Waterloo Region Consolidated Courthouse | ? | ? | Planning

[WaterlooInvestor]

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[KW4Life]

New courthouse planned for downtown

June 13, 2008
RECORD STAFF
Downtown Kitchener will be the site of the new consolidated courthouse, Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy announced today.

The multi-million-dollar courthouse will be built on a 3.3-acre site bounded by Frederick, Weber, Duke and Scott streets. A parking lot and some offices, including a lawyer’s office, now occupy the site.

This state-of-the-art facility will bring three existing courthouses – two in Kitchener and one in Cambridge – under one roof.

The province has purchased the site and Milloy said the tendering process to seek proposals from the private sector to build the facility will be starting soon.

Construction is slated to start in 2010.

(http://news.therecord.com/News/article/366440)

[kwoldtimer]

Great news - that site has been waiting for redevelopment for more years than I can count (that's quite a few!). I wonder what will happen to the other courthouses - the newer one down Frederick could be dropped down a deep hole, as far as I am concerned, but I am fond of the old county courthouse on Weber. I hope it will be put to good use.

[Brenden]

Dose the region own that land? There are at least 3 buildings that would need to be worked around. I wonder if the region is renting them or if they are separate lots.

[DHLawrence]

Unless they're thinking demolition (and I hope they aren't--I like that house on the Frederick-Weber corner) they'll probably put the building closer to the Scott Street side and keep part of the parking lot as either parking or greenspace.

Anyone know what's happening to the old courthouses, or haven't they thought that far ahead yet?

[Waterlooian4Life]

The Region of Waterloo owns the Courthouse and once the Ontario Governmetn moves out The region intends to renovate it for potentially offices.

[DHLawrence]

I hope they plan to do the same in Galt. That's a very large piece of real estate opening up, so they'd be nuts to let that go to waste.

[Brenden]

http://news.therecord.com/article/366836

A new courthouse

Kitchener facility will combine all regional court operations
June 14, 2008
Frances Barrick
RECORD STAFF

WATERLOO REGION

Local politicians, judges and lawyers hailed the choice of downtown Kitchener as the site of a long-awaited new courthouse.

"I think it hits the mark," Justice Pat Flynn of Kitchener Superior Court said after the announcement yesterday by Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy.

The multi-million-dollar courthouse will be built on a 3.3-acre site bounded by Weber, Frederick, Duke and Scott streets.

Except for a few businesses fronting Frederick Street, including a law office, the site is now a parking lot. The new address will be 59 Weber St.

The state-of-the-art courthouse will bring under one roof three existing courthouses -- two in Kitchener and one in Cambridge.

Construction is to begin in 2010, but officials yesterday did not know how long it will take or how much it will cost.

Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig was "very disappointed" the province didn't consider his city as a site for a consolidated courthouse. "We are trying to revitalize our core area like everybody else and this will hurt us."

Attempts to keep the courthouse at 99 Main St. open after the new one is built have failed, Craig said.

Court operations will also be moved out of the existing courthouses at 20 Weber St. and 200 Frederick St. in Kitchener.

Milloy announced plans for the consolidated courthouse almost three years ago to the day. People attending his announcement yesterday at Kitchener City Hall criticized the province for dragging its feet on a much-needed project.

"It is very frustrating that this has taken so long," said Flynn, whose Superior Courthouse is so crammed he and another judge have offices in former boiler rooms. "It is about time that politicians in Queen's Park recognize the depth and breadth of this region."

Flynn said the Superior Courthouse was built in 1959 to hold two courtrooms. Six courtrooms are now squeezed into the building, and security is inadequate.

"It is a very, very inadequate place for the operation and administration of justice."

The chosen site for the new courthouse is fitting, he said, since it is the site of the region's first county courthouse.

Kitchener Coun. Kelly Galloway said the project will be "another significant step" in the revitalization of the city's core. "We are extremely pleased."

Regional Chair Ken Seiling said the location fits with regional goals of infilling and developing city cores, although he's hoping for an earlier construction date. "Let's keep the pressure on the province and may be we can get the ball rolling faster."

The region owns the building housing Superior Court, and Seiling said there are plans to renovate it to house regional offices. The province owns the Kitchener courthouse and leases the Cambridge one.

Bill Moore of the Ontario Realty Corp. said the province will consider what to do with the Kitchener building once the court operations move out. He said the province's purchase of the Weber Street site should be completed in a few weeks after all environmental and soil tests are completed.

The next step will be the calling of proposals to build the courthouse from the private sector, Milloy said. The courthouse is part of the province's five-year plan to spend more than $30 billion in Ontario's infrastructure.

fbarrick@therecord.com

[WaterlooInvestor]

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Nice!

[jcollins]

They've put up boarding and fencing around a couple of properties to start demolition. Im a bit surprised though that the building on the corner of Frederick and Duke isn't fenced off too. Does this mean it's staying. Id have guessed it'd be going as well, especially with the Downtown Health Centre moving to the Tannery. This also leaves the building on the corner of Weber and Frederick. If these two are staying, Im a bit disappointed, I was hoping the new courthouse would take up the entire block. Maybe they'll build around these if the buildings do indeed stay.





The two buildings at Duke and Frederick really look integrated though

[koops65]

This one has started. Hoarding is up and digging equipment is on-site.

[Lugnut]

Here are the renders of this project:

[Lugnut]

Also worth nothing that this made the list of Canada's top 100 infrastructure projects: http://top100projects.ca/2010/waterl...ed-courthouse/