HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlng & Strat Init - 2010-12-13PLANNING & STRATEGIC INITIATIVES COMMITTEE MINUTES
DECEMBER 13, 2010 CITY OF KITCHENER
The Development and Technical Services Committee met this date, commencing at 1:03 p.m.
Present: Councillor B. Vrbanovic – Chair
Mayor C. Zehr and Councillors S. Davey; J. Gazzola; Y. Fernandes; K. Galloway;
P. Singh; B. Ioannidis; Z. Janecki; F. Etherington; D. Glenn-Graham
Staff: C. Ladd, Chief Administrative Officer
D. Chapman, Deputy CAO & City Treasurer, Finance & Corporate Services
J. Willmer, Deputy CAO, Community Services
P. Houston, Deputy CAO, Infrastructure Services
A. Pinard, Director of Planning
G. Murphy, Director of Engineering
S. Adams, Director of Community & Corporate Planning
K. Woodcock, Manager of Departmental Planning
B. Sloan, Interim Manager of Long Range Planning
K. Dever, Project HR Integration Manager
J. Grein, Corporate Project Assistant
C. Goodeve, Committee Administrator
1.COUNCIL ORIENTATION
A. CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN
The Committee was in receipt of a presentation entitled “City Council Orientation - City of
Kitchener Strategic Plan”. Ms. S. Adams provided an overview of the City of Kitchener
Strategic Plan, advising that it is a comprehensive strategy to guide and align the City's work
and expenditures with the community's priorities and vision for the future. She stated that the
Plan, which creates a framework under which all of the City's activities are based, was
developed over seven years through significant collaboration with citizens, including the
Environics and “Who-are-you-Kitchener?” surveys. She noted that through all of these
consultations, citizens participated in developing a shared vision of the kind of City they would
like Kitchener to be 20 years from now. She added that residents' feedback also helped to
determine six priorities for the community's future, and the strategic recommendations that
support them. She then reviewed the community priorities, being:
1. Leadership and Engagement
2. Quality of Life
3. Diversity
4. Downtown
5. Development
6. The Environment
Councillor F. Etherington inquired into the process of ensuring that a large cross-section of the
community were engaged and was advised that the demographic information collected during
the development of the Strategic Plan are comparable to those collected by Statistics Canada
for this area. Ms. Adams added that currently, there are several different initiatives that are
being considered to promote greater public engagement. She stated that one is the
development of a Civics 101 Course that provides an overview of the various City Departments
and opportunities for engagement; such as, the process for a member of the public to address
Council. In addition, it is proposed that the City extend its Civics Course to local Grade 5 and
10 students. She commented that this would serve to promote a life-long involvement in
municipal government. She noted that discussions would need to be held with the area School
Boards to have the City’s Civic Course incorporated into school curriculums.
Councillor Y. Fernandes suggested that staff should make available pamphlets outlining the
process for appearing before Council at community open houses. She commented that one of
the barriers to community engagement is the lack of childcare opportunities at public open
houses. She suggested that the City could potentially utilize local High School students to
offer those services as a means of fulfilling their mandatory volunteer service hours.
Councillor S. Davey expressed concern with some of the methods used during the public
consultation, and inquired if more statistically significant feedback would be pursued when the
PLANNING & STRATEGIC INITIATIVES COMMITTEE MINUTES
DECEMBER 13, 2010 - 2 - CITY OF KITCHENER
1.COUNCIL ORIENTATION (CONT’D)
A. CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN (CONT’D)
Plan is revisited. Ms. Adams advised that approximately 5000 people were engaged during
the Plan’s development, adding that Environics’ indicated their survey results as being
representative of the community’s make-up. She acknowledged that while an inherent bias
may exist with some of the methods used to collect this data, an effort was made to solicit
feedback from groups who would not normally visit the City’s website or complete an online
survey. She noted that a report is anticipated to come forward in the near future regarding the
methods that can be employed when undertaking this kind of public engagement.
At the request of Councillor B. Vrbanovic, staff agreed to circulate copies of the existing
Strategic Plan and the Plan for a Healthy Kitchener to the Committee.
B. KITCHENER GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
The Committee was in receipt of the Kitchener Growth Management Strategy (KGMS), dated
January 2009 as well as a CD containing electronic copies of the KGMS and Kitchener Growth
Management Plan (KGMP).
Messrs. J. Willmer, A. Pinard and B. Sloan presented details of the KGMS and the KGMP,
advising that these documents provide a framework for effectively managing the City’s
projected population growth, improving business processes, and contributing to the health and
vitality of the community. Mr. A. Pinard stated that the KGMS aims to:
conserve and enhance the City’s valued natural and cultural heritage resources;
create vibrant urban places;
ensure greater transportation choice;
foster a strong economy by stimulating private-sector investment and revitalization of
employment lands, including those in the Downtown; and by diversifying the local
economy by targeting the growth of specific industry clusters;
strengthen communities;
manage change in an effective and coordinated manner; and,
take advantage of opportunities to reuse and re-energize vacant lands and former
industrial buildings to create mixed use developments that put jobs closer to homes.
Mr. Pinard added that the Strategy outlines where new development will take place within the
City to ensure it is complementary to community priorities and aligned with future infrastructure
investments. He noted that one of the key implementation items of the Strategy is the KGMP,
which is the evolved staging of development program.
Mr. Sloan then gave an overview of the KGMP, advising that it represents one of the
implementation tools that, in tandem with an annual growth management monitoring report,
leads the way to effectively manage Kitchener’s growth. He stated that the Plan includes the
Urban Growth Centre; the identified intensification areas; and, all of the planning communities /
growth areas that still have some greenfield lands left in Kitchener. He added that the KGMP
is based on the overarching principle in the City's Official Plan, the Ontario Planning Act,
Provincial Policy Statement and Places to Grow Growth Plan that places the utilization of
existing infrastructure and services as a high priority. He noted that the KGMP is re-visited
every two years and accordingly, staff anticipate bringing forward an updated version mid-
2011.
In response to questions, Mr. Sloan advised that Kitchener’s Urban Growth Centre currently
has a density of 131 residents and jobs per ha (RJs/ha), which is the second highest density
for a downtown area in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. He added that there are numerous
additional intensification opportunities, so it is realistic to expect that Kitchener will achieve the
required target of 200 RJs/ha. He stated that in 2007, the City approved a new approach for
suburban development. The Neighbourhood Design Initiative is a tool that provides the basis
for new subdivisions to be designed in a way that is consistent with Places to Grow. He
commented that, compared to the other area municipalities, Kitchener is very well positioned
with respect to the policies and processes it has in place to manage growth.
PLANNING & STRATEGIC INITIATIVES COMMITTEE MINUTES
DECEMBER 13, 2010 - 3 - CITY OF KITCHENER
1.COUNCIL ORIENTATION (CONT’D)
B. KITCHENER GROWTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY (CONT’D)
Councillor J. Gazzola commented that according to the KGMS, citizens have told the City that
doing more on growth management and improving the quality of life in the context of this
potential growth is important for the future, yet when a development proposal comes forward,
there seems to be some opposition from members of the public. Mr. Willmer suggested that
one means of countering this opposition could be to pre-zone lands that have been identified
as being ready for development. He noted that this would allow a developer to purchase a
known entity and would also help to direct growth.
Councillor B. Vrbanovic requested that the five video clips shown during the staff presentation
be posted on the City’s website and that a copy of the staff presentation be circulated to the
Committee.
2.ADJOURNMENT
On motion, the meeting adjourned at 3:26 p.m.
Colin Goodeve
Committee Administrator