The Midtown Mile: Residents, students divided on fast-growing Princess Street corridor

This is Part 2 of our series on the changing face of Princess Street in Williamsville. Read Part 1 here.

The Williamsville Main Street Study was introduced in 2010 and approved by the city in 2012 as a way to rejuvenate midtown Kingston. Since then, many new developments have started popping up along the Princess Street corridor.

The pace of development has garnered a mixed reaction from the area’s permanent residents and the university students who temporarily live nearby.

Joan Bowie has lived in the Williamsville District since 1979.

She welcomes the revitalization of Princess Street but is doubtful all the new residential projects will actually get off the ground.

“I can’t imagine they’d all go ahead … So I can’t say I’d be OK or not OK because it’s just not going to happen … because where is the population going to come from?” said Bowie.

Watch: the changing face of Princess Street

2:49 Midtown Mile Part One: The past, present of future of Princess Street in Williamsville

According to developers, the answer is at Queen’s University. Many students are looking for clean, affordable housing within walking distance to campus.

Developers seem eager to meet the demand with a string of proposed buildings in nearby Williamsville.

“These residential projects are really going to revitalize the Williamsville District. It’s going to be a catalyst for additional retail development,” said John Andrew, a Queen’s professor of urban planning and real estate.

John Grenville, a local resident, said he’d rather have residential zones instead of “a bunch of used car lots and parking lots and other things that are remnants of failed activity.”

Grenville said the Williamsville Main Street study’s goal was to provide a vibrant community.

But he thinks building condos and apartments that cater primarily to student tenants isn’t the ideal plan.

“Students are here for eight months of the year. They’re not here for 12. If you see the number of businesses that close up during the summer … it’s tough for businesses to survive,” said Grenville.

Students like the new housing options. Some say it has opened their eyes to a higher standard of living.

“I get my own bathroom. It’s overall better living. Where I was before was in the ghetto. It wasn’t very good there. A lot of bugs there and unclean things,” said Leran Oirik, a Queen’s student.

Some students believe it is worth it to live in the new developments, even if it is a longer walk to campus.

“Queen’s has always been a spoiled school for that … It’s the only school people whine about a 10-minute walk. Queen’s is going to have to start getting used to being somewhere where there’s a little more distance to live somewhere that’s not trash,” said Jeremy Howe, a Queen’s student.

Williamsville Coun. Jim Neill also welcomes the influx of students to his district but he doesn’t like when developers stretch the height rules.

He doesn’t appreciate when developers are “requesting 20-some storeys, when the zoning, which is brand new, is capping it at 10 storeys. We need to say loudly and clearly to the developers that are making the requests … that’s not reasonable,” says Neill.

Some neighbours are now pushing back against the developments and have appealed at least two of the proposed projects to the Ontario Municipal Board.

Transforming the area from eyesore to vibrant hub does have its growing pains, as long-time residents fight for the right scale of development along The Midtown Mile.

What’s your take on the development in Williamsville? Share your thoughts in the comments.