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Two-tower redevelopment plan for Crosby Volkswagen site approved by Kitchener councillors

Zehr Group will also donate $350,000 to affordable housing provider

www.thespec.com

KITCHENER — A proposal to redevelop the Crosby Volkswagen property with two mixeduse towers has been approved by Kitchener councillors. The development, a partnership between Zehr Group and property owner M.K.G Holding Corporation, would build 17- and 19-storey condo towers at 1157 and 1175 Weber St. E., at Franklin Street North.

The property is currently home to the Volkswagen dealership and also formerly housed a KFC restaurant that’s been demolished; the dealership previously announced that it’s moving to a Victoria Street North location at the end of 2023. Plans were approved at a committee meeting Monday night; the proposal requires final approval at an upcoming council meeting.

“It’s a great use of space as we try to build up and not out,” said Coun. Dave Schnider.

The towers would share a podium and would contain a total of 443 one-, two- and threebedroom units and more than 4,000 square feet of retail space along Weber Street. Each unit has a balcony, and indoor and outdoor amenity spaces include a podium-top space which could include play, seating and landscaped areas.

Zac Zehr of Zehr Group said the company will donate $350,000 to a local affordable housing provider for this development.

“Our opinion is that they can utilize that money to do more than what we can with it,” he said.

The development would have 319 underground, podium and surface parking spaces, with another 38 surface spaces available in a Ministry of Transportation setback along the Highway 8 side.

Access to the site would be from both Weber and Franklin streets. The project also accommodates the construction of two new shelters for future Grand River Transit use, said consultant Kristen Barisdale of GSP Group. The proposal has changed since it was presented to the public at a neighbourhood information meeting in 2021.

Citing changing market conditions, the developers asked to reduce the podium from five storeys to four, while each tower increased from 15 and 17 storeys to total heights of 17 and 19 storeys. The unit count rose from 378 to 443, while the number of parking spaces dropped from 330 to 319.

Commercial space was also cut by more than half, while the number of bicycle spots rose to 423. The changing Weber Street corridor in this area includes projects such as the underconstruction Elevate condos at Weber and Fergus Avenue, the Hush condos and townhouses on Fergus, and a seven-storey building approved on Fergus earlier this year, Barisdale noted.

 

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This is now known as STRIDE on Weber, fitting under the zher group rental umbrella.

All new massing and design.