New vision for Charles Street Terminal coming into focus
The Charles Street Terminal has been a landmark in downtown Kitchener for decades, serving as a gateway to the city and a place of connection. As we look toward its future, the Region of Waterloo in partnership with the City of Kitchener are inviting the community to help shape new possibilities for this historic downtown block.
We’ve been hearing different ideas and exploring options for several years. The project is now open for your input on preliminary design concepts to create a place that can serve the community for decades to come. You’ll find those design concepts at the bottom of this story.
This site has evolved to meet the needs of each generation. Originally an industrial site in the 1880s, the site was transformed in 1949 by the Bullas brothers, who reimagined it as a vibrant, mixed-use development for living, gathering and working. Their vision led to the eventual expansion of Charles Street from a laneway into a critical urban street, fostering a sense of belonging and transformation that mirrors community sentiment today.
You can read more about the history of this part of Charles Street in this article by The Record.
In 1992, the site became a transit hub. For over two decades it connected people, helping them get where they needed to go. With the launch of ION light rail in 2019, buses no longer stopped here and the terminal has awaited its next purpose. The new vision for this site seeks to honor its legacy while letting it grow and evolve —a community-centered development with housing, public space, and amenities that serve all.
Today, the site’s redevelopment planning is guided by four key pillars identified by community members: affordable housing, climate action, equity, diversity and inclusion and a thriving economy.
These concepts reflect extensive community input, including meaningful contributions from Indigenous community leaders. Community conversations have been vital to shape a redevelopment that includes affordable housing, public spaces, and amenities to create belonging and celebrate the site’s layered history.
Below are the preliminary design concepts that explore how this site might serve as a community hub for generations to come.
Community members can provide input from Nov. 30 to Dec. 16 on our Engage Page. Your input is vital as we move forward in 2025 to redevelop the Charles Street Terminal so that this site can continue its legacy of connection and transformation.
