Rockway Centre looking for development partner as it starts first phase

A space dedicated to older adult programs and services is set to be redeveloped.

Rockway Centre in Kitchener was approved for redevelopment during a council meeting on April 29. City staff will now start a three-step strategy that includes looking for a development partner for the project.

Depending on what the partner wants, they will either start upgrading the current facility on King St. or look for a new location where they can create a 17,000 sq. ft. facility. City staff said they are aiming to make a facility of that size the new average for community centres in the city.

Rockway Centre is 74 years old and requires significant upgrades to keep operating at its site at 1405 King St. E. which runs along Charles Street downtown.

Last week, Kitchener councillors voted in favour of the three-phase strategy at a Community and Infrastructure committee meeting.

“Rockway Centre is Kitchener’s only dedicated older adult’s centre. There is no question and if you’ve talked to any of the members at Rockway, it is a valued community space,” Bethany Pearce, supervisor of older adult services for Kitchener, said.

The project is moving forward after receiving $6 million from the 2024-25 capital budget.

“There are many challenges with the design, and the building and the site that are related to the age of the facility as well as the poor design,” said Pearce.

The new space will have a large lobby, gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms and accessible washrooms for the community to use.

The project itself has been in the works for over a decade.

Rockway Centre has some challenges for the people who use it, such as a lack of traffic flow, storage, an insufficient elevator system, kitchen deficiencies and more. According to the report to council, Rockway Centre had more than 30,000 visits last year from older adults using their services.