HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil - 2011-03-07 SSPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
MARCH 7, 2011 CITY OF KITCHENER
A special meeting of City Council was held at 3:34 p.m. this date, chaired by Acting Mayor Z. Janecki
with all members present except Mayor C. Zehr and Councillor D. Glenn-Graham.
Notice of this meeting had been previously given to all members of Council by the City Clerk pursuant
to Chapter 25 (Council Procedure) of the Municipal Code.
It was noted that this portion of the special meeting was a strategic planning session which was being
held to allow discussion on various strategic initiatives and directions being taken by the City.
Council considered background information on the City of Kitchener Official Plan Review, dated
March 4, 2011. Members of the Official Plan Review Project Team, led by Mr. B. Sloan, Manager of
Long Range and Policy Planning, gave a presentation updating Council on the progress of the
Review and requested feedback /comments on the following questions:
1. How do you see Kitchener changing over the next 20 years?
2. What principles should guide the City's future development?
3. What additional directions for land use should staff consider in the new Official Plan?
4. What additional methods could staff utilize to further engage the community and
stakeholders on the Official Plan?
In response to questions, Mr. Sloan advised that much has occurred over the past 15 years that
requires the City to review and update its Official Plan. He added that there has been considerable
growth and changes in the planning landscape with respect to policy direction as well as the need to
comply with new legislation both at the Provincial and Regional level. He commented that although
the Official Plan is concerned mainly with land use and physical development of the City, the
underlying consideration in its formulation is the need to balance the social, economic, and
environmental interests of the community. He stated that the current Plan contains many policies that
will be modified and incorporated into the new document, along with policies prescribed by the new
Region of Waterloo Official Plan. He noted that Regional Council is the approval authority for the
City's Official Plan.
A discussion occurred concerning the preferred timing of the statutory public meeting for Council's
consideration of Kitchener's new Official Plan. Ms. S. Longstaff, Policy Analyst, stated that June 20,
2011 has been tentatively earmarked for that meeting. She acknowledged that typically the June
Standing Committee date is one of the busiest meeting days of the year and suggested that an
alternative stand alone date could be selected.
Councillor B. Vrbanovic questioned what the potential risks were if the Official Plan was not
considered in June 2011. Mr. A. Pinard, Director of Planning, advised that the P/aces to Grow Act,
2005 required municipalities within the Greater Golden Horseshoe Growth Plan Area to amend their
Official Plans to conform with the Provincial Growth Plan by June 2009; however, local area
municipalities are dependent upon completion of the Regional Official Plan in order to complete their
municipal Official Plans. He stated that the Region did not adopt its new Official Plan until June 2009;
accordingly, the City sought and received an extension for Official Plan conformity from the Ontario
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which expires in June 2011. He noted that several
outstanding issues have delayed the finalization of the Region's Official Plan; and therefore it is
unlikely that the Region would be in a position to approve the City's new Official Plan by June 2011.
He added that from a resource allocation stand point, it would be staff's preference to have this
brought forward in June; however, this remains dependant upon the progress made by the Region on
their Official Plan.
Several members spoke to the breadth and scope of the Official Plan and the difficulty of engaging
the public during the summer months. Accordingly, staff was directed to investigate the possibility of
holding the stand alone statutory public meeting in May or alternatively September 2011.
The following comments and suggestions were put forward by members regarding principles to guide
future development and land use directions for inclusion in the new Official Plan:
• Incorporate more grid patterns into neighbourhood designs, as a means of easing traffic
congestion.
• Provide more interconnectivity of community trails to enable people to travel between
neighbourhoods without having to use roads.
• Increase the City's green space inventory.
• Establish neighbourhood courtyards /piazzas to provide a communal gathering area.
SPECIAL COUNCIL MINUTES
MARCH 7, 2011 - 47- CITY OF KITCHENER
• Continue to pursue a philosophy of complete communities that are pedestrian friendly.
• Implement a park network along the Grand River corridor, as outlined in the Parks Master
Plan.
• Increase Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) residential development.
• Examine the potential for district energy systems.
• Encourage continued growth in Downtown Kitchener.
• Close King Street to traffic on weekends to promote pedestrian use.
• Adaptively re-use the back-streets and laneways in the Downtown as restaurants or arts
clusters.
Responding to Question 4, the following suggestions were put forward as to how staff could further
engage the community and stakeholders:
• Present the Official Plan at places where people naturally congregate, such as community
centres, pools and arenas.
• Solicit input from homeowners whose neighbourhoods were designed based on the principles
of the old Official Plan, to better understand what worked well and what needs to be changed.
Moved by Councillor K. Galloway
Seconded by Councillor P. Singh
"That an in-camera meeting be held this date to consider two labour relations matters and a
land acquisition /disposition matter."
Carried.
On motion, the meeting adjourned at 4:44 p.m.
MAYOR CLERK