City initiates plan to transform Hespeler's Milling Road into a pedestrian-friendly district

A plan that reimagines Hespeler’s Milling Road as the city’s own “distillery district” got a green light from council Tuesday.

Landscape architect Brendan te Brinke, of Kitchener-based landscape design firm GSP Group, presented a preferred concept for the project that will transform the dead-end road into a pedestrian-friendly space over two phases and an estimated final cost of close to $3 million.

On Tuesday, council approved the guidelines for the preferred concept and the $40,000 cost of conducting an environmental assessment of a vacant, city-owned property at 30 Milling Road that was once a public works building.  

The plan for the street comes close to a decade after IBI Group prepared streetscape and urban design plans for Hespeler Village that included a recommendation to revitalize Milling Road.

Streetscaping the rest of Hespeler Village went ahead in 2015 at a cost of $6.2 million.

The study that was approved later for Milling Road, included Jacob’s Landing on the west side of Guelph Avenue, two privately-owned buildings, 54 Guelph Ave. and 25 Milling Road, and the city-owned building at 30 Milling Road.

The main feature of the area is the three-storey red-brick Hespeler Furniture Co., which was established in 1901.

Public engagement on the plan included consultation with the Hespeler Business Improvement Area, two EngageCambridge online surveys and a public information centre.

Feedback from those sessions suggested the area could be used for a farmers’ market, retail, dining and on-site programming with close to 60 per cent of respondents wanting to see enhancements that complement the historic buildings.

Increasing connectivity to and from the site, including links to trails and the river, were also important aspects respondents want to see enhanced.

“There is a strong desire for Milling Road to become a pedestrian friendly destination,” te Brinke said. “It’s important that the design celebrates the industrial heritage and unique character of the site. And there’s a desire for Milling Road to become its own unique district with placemaking opportunities.”

Similar examples include Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery District, te Brinke said.

The “woonerf style street” design of the preferred concept incorporates various landscape and traffic calming elements to encourage more pedestrian use and active transportation even though the possibility of extending the Mill Run Trail along the street is currently opposed by private property owners. 

That could change in the future, once the street is revitalized, said city project manager Matt Holland. 

Vehicular traffic will be maintained and on-street parking added to either side to accentuate a curve in the road and promote walkability across the street.

The initial phase of the project will cost the city an estimated $1.9 million and include streetscape renewal and minor renovations to Jacob’s Landing to blend it with the renewal.

The second phase adds more renovations at Jacob’s Landing, while the final phase removes the city-owned building at 30 Milling Rd. to provide more park space and waterfront. The phase would also complete the renovation of Jacob’s Landing. 

An option to keep the building intact and renovate it for usable space to lease or sell would add an estimated $2.5 million to the project’s final cost. 

A recent building condition assessment determined the foundation walls are in poor condition and would require immediate repairs if council wants to keep it operational into the future. Those repairs are estimated to cost $800,000. 

A decision to save the building, however, wouldn't come until the site EA is complete later this year and staff have a better picture of the building’s needs, said the city’s director of engineering Kevin De Leebeeck.

“This is a long time coming and boy I really see that this is going to help revitalize the core and provide some special and unique places for families to go,” said Mayor Kathryn McGarry.

Coun. Donna Reid agreed, adding seeing this project near completion is part of her dream for the area come true. 

“I’m looking forward to the day when it can be pedestrian only,” she said.

That possibility, however, would require land acquisition, construction, and support from private property owners.

“I think this particular area…is a great opportunity to marry the village with the other side of the river,” Reid said.

Thanking staff for the “wonderful start” on this "diamond in the rough," Coun. Mike Devine said he wants to see 30 Milling Rd. saved and repurposed for anything from a bakery or butcher shop to an upscale restaurant.

The 3,400 square-foot space includes a workshop and garage, a lunch room, an office, washroom facilities and storage rooms.

It's an opportunity to "think outside the box," he said.

Coun. Nicholas Ermetta agreed, adding the potential for the building is “huge” and suggesting it could include a rooftop patio with a lookout to the river.

“You’d get spectacular views of the mill pond and dam,” he said.

“This is a tremendous historical part of the community,” said Coun. Mike Mann, adding it’s a way to celebrate the town's history and highlight why Hespeler was settled in the first place. “It’s really good for the people of Cambridge to see and celebrate the significance of our past.”

“Anytime we have architecture like this along a body of water like the Grand River it’s filled with possibility so it’s great to see it realized,” Coun. Scott Hamilton said, imagining the nearby trails accommodating cyclists from all areas of the city to get to this new area of Hespeler.

“It’s got potential to tie the whole city together.”