Back to SearchKey decisions of Council is a summary of major discussion items presented at Kitchener City Council meetings. It is circulated immediately following each meeting. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.
Kitchener takes bold action on housing with Growing Together plan and inclusionary zoning bylaw
Kitchener Council has adopted two major tools to address the housing crisis. The first is the Growing Together plan, a policy framework that builds on Kitchener’s role as a national leader in addressing the housing crisis. The second is inclusionary zoning, which allows cities to require private developers to include a certain percentage of affordable units within new, multi-unit housing developments. Growing Together enables more than 100,000 new homes in all shapes and sizes. This includes as many as 4,500 affordable units secured through inclusionary zoning, and at least 20,000 new homes in “missing middle” forms. Read the full release here.
Council advances construction of 786 residential units
Council approved zoning by-law amendments, and adopted and forwarded official plan amendment applications to the Region of Waterloo for approval, to permit the construction of:
- Up to 760 dwellings in four buildings at 490 Huron Road, and
- 26 single detached dwellings on a private road at 980 and 1018 Hidden Valley Road.
City staff to investigate Bird Friendly City certification
Council directed staff to investigate the benefits and feasibility of Kitchener becoming a ‘Bird Friendly City’. A Bird Friendly City is a community where key threats to birds are mitigated, nature is restored so native bird populations can thrive, municipal policies are created to protect urban bird populations and more. Read the full report here.
Council approves five public art installations, policy improvements
Council approved incorporating five artworks into the City’s public art collection:
- Thalia’s Curtain (2001) by Carol Bradley (Inside Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts)
- Warnock MacMillan stones by Lois Scott, year unknown (Inside Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts)
- Between the Acts (2002) by Jane Buyers (Outside Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts)
- In the Keep of Change (2020) by My Pet Skeleton (aka Vincent Marcone) (Exterior of 44 Gaukel)
- The collected contributions from The Beasting project, composed of black ink visual artworks by nearly 80 artists from 2020-2023 (Interior of 44 Gaukel)
Council also approved updates to the City’s Public Art Policy, including more effective processes for integrating public art into city workflows and more opportunities for citizen engagement and arts sector development. Read the full report here.
Kitchener properties to be designated under Ontario Heritage Act
Council approved the designation of the following Kitchener properties under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
- 60 Victoria Street North
- 72 Victoria Street South
- 33 Eby Street South
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