Downtown liquor store coming
Kitchener LCBO outlet to be near King Street Beer Store
KITCHENER — Demolition should begin within a couple of weeks to make way for a new liquor store in downtown Kitchener.
The liquor store will occupy just over 6,000 square feet at street level in a new building at 334 King St. W., but isn’t slated to open until November or December of this year.
The new building will also include about 6,000 square feet of office space on the second floor, said Mike Seiling, Kitchener’s chief building official.
The existing building is vacant; demolition is likely to start within two weeks, and should take about five weeks said Andrew Bousfield, the architect at ABA Architects Inc. who is designing the new building.
The developer is working with the city to meet conditions for a demolition permit to tear down the existing two-storey building, as well as a building permit and site plan approval for the new one, city officials say. The city has already approved a minor variance to allow a canopy and lights to project over the sidewalk on King Street.
The new store will be close to the Beer Store at 400 King St. W., next to McCabe’s Irish Pub & Grill.
Construction of the new building’s shell has an estimated value of $2 million. The total value of the development will be higher. Bousfield noted in an email the Liquor Control Board of Ontario will be fitting out the interior under a separate construction contract.
A downtown liquor store fits in with the vision of the building owners, who say they’re keen to see development that adds life to the downtown.
“We are trying to add services that are needed to make downtown living better and easier,” said Jim Hallman, who co-owns the building with Tony DiBattista, owner of a number of properties in downtown Kitchener.
“A good mix of people living and working in the downtown, along with services, is needed for a vibrant community to form. We will continue to attract needed development and services on our block.”
The nearest liquor store to downtown, at 607 King St. W., is a small location in a strip mall that is set to close to make way for the large Sixo Midtown redevelopment, which will put up a cluster of office and condo towers near the former Ratz-Bechtel funeral home.
That store will close within a day or two of the opening of the new downtown store, said Christine Bujold, a spokesperson for the LCBO.
An LCBO store is slated to open in the Pioneer Park Plaza in south Kitchener this summer.