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Waterioo, says alderman Jim Erb, is in attracting industry to the city that would be compatible with what has already been established here. * In future, said Erb, it will be necessary to develop and expand the economic base of Waterloo and the city‘s objective must be to both diversify interests, ‘‘*so we don‘t have all our eggs in one basket," and to attract industries that will complement one another. Future decisions by Waterloo council must be made on the basis of what the city can afford rather than simply according to what is wanted, says Alderman Bob The continuing growth and prosperity of Waterloo is due to the quality of life it offers; the facilities and community serâ€" vices available to residents, the distinct character of its neighborhoods and the community spirit found here, believes Alderman John Shortreed. SECOND IN A THREEâ€"PART SERIES "It is important to focus on that compatible kind of industry that is going to match the ones we have here," he said. *"*Where one can rely on the other for serâ€" vices." economy looks we‘re going to have to take a good look at what we can afford," Henry said. , Already a number of highâ€"technology businesses have been established in Waâ€" terloo, and because of the University of Waterloo and its innovation centre, Erb predicts this is the type of industry that ‘‘That," he continued, ‘‘is going to be a switch from what previous councils in the past 15 to 20 years have had to do ... when you could afford to do almost anything." _ Many of the decisions made are not going to be popular with city residents, Henry added. ‘‘People want services, but whatever services they have must be paid for. We‘re not going to be able to increase services over the immediate future as I see it," he said. Henry believes the main challenge to council in the future will be to maintain the level of services which the city now provides, particularly since the economic climate is so unsettled. According to Hepry the city of Waterioo is presently ln/g "very good financial position. I think we are in as much danger as some places." Although Waterloo is as vulnerable as any other city because of the recession, the alderman continued, the situation is alleâ€" viated by the diversified nature of local business and industry and the existence of ‘"And," he noted, ‘"it‘s our (council‘s) task to maintain that quality." According to Shortreed, Waterloo plays a "leadership role in the province in terms of the things we provide for our residents â€" community services, facilities, and particâ€" ularly in adultâ€"centred programs. Looking ahead to the future, Shortreed predicts a new group of communityâ€"serâ€" vice needs will develop as a result of the increase in the elderly population of Waâ€" terloo. * ‘‘There‘s a gradual increase from our present level, in a percentage that the seniors are of our present population, until the peak comes in 2020,"‘ he said. ‘"We‘re going to have to start developing community services for the elderly; we‘re going to have to supply just basic housing for the elderly and the ideal place for that is in and around the uptown area," the alderman continued. To meet these housing needs and for the economic good of Waterloo Shortreed explained, the city should encourage the development of residential communities The city‘s 125th anniversary is just around the corner, and as a preview to this event, The Chronicle presents a series of articles based on interviews with Waterâ€" loo‘s elected officials. ‘ In the second part of this series, Chronicle reporter Melodee A. Martinuk, interviews three city councillors. The key to future development "In the immediate future there are ings we (council) would like to do but Waterlioo â€" past, present, future in the two universities within city limits. Because of the state of the Canadian economy, Henry believes a major objecâ€" tive of council in the future must be to. ‘"open up new industrial land" and to "help the business and industry now in the city any way we can to keep going." . ‘‘Oug prime responsibility,""‘ he said, ‘"is to the existing industry in the community, to help them to make their life a little easier ... good transportation service and a good road system, access to rail and major highways â€" we have to make sure all that will be attracted to the city. > *‘I believe there‘s nothing but the way up for Waterioo with the resources we have in terms of facilities and research ... (the Innovation Centre) has unlimited potenâ€" tial. We don‘t realize what is there," he "We are not a foundry kind of city to begin with, and I wouldn‘t want to see us around the core area. There are many fairly goodâ€"sized parcels of vacant land that would be ideally suited for such a community, he said. According to Shortreed, Waterloo is also in "very good shape in the more traditionâ€" al industrial base," a situation even further strengthened by the creation of the University of Waterioo‘s Innovation Cenâ€" ‘‘Really, retirement residential commuâ€" nities are a growth industry... they are a good basis for a city to grow on. It‘s as big an industry as anything else in the sense that most retired people have built up quite a supply of money,"‘ he said. And it‘s certainly not affected very much by unemployment, but it is impacted by inflation, he added. In uptown Waterloo, Shortreed said. ‘"‘there‘s the nucleus of the kind of stores a retirementâ€"community industry would need... we have all the ingredients that would give us a foot in the door for that type of development." . â€" Such a residential community, Shorâ€" treed believes, which would also be attractive to both young singles and young married couples as well, would fulfil one of the recommendations of the downtown study which stresses that the residential nature of the core be preserved and exâ€" panded. ‘‘Waterloo,‘‘ Shortreed said, ‘"must move fairly decisively into the highâ€"techâ€" Jim Erb head in that direction," Erb concluded. *‘We‘ve really given some meaning to the downtown studyâ€"appointed the Civic Development Committee (CDC) to oyerâ€" see economic development in the city, and we‘ve taken a strong stand with a couple of groups that have come to council wanting to develop senior citizens‘ housing. There‘s been opposition to senior citizens‘ accommodation, (but) council has supâ€" facilities," he. recalled. ‘"This is to our credit because we need more kinds of housing, especially with the vacancy rate what it is. The year 1981 has been a productive one for Wateriloo, Erb remarked, with council is maintained to the best of our ability so our existing business doesn‘t have a probâ€" ‘"We were very concerned about the high tax rate that we were facing at the beginning of the year, and we worked hard on our budget to cut back and still maintain the same level of services," Erb As chairman of the recentlyâ€"formed Civic Development Committee (CDC), which is concerned with development in the uptown area, he has definite ideas about the future of uptown Waterloo. "I think right now it is a very viable area. We really have to work at making it and the buildings a little better, but," he stn;ssed, ‘"it really isn‘t that bad at the present time. ‘"What we want,""Henry said, ‘"is to get more people in there and whatever goes in has to be that type of thing." residential development dowil." But, he hopeés coundil will "... put in a zoning that is flexible enough that it will allow a developer to use his imagination." . East of Regina St., Henry predicted, development will be of a multiple type, with business or rétail establishments According to the alderman, who is serving his first term on Waterioo council, the main thrust of city policy in the next few years will be to continue the developâ€" ment and beautification of the uptown area. Residential development in the core area is a priority for Henry, who said, "I don‘t think we would turn any type of occupying the first floors of a structure and residential areas taking upper levels. Concerning development along King St., he said, an important factor is the provincial government‘s consideration of legislation to change the building code to allow renovation of the upper levels of existing buildings into residential properâ€" Other matters which the CDC will be considering are the right of way of the ‘‘They tell me this is the fifth or sixth study done of the uptown and five of them In fact, he continued, "we definitely have a base for that type of industry with NCR and Space Circuits. We already have 3,000 to 4,000 jobs in those industries." nology area if we want to survive in terms of jobs and the standard of living." The university‘s research centre will attract that muchâ€"needed type of highâ€"growth industry to the city, Shortreed mainâ€" tained. being aggressive without spending a lot To encourage industrial development in WATERLOO CHRONICLE, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1981 â€" PAGE 3 Waterloo, the city has been developing, at considerable cost, new industrial areas, Shortreed said. The greatest challenge to the city in the future, Shortreed believes, "will be to look at ways we can finance things keeping in mind that we‘re in difficult times." are sitting on shelves,‘"‘ Erb noted. ‘"Counâ€" cil is determined to see that something happen‘s to this one."‘ However, he stressed, "I‘m not at all convinced there‘s anything major wrong with the uptown ... none of the businesses "I‘m not saying that we don‘t have to improve our uptown,"‘ Erb explained. We have to improve it but not because there‘s something wrong with it ... the study was done to give us more ideas to build on the good things that are already happening.‘" For Erb, the task council and the CDC must fulfil in its decision concerning the city core is to develop and maintain "the uniqueness of uptown Waterioo." harder because there‘s less to go around,"‘ he said. . However, he added, Waterloo is in a good competitive position because "we have the things that people are looking for; the universities, access to Centre in the Square, close proximity to Toronto and an excellent labor force. in uptown Waterloo look like they are sufâ€" *‘We have a reputation for the highâ€" quality of goods that we sell in uptown Waterloo as compared to other cities of our size, and we have an incredibly high number of good eating establishments. Those are the things we have to give some consideration to, to keep the uniqueness of Waterioo," he said. All in all, though, said Erb, Waterloo is going to be in pretty good shape for the next little while. We have one of the best "It‘s going to be fairly expensive and although there‘ll be a cost recovery on them, we certainly won‘t be making money, but we will be providing for industries that want to expand. Ninety per cent of industrial expansion generally comes from local firms, so we want to make sure that firms in the city have a place when they want to grow and develâ€" op." For this reason, Shortreed is optimistic for the economic future of the city. Right now, he said, "we‘re in absolutely terrific shape financially. Waterloo has always been, and I think will always be, very close with our dollars." railway tracks running through the heart of the city and the impact which the Seagram Museum will have on Waterloo once it is opened to the public. _Although he expects that Waterloo‘s traditional industrial base will continue to However, as Herry stressed, there is a limit to what city hall can do and the education of city residents is a must if the city is to meet the challenges of the fuâ€" ‘‘The problem isn‘t that we don‘t have enough parking,‘" Henry explained. ‘"We do have a lot of surface parking available, more than enough to meet our needs."‘ Two specific issues concerning uptown |â€" which Erb believes the city must deal with are the development of Regina St. and the tying in ‘"of the Erb Centre, at 55 Erb, with the commercial part of the city. The CN is a very important component of that." "I think we‘re going to have to educate the people about certain things â€" shopping in uptown, Waterloo for instance," he considering the current economic situaâ€" _ Henry does not feel the cost of a parking structure, which he believes would cost about $2.5 million to build, can be justified A personal longâ€"range goal for this alderman, who has been a member of Waterloo council for 14 years, is to ‘‘maintain the quality of life in Waterioo. It‘s Iustn.udp'hceiollv-ndworkndl it‘s up to coftncil to maintain that."‘