Local businesses react to region’s purchase of 70 Victoria Street North in Kitchener

Some businesses at the site of a planned transit hub are not happy about the sale of the land.

Regional council approved the sale of 70 Victoria St. North at a special council meeting on Tuesday for $19.75 million. The land at the corner of Victoria Street and Duke Street houses a small plaza with at least six businesses, and there’s a homeless encampment beside it.

Jessica Harrison is the owner of ‘The Cake Box” and has been at the plaza for 12 years. She called the announcement of the sale “unsettling” and is worried about losing clientele as well as finding a space that can hold special fridges and freezers.

“As a business, we don’t plan on going anywhere,” said Harrison. “We have contacts for weddings for the future and just want to reassure the community that no matter what we have to do, we’re going to be there for them… and hope we get some answers soon as a deadline so we can make those plans.”

She added last year, they completed about $15,000 in renovations to reopen their café.

Dikran Tchabrazian, the owner of Armen’s Jewelers, is the oldest tenant in the plaza and has been there for 23 years. He said he was only told about the land purchase from his landlord in an email Thursday morning and is now wondering how moving is going to work with his business.

“We were hoping to not to move from here,” said Tchabrazian. “But we heard what happened so there is not much we can do. I don’t know how it is going to work for us.”

Wayne Galbraith, the owner of the tattoo shop Wonderland Studios, said he found out about the sale Wenesday following media reports and feels let down by the region.

“We have been dealing with an encampment, and before that we had our doors closed for the pandemic,” said Galbraith. ” It’s just continually kicking people when they are down. It would have been really nice to have a heads up, that’s all.”

Regional staff are expected to reach out to local businesses that have been affected.

A timeline has not been set for the construction of the planned transit hub, but officials say it is “not imminent.” The hub would feature Grand River Transit buses, ION light rail and VIA rail stations and expanded GO train and bus services.