HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Agenda - 2022-06-13 SSpecial Council Meeting
Agenda
Monday, June 13, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Electronic Meeting
Beginning March 1, 2022, the City of Kitchener has aligned with provincial changes to COVID-19
restrictions and City Hall is now open for in person services, but appointments are still being
encouraged. The City remains committed to safety of our patrons and staff and continue to facilitate
electronic meeting participation for members of the public. Those people interested in participating in
this meeting can register to participate electronically by completing the online delegation registration
form at www.kitchener.ca/delegation or via email at delegation Q)kitchener.ca. For those who are
interested in accessing the meeting live -stream video it is available at www.kitchener.ca/watchnow.
Please refer to the delegations section on the agenda below for registration deadlines. Written
comments will be circulated prior to the meeting and will form part of the public record.
*Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you require
assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994.*
Re: Special Council Meeting
Notice is hereby given that Mayor B. Vrbanovic has called a special meeting of City Council to be held
electronically to consider the following:
Pages
1. Commencement
The electronic meeting will begin with a Land Acknowledgement given by the
Mayor.
2. Delegations
Matters included on this agenda have been recessed and reconvened to
meeting this date. Delegations were previously considered Monday May 30,
2022, only those individuals who registered and were not able to provide an oral
submission will be permitted to delegate at this meeting. Any member of the
public interested in providing further comment can provide a written submission
to delegation@kitchener.ca, which will be forwarded to Council and form part of
the public record.
3. In -camera Meeting Authorization
Note: Any member of Council may question the appropriateness of a listed in -
camera item. This may be done during the special Council meeting or at the
beginning of the in -camera session.
Council is asked to enact the following resolution to authorize an in -camera
meeting:
"That an in -camera meeting of City Council be held immediately following
the special council meeting this date to consider one matter of solicitor
client privilege and one land acquisition and disposition matter as
authorized by Sections 239 (2) (c) and (f) of the Municipal Act, 2001
respectively."
3.1. Risk Assessment Micromobility By-law, COR- 15 m
2022-283 (Solicitor Client Privilege — Section
239 (2) (f))
3.2. Potential Agreement and Partnership 15 m
Ecological Land Restoration Doon South -
INS -2022-288 (Land Acquisition or Disposition
— Section 239 (2) (c))
4. Staff Reports
4.1. Regional Official Plan Review Draft Land 60 m 4
Needs Assessment DSD -2022-260 and
Report DSD -2022-291 (Approximately 10:45
a.m.)
Development Services Department Report DSD -2022-160 and
Addendum Report DSD -2022-291 were previously considered at a
Special Council and Council Meeting on May 30, 2022 and referred for
consideration this date.
5. By-laws
5.1. Three Readings
Page 2 of 15
5.1.a. To confirm all actions and proceedings of the Council for June 13,
2022.
6. Adjoumment
Page 3 of 15
Staff Report
J
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Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Special Council
DATE OF MEETING: May 30, 2022
SUBMITTED BY: Rosa Bustamante, Director of Planning, 519-741-2200 ext. 7319
PREPARED BY: Tim Donegani, Senior Planner, 519-741-2200 ext. 7067
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: May 25, 2022
REPORT NO.: DSD -2022-260
SUBJECT: Regional Official Plan Review — Draft Land Needs Assessment
RECOMMENDATION:
That Kitchener's comments on the Region of Waterloo's Draft Land Needs
Assessment be formulated through Council deliberation on Report DSD -2022-260 and
provided to the Region of Waterloo for consideration.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
• The purpose of this report is to summarize the most important implications of the three
growth options presented in the Region of Waterloo's Draft Land Needs Assessment
(LNA) for Kitchener so that Council can provide its comments to the Region. Individual
comments will be recorded as well as any joint positions on matters of interest to
Kitchener Council.
• There are no direct financial implications from this report.
• The Region has been conducting community engagement on their Official Plan Review
since 2019 through a variety of methods. Engagement on the draft LNA commenced in
early April.
• This report supports the delivery of core services.
BACKGROUND:
In 2018 the Region of Waterloo commenced a review of their Official Plan (ROPR) to, among
other things, conform with the Province's A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater
Golden Horseshoe (AP2G), 2020. In March and August of 2021, staff presented aspects of
the ROPR to Kitchener Council. Since that time, the Region has tabled growth options and
a draft Land Needs Assessment (LNA) at Regional Council. This report presents highlights
of the draft LNA and key implications of it for Kitchener. The draft LNA determines the
amount of urban land required to accommodate the Region's forecasted population and
employment growth to 2051 and must follow the prescribed provincial methodology.
The LNA was presented to Regional Council on April 12 2022 via Regional report #PDL -
CPL -11 and was further discussed at an All -Councils meeting on April 29.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
Page 4 of 15
REPORT:
The draft LNA presents three options that vary the amount of residential growth throughout
the built-up area (BUA) (i.e., intensification) and the amount and density of growth in the
designated greenfield area (DGA). All three options plan for a total of 923,000 people and
470,000 jobs across the Region by 2051. This report provides an overview of the growth
options that are currently being considered by the Region as outlined in the draft LNA only.
The Region has indicated that through their ongoing engagement process alternative growth
options are being presented that will be considered by Regional staff as appropriate.
Generally, growth option 1 meets the minimum intensification and Designated Greenfield
Area (DGA) density targets of AP2G, which require a minimum of 50 percent of residential
development occurring within the Built -Up Area (BUA) of the Region annually, and 50
residents and jobs per hectare across the Region's DGA. Planning for the minimum AP2G
targets would see a Regional intensification target below what is being achieved today (57
percent in 2014-2019) and 2,208 hectares of new lands added for urban uses to the DGA.
Through this option 192 hectares of land from the Southwest Kitchener Policy Area would
be added to Kitchener's DGA and the minimum intensification target would be 54 percent,
lower than the Council -adopted targets within Kitchener's Official Plan for the time period
from 2021-2031 (60 percent). This growth option would require planning for growth beyond
the countryside line within Waterloo Region.
Growth option 2 increases the Region -wide DGA target to 60 residents and jobs per
hectare and intensification target to 60 percent. Option 2 sees the need for 376 hectares of
new DGA land across the Region, none of which is currently allocated to Kitchener. Growth
option 2 has an intensification target that is consistent with Kitchener's existing
intensification target for 2026-2031.Growth option 2 is advancing DGA density targets that
would see unplanned DGA lands in Kitchener approaching frequent/very frequent transit
supportive densities.
Growth option 3 maintains the same Regional intensification target of 60 percent but
increases the Region -wide DGA density target to 66 residents and jobs per hectare resulting
in no additional DGA lands needed to 2051 across the Region. Achieving the Region -wide
DGA density target in this option, would require Kitchener's DGA lands to be planned to
achieve an average density of almost 70 residents and jobs per hectare. This DGA density
target for Kitchener may be ambitious for unplanned areas given our current DGA density,
which is approximately 53 residents and jobs per hectare (including built, draft approved and
registered lots) and the amount of low-density housing forecast in Kitchener to 2051.
All three growth options require an additional 456-659 hectares of DGA land for employment
areas, none of which is planned to be allocated to Kitchener. Additionally, the DGA densities
for all three growth options are measured in accordance with requirements in AP2G and
include lands that are already developed, lands that are planned for development, and those
that are unplanned within the existing DGA as well as any new DGA lands proposed in each
option.
Table 1 provides a summary of the factors considered in the draft LNA by growth option and
implications of each for Kitchener. Footnotes provide current comparable figures where
available.
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Table 1: Draft Land Needs Assessment Growth Options: Highlights for Kitchener
LNA factors
Growth Option 1
Growth Option 2
Growth Option 3
Kitchener Population
368,500
410,700
417,500
20511
Kitchener Population
99,400 (+37%)
141,600 (+53%)
148,400 (+55%)
Growth 2021-2051
Kitchener share of
32%
46%
48%
Regional population
Growth 2
Kitchener Low
11,575 (30%)
8,660(16%)
9,490(16%)
Density Housing
Growth (2021-2051) 3
Kitchener Medium
5,820(15%)
14,420 (26%)
15,095 (26%)
Density Housing
Growth (2021-2051)
Kitchener High
21,725 (56%)
32,215 (58%)
32,975 (57%)
Density Housing
Growth (2021-2051)
Kitchener Total
39,120 (100%)
55,295 (100%)
57,560 (100%)
Housing Growth
Kitchener Jobs 20514
167,900-170,700
167,900-170,700
167,900-170,700
Kitchener Job Growth
56,900-59,700
56,900-59,700
56,900-59,700
2021-2051
34%-36%
34%-36%
34%-36%
Region Wide
50%
60%
60%
Intensification Rates
Kitchener
54%
61%
59%
Intensification Rate
2022-2051 6
Region -wide
50
60
66
Designated
residents+jobs/ha
residents+jobs/ha
residents+jobs/ha
Greenfield Area
Density
Kitchener Designated
55
66
69
Greenfield Area
residents+jobs/ha
residents+jobs/ha
residents+jobs/ha
Density'
Region -wide
2,208 ha
376 ha
0 ha
Additional Designated
Greenfield Area
(Community Area)8
' 2021 Kitchener population was 269,100
2 2021 Kitchener share of regional population was 44%
3 2021 Kitchener housing split was 52% low density, 17% medium density and 31 % high density
In 2021, Kitchener had 111,000 jobs. 37% of the regional total
s Regionwide intensification rate for 2014-2019 was 57% according to Regional data
6 2016-2021 intensification was 56% in 2016-2021 and 46% 2011-2016 according to Kitchener data
According to Regional data, built portions of the DGA in Kitchener are built at 60 r+j/ha. Draft approved and
registered vacant lands are 53 r+j/ha
s Regionwide DGA in the existing ROP for Community Area is 3,734 ha
Page 6 of 15
LNA factors
Growth Option 1
Growth Option 2
Growth Option 3
Kitchener Additional
192 ha
0 ha
Oha
Designated
Greenfield Area
(Community Area)9
Region -wide
456-659 ha
456-659 ha
456-659 ha
Additional Designated
Greenfield Area
(Employment Area)10
Kitchener Designated
0 ha
0 ha
0 ha
Greenfield Area
(Employment Area)
Kitchener is planned to receive close to half of the Region's growth under growth
options 2 and 3
Growth options 1, 2, and 3 see Kitchener accommodating 40 percent, 46 percent, and 48
percent of regional population growth to 2051 respectively. Currently Kitchener
accommodates approximately 44 percent of the regional population which is more than the
planned growth for Kitchener under growth option 1.
Under growth options 2 and 3, the forecasted rate of housing growth is 1,845 and 1,920
units per year respectively. This is somewhat higher than the 1,655 average in 2016-2021
and 1,165 in 2011-2016. Much of this growth will occur in high density forms including
stacked townhouses, and apartments, broadly similar to trends of the last eight years.
Continued DGA growth is planned for Kitchener under all scenarios
The City currently has 1,732 hectares of DGA land as defined by the 2006 Growth Plan and
established through the previous ROP review. As of mid -2019, Kitchener's DGA lands
consisted of 598 hectares of developed land, 611 hectares of land that was approved for
development but was unbuilt, and 523 hectares still in the planning stage (e.g. Dundee North
Secondary Plan) according to Regional data. To contribute to the City's DGA density target
of 66 residents and jobs per hectare in growth option 2, development in Kitchener's DGA
lands that currently do not have planning approvals would need to be planned at a minimum
of 87 residents and jobs per hectare on average to compensate for built and approved plans
of less than 66 residents and jobs per hectare since 2006. Lands within the Rosenberg
Secondary Plan area are planned to an average density of 75 residents and jobs per
hectare.
Under all growth options, Kitchener will accommodate significant growth in low density
(single and semi-detached) housing units. A total of 30-46% of the Region's low density
housing growth will be accommodated in Kitchener, more than any other lower -tier
municipality in the Region.
9 Existing Kitchener DGA for community area is 1,732 ha.
70 There are currently 1,072 ha of vacant employment land in the Region. 876 ha of this are in the DGA
Page 7 of 15
Kitchener has a significant number of development applications in progress to
accommodate growth in the short to medium term
Kitchener has a significant number of Official Plan Amendments (OPAs), Zoning By-law
amendments (ZBAs), subdivisions (not yet approved) and site plans (final approval pending)
applications under review. These applications have the potential to provide short- and
medium-term growth of approximately 14,000 high density units, 5,900 low and medium
density units, 10,000 m2 of commercial floor space and 48,500 m2 of industrial floor space.
New DGA lands
The Region is forecast to accommodate significant growth over the next 30 years with
Kitchener seeing close to half of the Region's growth. Kitchener is well positioned to
accommodate growth over the next 30 years, however any growth to be accommodated on
lands that have yet to receive planning approvals and potential new DGA lands, including
those proposed in growth option 1, requires careful planning and management (e.g., staging
or phasing of growth). Careful planning and management will ensure, among other things,
that the growth is fiscally and environmentally sound, can be planned as complete
sustainable communities, and is coordinated with the necessary infrastructure and servicing
to support the growth.
The proposed new DGA lands identified in Kitchener in growth option 1 comprise the
Southwest Kitchener Policy Area (SKPA) that straddles the headwaters of the Cedar and
Blair Creek subwatersheds. The Cedar Creek Subwatershed Study (2019) found that the
SKPA lands recharge the regional aquifer and a small portion directly recharge municipal
wells. Development would involve non -typical, costly, and complex stormwater solutions for
capturing and managing salt -laden runoff prior to discharge or infiltration. The Upper Blair
State of the Watershed Report (2020) found water quality and erosion concerns due to
recent development. Development within the Dundee North Secondary Plan Area and SKPA
will put further pressure on this cold -water stream. A consultant is working on the City's
behalf to determine high-level infrastructure and costs implications of developing within
SKPA.
Next Steps
The Region's timeline for Regional Council approval of an amendment to the ROP to
conform with AP2G is currently as follows:
• May 27 — Deadline for public feedback on the draft LNA
• June 15 —Preferred growth option presented to Regional Council for endorsement and
the release of the draft ROP amendment
• Mid July— Open house and statutory public meeting for the ROP amendment
• August 11 — ROP amendment presented to Regional Council for decision
• Fall 2022 — Drafting of non AP2G-related ROP policies
At this time, staff intend to bring a report to the August Committee of Council on the ROP
amendment.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This report supports the delivery of core services.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Capital Budget — The recommendation has no impact on the Capital Budget.
Page 8 of 15
Operating Budget — The recommendation has no impact on the Operating Budget.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of
the Council / Committee meeting.
The Region has been conducting community engagement on the ROPR since 2019 through
a variety of methods such as online surveys, town halls, information meetings, webinars,
and technical, stakeholder, area municipal, and steering committees. Engagement on the
draft LNA commenced in early April and has included Q and A sessions, an online survey,
a public information meeting, an All -Councils meeting, meetings with the technical,
stakeholder, area municipal and steering committees, and a meeting with the Waterloo
Region Home Builders Association.
PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES:
• DSD -2021-5 Regional Official Plan Review
• DSD -2021-127 Reaional Official Plan Review: Growth Scenarios
• DSD -2021-160 Supplemental Report - Regional Official Plan Review: Growth
Scenarios
REVIEWED BY: Natalie Goss, Manager, Policy and Research
APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager Development Services
Page 9 of 15
Staff Report
l
IKgc.;i' r� R
Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Special Council
DATE OF MEETING: June 8, 2022
SUBMITTED BY: Rosa Bustamante, Director of Planning, 519-741-2200 ext. 7319
PREPARED BY: Tim Donegani, Senior Planner, 519-741-2200 ext. 7067
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: June 3, 2022
REPORT NO.: DSD -2022-291
SUBJECT: Addendum Report to DSD -2022-260: Regional Official Plan Review
Draft Land Needs Assessment
RECOMMENDATION:
For Information.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
• The purpose of this report is to provide additional information regarding the Region's
Official Plan Review Land Needs Assessment (LNA) and a summary of City Council's
comments on growth options from the August 2021, and May 30, 2022 Committee and
Council meetings.
• A report to Regional council outlining a preferred growth approach for the Region is
expected to be published as part of a Regional Council agenda for June 22, and was
not available at the time of drafting this report. On June 8th council could choose to deal
with the motions under consideration and submit them along with any other guiding
principles or choose to defer the discussion to June 20th where there will be an
opportunity to understand the Region's preferred growth approach. No matter which
way Council chooses to proceed staff will allocate time for Kitchener Council to
formulate comments on the preferred growth approach on the 20tH
• This report endeavors to synthesize City Council's August 2021 and May 2022
comments on growth options into priority themes and analyzes the three growth options
outlined in the LNA against these priorities.
• This report supports the delivery of core services.
BACKGROUND:
In 2018, the Region of Waterloo commenced a review of their Official Plan (ROPR) to,
among other things, conform with the Province's A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the
Greater Golden Horseshoe (AP2G), 2020. In March 2021, Council considered report DSD -
2021 -05 and endorsed staff comments on Employment Areas, Major Transit Station Area
Boundaries, new Regional Corridors, Climate Change and Affordable Housing.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
Page 10 of 15
In August 2021, City Council considered reports #DSD -2021-127 and #DSD -2021-160 that
explored growth scenarios similar to the ones outlined in the Region's draft Land Needs
Assessment (LNA) dated April 2022.
On May 30, 2022, City Council considered report DSD -2022-260 that highlighted the key
implications of three growth options for Kitchener and provided Council an opportunity to
comment on the draft LNA that was released on April 11, 2022. Council deferred the matter
to a June 8 Special Council meeting to allow time to receive additional information regarding
a forthcoming Regional staff -recommended growth approach to be considered for
endorsement at Regional Council on June 22. A report to Regional Council outlining a
recommended growth approach for endorsement is now expected to be published on June
15, 2022 and was not available at the time of writing this report.
REPORT
Although the details of a Regional staff -recommended growth approach are not available at
this time, staff understand that it will be rooted in the ROPR vision that "Waterloo Region
will be an inclusive, thriving, and sustainable region of connected urban and rural
communities with global reach, fostering opportunities for current and future generations".
The growth approach will respond to the ROPR themes of Equity; Thriving, Liveable
Communities; and Sustainability. It will further align with the Foundational Priorities of the
ROPR:
• Building equitable, thriving transit -supportive complete communities
• Intensification -first approach to growth management
• Realizing transformational climate action
• Advancing Indigenous relationships and reconciliation
• Continuing to protect water, agricultural, and natural systems
Since the Region is expected to be published as part of a Regional Council agenda on June
15, the updated preferred growth approach is not available for Kitchener Council's feedback.
On June 8th council could choose to deal with the motions under consideration and submit
them along with any other guiding principles or choose to defer the discussion to June 20th
where there will be an opportunity to understand the Region's preferred growth approach.
No matter which way Council chooses to proceed staff will allocate time for Kitchener
Council to formulate comments on the Region's preferred growth approach the 20th
At the Committee and Council meetings in August 2021, City Council highlighted the
following priority themes to be considered by the Region through the growth scenarios:
• Evaluate multiple scenarios through the LNA;
• Hold the countryside line;
• Financial viability of growth;
• Climate considerations; and
• Housing Affordability.
On May 30, 2022, Council's conversations and draft motions centered on the following key
themes:
• Protect farmland and the Countryside Line;
• Lands already identified for urban development should accommodate growth to 2051
(no excess lands);
Page 11 of 15
• Support for a diversity of housing types especially missing middle housing and
affordable housing;
• Support complete, sustainable, and walkable communities;
• Address climate change objectives;
• Ensure that there is sufficient housing supply to address the existing housing deficit
in Kitchener, accommodate forecast growth and assist in addressing housing
affordability challenges;
• Ensure that Kitchener receives its fare share of regional growth; and
• If DGA community area is to be added within the region, Kitchener should receive its
fair share.
Considering the above, staff have endeavoured to synthesize City Council's priorities as
follows:
1. Protect farmland and the Countryside Line — Development should not extend
beyond the Countryside Line where it has been established (this means that
development in SKPA could be established through this process).
2. Ample and diverse housing opportunities - Timely opportunities for low, medium
and high-density housing are all critical to Kitchener's growth and to providing
affordable housing options. A growth approach should plan for a balanced supply of
housing options that includes more missing middle housing, including secondary
suites, stacked townhouses, multiplexes, and low- and mid -rise apartments.
3. Emphasize intensification - Growth in Kitchener should continue to emphasize
intensification. Growth should continue to be directed towards and planned where
there are opportunities for higher order and frequent transit service in order to
facilitate equitable mobility, respond to climate change, and achieve complete
community objectives.
4. Complete and walkable communities - Growth through intensification and in
designated greenfield areas must facilitate complete and walkable communities at
the walkable neighbourhood scale. This should include a full range of housing
options; opportunities to work, shop learns and play.
5. Real climate action - Kitchener has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas
emissions by 80% by 2050. Growth to 2051 must enable and support this goal.
6. Financial sustainability and prosperity - Growth must be planned to continue to
consider the capital, maintenance and lifecycle replacement cost of City infrastructure
to maintain the City's long term financial viability and prosperity. Infrastructure,
environmental and cost implications of any potential new DGA in Kitchener must be
understood prior to lands being added.
7. Community area expansion should be directed towards cities - If it is determined
that urban boundary expansion is required through this ROPR, priority consideration
should be given to locating it within the cities where it can be effectively served by
transit and leverage previous investments and community services. Any allocated
Page 12 of 15
growth to townships should not be predicated on the assumption that City Utilities will
provide servicing capacity for the townships.
How the LNA options address City Council priorities
This report evaluates the options against City Council's priorities to help frame a Council
resolution to inform the Region's decision on a preferred growth approach. Similar and more
detailed analysis is included in reports #DSD -2021-127 and #DSD -2021-160. City Council
does not need to select or decide on a preferred growth approach, as this will be a Regional
Council decision. City Council, through its discussion and potential resolutions, can help
inform Regional Council's decision by providing Kitchener's priorities for future growth. This
will be helpful input as the Region determines a recommended growth approach and
updates to the Regional Official Plan over the next few months.
1. Protect farmland and the Countryside Line — Region -wide, option 1 would
consume the most farmland followed by option 2 and option 3. Option 1 would require
growth outside the Countryside Line. With respect to Kitchener, only option 1
identifies new DGA for Kitchener located within the Southwest Kitchener Policy Area
(SKPA). The majority of lands with the SKPA are designated as Prime Agriculture.
2. Ample and diverse housing opportunities - Region -wide, all scenarios plan for
sufficient housing to accommodate 923,000 people in 2051. Options 2 and 3 would
see Kitchener receive its "fair share of Region growth" at 46% and 48% of the region's
growth respectively. Both scenarios are slightly more than the current 44% share of
Regional population. Option 1 would see Kitchener receive only 32% of regional
growth.
Regarding missing middle housing, staff understand this to include housing types
such as secondary suites, duplexes, multiplexes, stacked townhouses, backyard
homes and low-rise apartments. Missing middle housing emphasizes scale and
heights that are appropriate for predominantly single -detached neighborhoods. In
the LNA, the medium density category includes apartments in duplexes and
townhouses. The high-density category includes stacked townhouses, multiplexes
and low-rise apartments. All three options included similar shares of high-density
housing (56-58%). The housing mix in Options 2 and 3 are similar and provide for
similar amounts of missing middle housing. Option 1 plans for more low density and
less medium density housing than the other options. The higher DGA density target
in option 3 is expected to provide for the most missing middle housing in the DGA.
Secondary units are forecast as a standalone category of approximately 1,400 units
in Kitchener under all three scenarios over the next 30 years which is well below the
5 -year historical average for Kitchener. Should Kitchener's historical trend continue,
it would result in 5,000 secondary units by 2051, without considering the additional
opportunities provided by the new permissions for backyard homes.
3. Emphasize Intensification- Options 2 and 3 similarly plan for 61% and 59% of
residential growth through intensification in Kitchener and best address this priority.
4. Complete and walkable communities - Options 2 and 3 are similar in their ability
to plan for complete and walkable communities. Option 2 would see a slightly greater
Page 13 of 15
share of population within the built-up area close to existing opportunities to work,
shop and learn and play. It would also add more housing diversity to existing
neighbourhoods. Option 3 would see denser greenfield communities that will likely
be more complete in terms of housing mix and ability to support additional non-
residential opportunities and services.
5. Real climate action - Option 2 and 3 would best address climate change. Option 3
would see the highest density in greenfield communities. This density could better
support walkability and would likely be sufficient to support frequent transit service in
areas that have not already received planning approvals. However, it may be
challenging to connect this type of transit service to these locations at the edge of the
City. Option 2, which includes more intensification, could direct more growth to both
existing and planned higher order and frequent transit (e.g. ION LRT, iXpress, and
proposed Ottawa St. Regional Corridor). Innovative energy services such as district
energy benefit from increased density both in the form of intensification or greenfield
density.
6. Financial sustainability and prosperity - The City will need to pay the capital,
maintenance and lifecycle replacement cost of new or upgraded local infrastructure
and services to accommodate growth in all scenarios. They will all result in potential
increases to funding sources such as development charges and the tax base. Option
3 with the highest population allocation for Kitchener will likely yield infrastructure
economies of scale greater than the other two. Option 1 would see the lowest future
population for Kitchener and, unlike options 2 and 3, would require extending
infrastructure into a new urban area. The financial implications of option 1 are the
most concerning and require further study.
7. Community area expansion should be directed towards cities - Growth option 1
would add SKPA lands within the Countryside Line as DGA. Option 2 includes
additional Community Area in Wellesley, Woolwich, Cambridge and North Dumfries,
but not Kitchener. Option 2 does not address this priority. Option 3 does not include
any new DGA Community Area throughout the Region and therefore is consistent
with this priority. If servicing capacity is required in the townships, then there may be
a need to use city infrastructure to support growth in these community areas. It
should not be assumed that growth in the townships can use existing servicing
capacity as this capacity may be required to support local intensification within cities.
Clarity Regarding the Southwest Kitchener Policy Area (SKPA)
The existing ROP includes a Protected Countryside Line (which does not change) and a
Countryside Line which has the potential for future adjustments through future ROP
Reviews. The existing ROP did not determine the location of the Countryside Line in the
SKPA. A settlement between landowners and the Region set two groundwater -related tests
to be cleared in order for lands to be included within the Countryside Line through the next
(now current) ROPR. Inclusion of any SKPA lands within the Countryside Line does not
necessarily mean the lands will become DGA lands for future development. It would,
however, allow these lands to be considered as potential candidate DGA to be evaluated
for their suitability for development alongside others candidate areas inside the Countryside
line should additional DGA land be deemed necessary by the LNA process.
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Staff understand that some landowners (including Activa and Gambian) have received
written confirmation from the Region that their lands have satisfied the two groundwater
related tests. Other landowner requests are under review.
If lands that are within SKPA and within the Countryside Line are not identified as required
community area (i.e. additional DGA needed) through this ROPR, those lands could be
considered again through the next ROPR.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This report supports the delivery of core services.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Capital Budget — The recommendation has no impact on the Capital Budget.
Operating Budget — The recommendation has no impact on the Operating Budget.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of
the council / committee meeting.
PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES:
• DSD -2021-5 Regional Official Plan Review
• DSD -2021-127 Regional Official Plan Review: Growth Scenarios
• DSD -2021-160 Supplemental Report - Regional Official Plan Review: Growth
Scenarios
• DSD -2022-260 Regional Official Plan Review Draft Land Needs Assessment
REVIEWED BY: Natalie Goss, Manager, Policy and Research
APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager Development Services
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