City of Kitchener launches educational land use planning and development video series

Through consultation with the community, the City of Kitchener has released a new videos series that explains the City’s land use planning and development processes. The goal of the series is to break down barriers to understanding these complex processes and foster more meaningful and inclusive community engagement. From the long-term strategies that guide our community’s development to the importance of tiny homes, this video series is a great introduction to the concepts and policies that guide our community’s growth.

Introduction to planning and development - This introductory video shows how the community is shaped, now and in the future. It gives an overview of the topics covered throughout our video explainer series.

Our vision for Kitchener - Kitchener is growing. The vision for land use and growth is set out in our official plan, a policy document that lays out the roadmap for how Kitchener will grow 20 years into the future.

Planning tools - There’s a lot to consider before shovels go into the ground. In this video, learn about the planning tools used in our planning process.

Roles and responsibilities - When a property owner wants to develop their land, they begin a process of working with staff to help them understand the community’s vision for that property and how to best align their goals with that vision. Learn about the roles and responsibilities of a variety of stakeholders to get projects off the ground.

Zoning bylaws and minor variances - City planning is like a puzzle with multiple pieces. In this video learn more about zoning bylaws as pieces of that puzzle.

Site plan review - The site plan review process looks at the design of a proposed development to make sure that provincial, regional, and city guidelines are met prior to approval.

Tiny homes - Thriving cities need a variety of housing options to meet the current and future needs of all residents. That’s where tiny homes come in! Tiny homes are the newest kind of dwelling to enter Kitchener’s mix of housing types, creating new opportunities in our established neighbourhoods.

Tall buildings - Kitchener is growing up. New tall buildings are being built in and around the downtown, near ION stations, along major roads and other strategic areas. These new buildings help us meet our provincial growth targets while protecting our farmland from urban sprawl.

Infill and redevelopment - Infill is the process of developing vacant or underused land in an existing urban neighbourhood. Redevelopment occurs when an existing building is converted or expanded into another use. Both offer housing or business opportunities that reflect the changing needs of the surrounding neighbourhood. Learn more in the infill and redevelopment video.

Cultural heritage - Good city planning involves honouring the old while welcoming the new. A building, piece of land or neighbourhood can be historically significant for a variety of reasons. It’s possible for these places to change somewhat while retaining its sense of place and history.

View the full video series by visiting kitchener.ca/planningvideos.