Waterloo Region committee approves multi-phased approach to development of former transit terminal

Regional councillors have voted to take a multi-phased approach to redeveloping the Charles Street bus terminal in downtown Kitchener.

The redevelopment of the former Charles Street bus terminal in downtown Kitchener is one step closer to reality.

During a meeting on Tuesday, the Waterloo Region’s Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee unanimously voted in favour of moving forward with a multi-phased approach to the site.

The vision for the three-acre plot of regionally-owned land would see several non-profit organizations sharing the space to serve the community.

The work ahead would include completing an environmental assessment and moving into a Request For Proposal stage.

“One thing to note here, which is really important, is that, like many of the other sites in the downtown, this site was not immune to contamination,” Matthew Chandy, director of Build Waterloo, said during a presentation to the committee. “We have been going through environmental remediation work, we’ve done a number of different studies over the past few years.”

He said they are now waiting for a Record of Site Condition from the province so the project can move forward.

When questioned about how long the redevelopment has been in the works, Chandy said the site was decommissioned in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“There has been extensive environmental work happening on this site. Boreholes on the site. Those things need a provincial Record of Site Condition before we can move forward,” Chandy explained. “That has been a major factor in the time.”

The committee also approved an amendment that will see regional staff create a report about options to retain public land ownership for all or portions of the site and exploring affordable or non-market housing possibilities.

The plan to take a multi-phased approach will now go before regional council for approval before the next steps can be taken.