City to buy two properties to expand small uptown park

WATERLOO — A little park in uptown Waterloo is about the get a big bigger.

Alexandra Park sits on a small lot with a few trees and a little playground on Alexandra Avenue.

Plans to expand the neighbourhood park have been in the works for at least three years, Coun. Melissa Durrell said at a finance and strategic planning committee meeting on Monday.

“This is a big deal for uptown Waterloo in the sense that there is just a tiny little small park that was in pretty rough shape,” she said.

The committee approved funds to buy and demolish two properties south of the park at 46 and 48/50 William St. W. in order to expand it to William Street.

Both William Street properties were deemed “substandard” in a staff report.

One of them, formerly known as Beam Bedding shop, has a decrepit warehouse. The other is prone to flooding and it recently suffered some damage according to a staff report.

Nearly $1.5 million was already approved in the city’s 2017-2018 capital budget to acquire and demolish the properties in order to expand this neighbourhood park.

On Monday staff requested an additional $200,000 for the project, bringing the grand total to nearly $1.7 million.

“We are investing in that uptown neighbourhood,” Durrell said, adding that the community park is part of the culture of uptown Waterloo.

“I know that everyone there will be thrilled to be part of it.”

Council members voted 4-2 to approve the funds to purchase and demolish both William Street properties.

The next step for the city will be to grade and seed the land.

Then staff plans to gather feedback from the public about how to design and equip the newly expanded park.