City of Kitchener moving forward with redevelopment plans to Rockway Centre for older adults

The Rockway Centre has been the go-to spot for Kitchener seniors. CTV’s Alexandra Holyk finds out how Kitchener plans to keep it going.

Changes are on the way for a 75-year-old transit hub-turned-seniors’ centre in Kitchener.

Rockway Centre was built in 1950 and has been used as a community centre for older adults for 50 years.

On Monday, the City of Kitchener’s infrastructure committee voted in favour of redevelopment plans that would see the addition of a double gym and athletic facilities, along with a full commercial kitchen and expanded outdoor space.

“Rockway was never a purpose-built facility for older adults, it was an old transit hub,” said Bethany Pearce, supervisor for older adult services with the City of Kitchener. “The rooms that we have at Rockway are pretty small, we don’t have a gym, so it really limits our ability to run quality programming.”

In a report presented to council, city staff recommended a new centre should be developed within 1.5 kilometres of the existing Rockway Centre at 1405 King St. E.

The report also outlined a list of criteria the new facility would need to meet, including at least 150 surface parking spots, proximity to public transit and a drop-off and pick-up area.

The new facility would need to be between 21,000 and 26,000 square feet and also meet the accessibility needs of those who take part in programming.

“At this point, no decisions have been made about a location,” Pearce said. “The existing site was not ruled out.”

However, Pearce added that should the original location be used for redevelopment, it may interfere with community programming.

“Our goal is to run programming until a new facility is built,” she said. “If we do redevelop on a new site, we will have the ability to run programming up until we move to a new site. If we do decide to build on that existing site, there will likely be disruptions to programming and possible closures until we get the building up and going.”

The redevelopment project has been in the works since 2013. Last year, city council endorsed a staff report recommending a three-phased approach that included a request for information, community engagement and a request for proposals.

Pearce said now that the first and second phases are complete, city staff will develop mandatory and secondary criteria to be included in the request for proposal, which will be presented to council later this year.

To help cover the costs of redevelopment, Pearce said the city will look for funding in the form of a public-private partnership.

“Also, if the existing location is not used for the redevelopment we would then have the ability to use the money from the sale of the current existing centre [to pay for the project],” said Pearce.