We are thrilled to announce that Charlie West was awarded the Brownie Award for the REBUILD: Project Development at the Building Scale category at the 2025 Brownie Awards.

Charlie West, located in downtown Kitchener, transformed a contaminated former industrial site into a condominium community through extensive cleanup and public incentives.

The project also sparked the creation of Gaukel Street’s pedestrian promenade, now a well-loved spot for arts and community events, while promoting transit use and walkable urban living.

It highlights how brownfield redevelopment can deliver environmental, cultural, and social benefits for our communities.

The Brownie Awards are national honours presented annually by the Canadian Brownfields Network (CBN) in partnership with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). They celebrate leadership, innovation, and excellence in transforming contaminated, abandoned, or underused lands into productive and sustainable community assets.

Charlie West
Category: Rebuild – Project Development at the Building Scale

Kitchener, Ontario

Completed in 2019, Charlie West is a 31-storey condominium community that transformed a once-contaminated site into a catalyst for part of downtown Kitchener’s regeneration. Located at the corner of Charles and Gaukel Streets, the project reimagined a property with a long history of industrial and commercial use into safe, sustainable housing that connects residents to local amenities, green space, and transit.

More than a high-rise, Charlie West helped lay the foundation for Gaukel Block, a vibrant pedestrian-only corridor officially launched by the City of Kitchener in 2023. This public space has become a hub for cultural programming, markets, art, and festivals, directly connecting City Hall and Victoria Park. The reimagined block now features seating, green space, kiosks wrapped in art by local artists, and activations— creating a community hub for well-being, creativity, and connection.

MTE Consultants provided environmental assessment and remediation services, guiding the project through the Record of Site Condition (RSC) process. Support from the City of Kitchener and the Region of Waterloo through brownfield incentive programs also contributed to making the redevelopment possible.

Project Team:

• Momentum Developments – Co-Developer
• Zehr Group – Construction Manager and Co-Developer
• MTE Consultants – Environmental and Engineering Services
• ABA Architects – Architectural Design
• City of Kitchener & Region of Waterloo – Municipal Partners

About MTE’s Environmental Team

MTE provides environmental engineering and science services to a wide range of land development and infrastructure projects. Our team supports clients through each stage of a project—from early assessments to meeting regulatory requirements.

Our services include:

• Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessments
• Soil and groundwater investigation
• Environmental permitting and compliance
• Human health and ecological risk assessments
• Toxicology and peer review
• Ecology and natural environment studies
• Fish capture and handling
• Risk communication

We work with municipalities, developers, and community organizations to deliver reliable environmental information and help ensure projects meet regulatory standards.