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The deals have been struck, the papers signed, and now a development project that will change the face of uptown Waterloo is ready to go. What do you think of the developâ€" ment plans? How will they affect the city? Let us know by phoning us at 886â€"2830, ext. 220, by eâ€"mailing us at wechronicle@sentex.net or by faxing us at 886â€"9383. (Please leave your phone number and spell your first and last name). Your response may be pubâ€" lished in next weeks Waterloo Chronicle The most contentious issue concerning the proposed proâ€" ject, which will eventually redevelop 17 acres in the uptown, was the cinema. An Ontario Municipal Board meetâ€" ing was slated for Jan. 17 to address the rezoning of the Seagram lands. But an agreeâ€" ment to move the cinema and to restrict the zoning to resiâ€" dential and mixedâ€"use develâ€" opment on the west side of Caroline Street may have quashed the appeal. Uptown Ward Coun. Brent Needham, who originally voted against the zoning change in June, said it was a Although no agreements have been finalized with any of the major cinema operators, Kindrachuk said with the cinâ€" ema changes made to the proâ€" ject First Gulf would soon be able to make an announcement on a tenant. First Gulf also doesn‘t have a finalized agreeâ€" ment for the grocery store, but the most likely candidate is a Zehrs supermarket that will ultimately replace the existing Waterloo Town Square store. "Some of the occupants will be open by late next year," he said. "That‘s what we‘ve tarâ€" geted. "We‘re excited about getting the shovel in the ground early next year and making it a realâ€" ity." (Continued from page 1) down to accommodate the first building phase, and affected retailers have been noufied, said Kindrachuk Part of the first phase of the project will be ready to open by the end of 2000, said Kindraâ€" chuk. What do you think? It‘s a deal With that lesson in public participation learned, Shortâ€" reed thought council would also agree to Needham‘s motion to have a citizen repreâ€" sentative in the site review plan "I think that because of the community input, the develâ€" oper realized the plan passed by council would not pass the Ontario Municipal Board and they‘ve asked council to reverse their decision," said Shortreed. "I think council agreed tonight to reverse their decision." Council also unanimously passed a motion by Coun. Sean Strickland to have city lawyers and the appellants‘ lawyers meet to draft an agreement that would allow the OMB to reserve a decision in the pendâ€" ing case. compromise that he and his constituents could accept. "I think that the new location for the cinema and the proposed reduction in the size of the cinâ€" ema is more appropnate than the originally proposed site," he said John Shortreed, a Euclid Avenue resident and one of the OMB appellants, said the outâ€" pouring of community support helped force a compromise, particularly the "Our Waterâ€" loo" campaign. * PUB | Pub & Restaurant 886â€"9370 33 Erb St., Waterloo ho. warmin 0f OVER 350 FRIENDLY STORES & SERVICES yo CONVENIENT PARKING Mayor Joan McKinnon said those checks and balances that Shortreed wants in the process will come in the successive phasing agreements in 2002, 2004 and 2006, when First Gulf will have to satisfy the city‘s urban design guidelines. "We have a halfâ€"inch of paper called the urban design guidelines that are going to "Council also agreed, in my interpretation, that people and citizens shouldn‘t even be informed about the rest of the development of the 17 acres," he said. "The public will be excluded and council won‘t even know about it until the buildings would appear on the site." Shortreed disagreed that the move would be politicizing the process. He thought it would simply make the development of the uptown lands more transparent. process. But the majority of council rejected the idea in a 5â€" 3 vote saying they are satsfied with the current review process, which leaves final approval in the hands of Greg Romanick, the city‘s director of development services. Coun Bruce Alexander said he wanted to keep politics out of the process in his vote against the motion. w a T E R L 0 0 Great Food Great Service Live Entertainment Fri. & Sat. Evenings Bhoa s Wekoms Book your Christmas Party Now "It‘s not unlike what we‘re doing now," she said. "We‘re a bigger city taking an even bigâ€" ger leap â€" and that bigger leap is to restructure and revitalize economic development and add energy and excitement in the uptown core for the next 40 to 50 years." Ultimately, the agreement will shape the uptown core for the next 40 years said McKinâ€" non, just like the original Waterloo Town Square deciâ€" sion shaped it for the last 40 years. "We have built a huge comâ€" pendium of urban design guidelines that will drive this whole project and override its architectural design, its streetscape and its inclusion of trees and greenery." guide the developer and guide the site plan review commitâ€" tee," said McKinnon. "They‘re going to deal with parking on streets, placement of benches and greenery and the balance of the height of buildings. 80 King Street South, Waterloo 888â€"9200 * 56 George‘s Square, Guelph 821â€"7982 Authonzed Carber Agency ‘ C mJlantE.Steel. Cartier Be in over 25,000 homes every week of the year. 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