear the concerns of area residents.

"Discussions were tense early on," Wilson recalls, "but by the time we broke ground, things had changed. We planned the neighbourhood, designed the homes, undertook the land development, and then sold the serviced lots to a group from Toronto who built it out according to our plans. We asked them to do so, and they agreed."

"What a difference an inclusive attitude can make," adds Thompson. "Our concerns were treated with respect, but most of all, our input was considered vital to the success of the project."

For the Woodside Avenue development, area residents have been consulted throughout the design process and Stirling Bridge Homes has incorporated many of their opinions. When asked about using stucco on the exterior of the buildings, citizens reminded the developers that brick homes would be a better fit with the existing heritage neighbourhood. Their decisions stuck: Stirling Bridge Homes created a beautifully designed development where every home is brick.

To further prove that they meant business in including residents in the project, Stirling Bridge organized a design charette to "kick off" the design phase of the development. Members of the community were invited to spend a day with the developers asking questions, drawing plans and sharing ideas about what type of development would best serve the needs of all concerned.

"It was a very positive day," Thompson recalls. "Ideas were voiced by the community, city hall staff and the developers, all of whom assisted in forming a common vision for this property that had formerly been the source of so much controversy and division."

Concerned Citizens for Neighbourhood Preservation was delighted with the new approach, which treated them as an important player in the community revitalization project. In recognition of the group's contribution, the parkette in the development was named Heather Thomson Park.

"We gave a party for ourselves on the site after we won a brownfield award," said Stirling Bridge principal Jim McGorman.. "All of Stirling Bridge came of course, as did the builder group, local residents and many politicians and staff from the municipality. When the name of the park was announced, Heather had tears in her eyes. The Director of Planning for the City of Kitchener said to me that we should have Planning Staff from whatever municipality we went to in the future call him, and he would give us a reference saying that we do what we say we'll do."

The cooperation is tangible at the Woodside Avenue site. Piles of rubble and earth were replaced by new condominium townhomes, work/live spaces, and families. The development is a testament to the power of communication and cooperation – and the fresh vision of forward-thinking developers like Stirling Bridge Homes.