Back to SearchAs our community grows, the City of Kitchener has made major changes to help residents understand impacts to their neighbourhoods and help developers navigate a newly streamlined digital application submission, review and approval process.
The City has completed a multi-year review of its development services, implementing improvements developed in consultation with community organizations, developers, residents and businesses. Better information, new digital tools for developers and an improved public consultation process are already showing early signs of success. City staff played an important role in identifying solutions across 18 priority areas.
“I’m proud of the approach that we’ve taken, and the scope of action taken so far,” said Councillor Paul Singh, Chair of the Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee. “This service review is part of our commitment to continuous improvement, and I’m excited to continue rolling out its recommendations.”
The review identified two immediate areas for improvement: the site plan process and public consultation. The site plan process – typically the most complex process a developer interacts with – was one of the first processes to be improved as part of the review. Applications are already receiving approval-in-principle 60 per cent faster.
To keep residents informed of major changes in their neighbourhood, the City has launched new tools and processes. For example, through a pilot project, the City will now contact a much wider range of residents (double the legislated distance) when there are major development projects in their neighbourhood. Updated signage on properties being redeveloped and postcard-style notifications will make it easier for residents to get informed and staff will conduct feedback surveys on every application, soliciting feedback on the process to ensure peoples voices are being heard.
“This development service review is continuous improvement come to life,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “It’s great to see Kitchener staff using the same processes and tools of leading companies as we strive to optimize our operations and deliver first-class service to our residents and businesses. I’m proud to see our development services team challenging themselves in outstanding service delivery with these top-notch tools."
Improvements suggested by the review will continue to be implemented throughout 2021, and staff will be assessing the effectiveness of their improvements at regular intervals. The full report can be found here.
For more information:
Shawn Falcao
Manager, Corporate Communications
shawn.falcao@kitchener.ca
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