New life for the east end? Kitchener wants your input

City planners seek ideas for the future of the quieter part of downtown

KITCHENER — Kitchener is holding a public consultation to get ideas on the future of the east end of the downtown.

Much of the surging interest in downtown Kitchener has been concentrated in the west end, said Hilary Abel, Kitchener’s manager of downtown development.

“There’s been less focus on the east end,” she said. “We’re just looking to shift our focus.”

The city is inviting property owners, nearby residents and business owners to have a say in what sorts of things they’d like the economic development department work on for the east end of the core — essentially the stretch of King Street from Frederick to Cameron streets.

Topics of discussion could include anything from the types of events the city should encourage to the sorts of businesses it should be trying to attract, Abel said.

The area has a distinct personality and is one of the most multicultural parts of the city, Abel said, with several businesses serving ethnic markets: Asian grocery stores, shops specializing in Latin or African products, as well as restaurants offering Vietnamese, Indian, Japanese, Portuguese and Salvadoran fare.

“That’s an existing asset; there’s obviously a community that’s found a home in the east end,” Abel said. “How do we encourage more of that?”

The area also has a bit of a culinary focus, Abel said. “Do people want to see us continue to grow that, or do they want to us to diversify?”

The meeting builds on some of the ideas that came from an earlier consultation called DTK 2020, Abel said.

Participants said they liked the diversity of the downtown, and called for things like more placemaking and better way-finding, she said.

This effort aims to dig deeper, to find out what sorts of things would contribute to a stronger sense of place in the east end.

Is it more benches and bike racks, more public art, more planters or more street events? What sort of brand should the area have?

Although it’s not booming to the same degree as the Innovation district around Victoria Street, the east end is seeing some development interest.

There are plans for an eightstorey, 60-unit building on King between Cedar and Madison, and a development proposal by Drewlo Holdings to build two towers 19 and 23 storeys high, with a total of 488 rental units in the adjacent block between Madison Avenue and Cameron.

As part of in-depth planning studies for areas near LRT stations, city planners have also called for the east end to serve as a gateway to the core, with a more appealing streetscape and a better pedestrian connection between the market and the LRT stop.

Ideas from the meeting will help city staff work with local businesses and the downtown business association to come up with goals for the area for the next couple of years.

The consultation, which will include facilitated discussions at tables, is on Tuesday, Nov. 6, from 7-9 p.m. at the Kitchener Market, 300 King St. E.