Forest Glen Area in Kitchener
Greetings! Welcome to the WRX Property Group website and blog. Recently, we’ve been taking a look at some of the most popular commercial areas in Kitchener-Waterloo: seeing what they have to offer, and why they’re important parts of the cities to be aware of (whether as an investor, or as someone looking for a new home). Today, we’ll be looking at the Forest Glen area in Kitchener.
Located by the intersection of Strasburg Road and Block Line Road, Forest Glen Plaza is quite close to the very centre of Kitchener. This central location naturally comes with a slew of benefits in and of itself: residents are basically equidistant to the varied delights offered by the northern, eastern, southern, and western tips of this fair city, not to mention all that which lies in between. Being so centrally located also means it’s a great place for a transit hub, but more on that in a bit.
See Homes for Sale in Forest Glen
Not too Much, and Not too Little
We should start by saying that the Forest Glen area is not one of the largest, most varied, or most densely-populated commercial areas in Kitchener-Waterloo. The Boardwalk in western Kitchener-Waterloo and the Fairview area just east of here, for example, are a bit more bustling. The Forest Glen area has enough shopping options to serve its residents, but it also has a few other benefits that set it apart.
Putting the Forest in Forest Glen
Forest Glen Plaza is nearly surrounded by beautiful green areas. Strasburg Woods stretches along the northeastern edge of the plaza, the sprawling McLennan Park (and the lengthy Laurentian Trail) are across the street, Lions Park (and the spacious Lions Arena) are directly to the west, and even larger parks like the Huron Natural area aren’t much further.
Neighbourhoods to Invest in
The Forest Glen area may not be quite as flashy as Downtown Kitchener, and it may not be undergoing growth quite as rapid as southwest Kitchener, but it’s a great place to live, and it has quite a few benefits.
Comparing it directly to those two: lots will usually be larger, more readily available, and with lower prices per square foot, than downtown homes; and unlike the southwest, most of the neighbourhoods here are established, meaning built-in community support networks, less construction, and a greater capacity to look into price trends.
Neighbourhoods in the broader Forest Glen area include: Country Hills, a popular place for families with great transit links, the Activa Sportsplex, and a Kitchener Public Library branch; Alpine Village, a smaller neighbourhood that not only has local access to the Conestoga Parkway, but also two major shopping areas; and the Laurentian area, a far-spanning neighbourhood that has a range of community associations and styles/sizes of homes.
When it comes to homes in the Forest Glen area, there is a range of prices, styles, and sizes available, though most will be over the $300,000 mark. Demi-detached homes and townhomes will naturally be on the lower end of this scale, whereas detached homes and larger properties can climb to over $500,000.
The homes are neither as historic as those in downtown Kitchener, nor as brand new (on average) as areas like Williamsburg. Many were built between the 1960s and 1980s, and as such, investors (and anyone seeking a new family home) can be confident in what to expect. There are, of course, perks to old, historic homes, and there are benefits to new-build homes.
Homes from this area strike a nice sort of balance between the two. And balance really seems to be the overarching theme when it comes to the Forest Glen area: it’s got a nice mixture of features available, as well as lovely residential areas with mature tree-lined streets. But the time has come, at last, to look at today’s titular Forest Glen within the Forest Glen area: Forest Glen Plaza.
The Shops Themselves
Forest Glen Plaza is a shopping destination, after all, so let’s take a look at what can currently be found here. To start with the largest offering, there is Brent’s No Frills. No Frills is part of the Loblaw chain (the largest food retailer in all of Canada), and it is one of the ‘deep discount’ supermarkets in the Loblaw family. No Frills has everything from fresh produce to frozen food, with ample dairy, meat, and dry goods.
Somewhat surprisingly, this is the only No Frills in all of Kitchener – fellow TriCity Cambridge, which has 100,000 fewer inhabitants than Kitchener – has two, by contrast. So if you’re looking to purchase groceries at a great price while also accumulating those precious PC Points (sorry, Optimum Points), then Forest Glen Plaza’s No Frills might be the place for you!
The other two larger stores here are a Shoppers Drug Mart and a Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree features a wide range of products for low, low prices (it’s particularly popular during holidays). Shoppers Drug Mart has all of your pharmaceutical, health, and beauty needs, as well as a wide range of consumables and gifts. As for the smaller locations here, there really is quite a range. TD Bank stands on its own, while First Choice Haircutters stands in the plaza-proper, just to name a couple.
The Shoppers Drug Mart in Forest Glen Plaza also has a Canada Post location in it. As with many Shoppers Drug Marts, the Canada Post here has regular staff hours, a range of mail-related products, P.O. boxes (and free FlexDelivery-capability) available for rent, and everything you need to send and receive mail and parcels.
In terms of food, there are a few options at Forest Glen Plaza. Starting with the one that’s first visible from the street: there’s Mary Brown’s Chicken and Taters. Mary Brown’s is a Canadian fast food chain that originated in St. John’s, Newfoundland; it specializes in fried chicken, not unlike a certain chain from Kentucky. Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant is a popular place, with great lunch specials, a cozy ambiance, and some of the best Chinese food in Kitchener.
To wrap up the section on the shops themselves, we have: Debrodniks Donuts. Debrodniks Donuts is a family-run, local shop; this Forest Glen location only opened in 2016, and before that they ran out of pop-up shops at other parts of Kitchener and Waterloo. They have a rotating menu of delicious, gourmet donuts. If you love donuts, be sure to check out their Donut Menu each month to see what you’d like to try!
Conclusion
If you’re interested in finding a home in the Forest Glen area, please contact us – we’d love to help!
Written by Will Kummer