The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

lhe Cnty of Waterloo, In (omen wrlh First Gulf Devel opment Corporation, seems poised to embark upon a high - densuy, Intense megaproject transformauon of us core area The desrgn IS large In tts scale and In tts implications, " IS unprecedented for the at); and It Is rrrevershle, So, m d very real sense. " IS a hrgh-stakes gamble mth the Cuy's future Aspects of the plan are aurau- [we and have been heavuly publicized, but a gambler should also take stock of what he has to lose before he rolls the dice Are there any stgns of potential Jeopardy in ths ven- ture? I see about a dozen. Does this sound latmlrar?: "We propose large retail and ollice anchors accompanied by strong entertainment uses.. , I dont think many people m kotcheneror Hamilton. to name only two nearby expen- ments, would endorse this notion as a cure-all for down- town woes. An alternative to the blockbuster downtown is the Intimate downtown. Might something In the nature of cen- lretown Stratford be more appropriate to a city on the scale of Waterloo? 2. The status quo ain't bad. Sure, Waterloo Town Square appears a bit tired, but the situ- ation could be a lot worsn At present, a family getting out of us van at King Street and Wilhs Way can look around and say Rolling the dice in uptown Waterloo I, The concept has been tried before, with dubious results. 1511“” " THE trl1rrtrlut," IMPORTEV CHOCOLATE. SWEETS, SOOPS. JAMS, MEAT PIES [1.18 uml MORE OF YOUR FAVOURITE FOODS FROM BACK HOME. . SCOTCH PIE $1.95 . BRIDIES $2.95 . STEAK & MUSHROOM $2.95 . STEAK & KIDNEY PIE $2.95 " STEAK PIE $2.95 q SAUSAGE ROLLS $2.95 . CHICKEN POT PIE $2.95 - SHEPHERDS PIE $4.50 l CHICKEN CURRY PE $2.95 725-4782 QPIES an ONE FREE - ONE COUPON PER FAMIL I he Sa V ory 33 L, Stwf 851:3; Waterloo Across from the Duke of Wellington ALL OUR PIES ARE GOOD HOT OR COLD.' GREAT FOR COTTAGE OR PICNICS. FISHING TRIPS ETC. Anyone lamenting the state oi uptown Waterloo should take a closer look A steady random evolution has been enhancing the well-bong of Waterloos core, Consider: municipal initiatives like the Recreation Lentre. the Button Factory. the Grist Mill and the Clay and Glass Gallery: com- mercial enterprises such as Paul Puncher. the Huether Hotel, the old Forsyth factory, the Waterloo Hotel. the Good Funeral Home, MarslaniCen- ire. and innumerable restau- rants; residential complexes, among whieh are the Luther- wood seniors' Village. the Bar- rel Warehouses, the Euclid townhouses, the Hallman lam- ily townhouses. the Hallman family seniors residence. and the Alexandra school translor- mation, Is guided evolution working more magic than Will the propoyd mammoth change? 4. Traffic nightmares? A colossal ll-screen Cinema IS a central feature of this development. and IS butted right up against a delightful small-town residential neigh- bourhood First Gulls consul- tant expresses contentment that: "during a peak Cinema “We mm the street) here . ln mm: other upscale urban mrga-dowu1owns. families dont own the streets "Tired" Isnt thnllmg, but ll sure beats "Threatening" 3. The present pattern of incremental development is working well. They Wlll be trying to get Inbound In the space of one hour while the "ts50 out- bound" who are coded up ireude a parking garage are try- mg to escape. Is there perhaps at least some risk that these frustrated hordes wdl resort to coursing through (and parking In} nearby neighbourhoods? Is there a further risk that they will simply go to Silver City cinema. which has an express- way on each Side, a clover leaf at each end, and surface park- ing on sue? The success of the new development plan is premised on [he local populace acquir- mg an affection for "parking structures" m the place of sur- The above scenarlo does not even consider the seldom- mentioned twm office lowers (continuing 4.800 occupants with?) which are planned nearby. or the gargantuan Can- bar residential complex whrch ls currently on the drawing board of another developer. 5. A "destination" serviced by parking garages. rwnl munmum tralii vol, umes are nul trxptrcurd to exceed about LSUO sehwles per hour ttr50 Inbound and 050 outbound) V between the early evemng and late evening showings of a manor block busier event " I'm no consul- tant, but lie esnmaled the length of "(PM mbound". and HS d line ofcars stretching from the kagram Museum out past Erbsvalle Road to the regional landfill site I am sure that even the Waterloo crtrzens who don't hve In them appreciate the flavour given to their commu- mty by the Menno/Euchd Mary/Allen, Waterloo Park. Regina and Old Weslmoum "eighbourhoods Moreover. there Is a syrnbiotus between core nerghbourhoods and a "downtown". The people Inv- lace parkmg Hmmm. what do vou thmk? (Continued on page 10) 6. Threat to old neighbour- ALMIRA FURNITURE GALLERY That's Almira with an "A" 14 King St. St. Jacobs 886-3000 www.furniture.ca B-K Motors Authorized BMW a Volvo Retailer 435 King St. N. Waterloo, ON 385-5090 Looking For A New Experience? E-nul H0@Hmiots.tm (Click here) my I.. “in" R, (atssai"Y, - STORE , HOURS '