Please note that the information on this page is no longer up-to-date and remains available for reference purposes. For the latest project updates, please visit our Growing Together Engage Kitchener page.

We’re reviewing the land use planning rules in the King Street East neighbourhood. You can find everything related to this review on this page.

On this page:

  1. About the review
  2. Next steps
  3. Existing secondary plan land use and zoning
  4. Proposed secondary plan policies and land use
  5. Proposed zoning
  6. Urban design guidelines
  7. Previous community engagement

About the review

The King Street East neighbourhood planning review includes:

  • the existing King Street East secondary plan area

A new boundary is proposed for the King Street East Secondary Plan. The remaining part of the King Street East secondary plan becomes part of the city’s Official Plan

We shared the following changes and guidelines in October 2019:

  • proposed official plan changes
  • proposed zoning bylaw changes
  • urban design guidelines

Background information

Staff held a public meeting to get feedback from the community on December 9, 2019. No decisions were made at this meeting. We are analyzing and considering the input we got at the meeting to prepare recommendations for council.


Next steps

In response to the December 9, 2019 statutory public meeting, staff received more than 200 submissions.

Staff presented these documents to the Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee for their information on June 14, 2021. No decisions were made on these documents at this meeting.

These documents include the staff report, submissions and staff responses:

Staff have not yet updated the Secondary Plan mapping. This mapping will be part of the next phase of community consultation and engagement.

Regional Official Plan review

In 2019 and in 2020 the Provincial Growth Plan underwent several changes, one of which now requires an upper-tier municipality, the Region of Waterloo, to define the boundaries and minimum density targets for Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) in their Official Plan.

The Region of Waterloo has started the review of their Official Plan. They are reviewing and analyzing land budget needs, intensification areas across the region, Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) boundaries and more. This review will inform the development of new or updated Regional Official Plan policies.

Neighbourhood specific guidelines

Between February and May of 2019, Urban Design Planning Staff held six Design Charrettes with residents of the new Secondary Plan areas to collaboratively develop Urban Design Guidelines specific to their neighbourhood.

These Neighbourhood Specific Guidelines were considered as part of the December 9, 2019 public meeting:

  • Cedar Hill and Schneider Creek neighbourhood
  • Victoria Park neighbourhood
  • Civic Centre neighbourhood
  • Rockway neighbourhood
  • King Street East neighbourhood
  • Midtown neighbourhood

These guidelines can proceed in advance of the statutory public meetings planned for 2023 and are recommended for approval and inclusion in our Urban Design Manual to guide redevelopment happening in the Secondary Plan areas in the interim.

Future engagement

Due to the changes in the Provincial Growth Plan and the Region’s Official Plan Review, the timeline for consideration of the Secondary Plans has changed, and the earliest that Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments, to implement the Neighbourhood Planning Review work, can be considered is early 2023. 

Future consultation and engagement sessions with each of the neighbourhoods and meetings with stakeholders could start later this year and continue into 2022 so that staff will be able to hold statutory public meetings in early 2023.

Subscribe to this page to get an email with details.


Existing secondary plan land use and zoning


Proposed secondary plan policies and land use


Proposed zoning


Urban design guidelines


Previous community engagement

We held an open house to get feedback from the community on April 4, 2019. Use the links below to find information we presented at the open house: