Rockway Centre redevelopment

The City is building a new older adult centre to better meet your needs. We’re committed to working with current visitors and older adults across the city.

On this page:

1. About the project
2. Council endorsement
3. Community engagement results
4. Next steps

About the project

Rockway Centre provides a place for older adults from across the city to participate in a wide variety of program and clubs. Originally constructed in 1950 as a transit terminal, the building is 75 years old and does not meet the recreation needs of our community.

Council endorsement

City council endorsed a staff report on April 29, 2024, with direction to move ahead with redeveloping Rockway Centre.

On June 16, 2025, a staff report was presented to council outlining the recommended deliverables for the new older adult centre, as well as approval to look for an alternative site within 1.5 KM of Rockway Centre through a competitive Request for Proposal process.

Community engagement results

In Fall 2024, the City collected feedback from 721 residents through a variety of in-person events, site visits and an online survey. The purpose of engagement was to gather input from older adults across the City to better understand the type of atmosphere, site features, and programs and services they would like to see in a new older adult centre.

Residents told us the top features they would like to see in a new older adult center are:

• A café or coffee shop
• Fitness room
• Outdoor features
• Other important site features included onsite parking, a pickup/drop off zone, accessibility features (e.g., washrooms, handrails).

See the full report, including the key findings from the community engagement campaign on Engage Kitchener.

Next steps

Once the recommended deliverables are approved by Council, staff will begin developing a Request for Proposal to seek a development partner to build a mixed-use facility that includes an older adult centre. The Request for Proposal process will take several months to complete, and more information will be available when the RFP is open for response.