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Home My WebLink AboutDSD-2026-003 - Kitchener's Great Places Awards 2025 Program UpdateStaff Report J IKgc.;i' r� R Development Services Department www.kitchener.ca REPORT TO: Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee DATE OF MEETING: January 5, 2026 SUBMITTED BY: Rosa Bustamante, Director, Planning and Housing Policy, 519-783-8929 PREPARED BY: Tanya Roberts, Project Manager, Planning, 519-783-8945 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All Wards DATE OF REPORT: November 20, 2025 REPORT NO.: DSD -2026-003 SUBJECT: Kitchener's Great Places Awards 2025 Program Update RECOMMENDATION: For Information. REPORT HIGHLIGHTS: • The purpose of this report is to provide a recap of the 2025 Kitchener Great Places Awards program to recognize winning projects and volunteer jury panelists. • The key finding of this report is acknowledging the 14 awards given to 11 exceptional projects that have shaped the community since the last awards were hosted in 2023. • There are no financial implications associated with this report. The Awards program is funded through the Capital Budget. • Community engagement for this report included the posting of the report on the City's website. • This report supports the delivery of core services. BACKGROUND: Kitchener's Great Places Awards program recognizes outstanding development projects that demonstrate a commitment to design excellence and innovation in the areas of urban design, sustainability, affordable housing and heritage conservation and contribute to a built environment that enhances our quality of life. The awards program began in 1988 when Council endorsed the idea of presenting Urban Design Awards to development projects that demonstrate outstanding design. In 1997, the Mike Wagner Heritage Awards were established to pay tribute to property owners and businesses who had contributed to the conservation of cultural heritage resources. Since 2011, the Urban Design Awards and Mike Wagner Awards have been celebrated in a joint ceremony. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. Page 179 of 183 In 2015, with the adoption of the City's Official Plan, the program was expanded to recognize a broader range of categories to become the current Great Places Awards. In 2025, a new award category, the Affordable Housing Solutions Award was added to reflect our focus on housing and particularly affordable housing. This award highlights and celebrates projects that incorporate affordable housing. Sharing the story of their success can encourage others to leverage the City's incentives while exploring innovative models, programs, and partnerships to create more affordable housing in our community. REPORT: This report provides an overview of the 2025 Great Places Awards program, including program updates and key outcomes. Many new projects have shaped the community since the last time these awards were hosted in 2023. Looking back at the previous nominees and winners of these awards demonstrates how many great spaces were created that are still enjoyed today. Reflecting on the collective effort of making a better city for the future and how the City of Kitchener works in collaboration with the development industry to get homes built faster. This is signaled by the fact that collectively we've worked to meet and exceed the Province's Building Faster Fund targets. All of this was achieved while continuing to advance housing for all in the community. Jury Panels With external jury panelists selected from an open call for jury panelists in March of 2025, we would like to thank the professionals who volunteered their time to critically evaluate nominated projects to select winners, as summarized in Table 1. Table 1: 2025 Jury Panelists (External & Internal) Name Background/Expertise Urban Design Excellence Awards — High-rise, Civic categories Dayna Edwards Lecturer, University of Waterloo and Partner, Q9 Planning + Design Angel Bancale Landscape Planner, Dillon Consulting Rosa Bustamante Director, Planning and Housing Policy Paul Singh I Councillor Urban Design Excellence Awards — Placemaking, Low-rise categories Debbie Chapman Councillor Rosa Bustamante Director, Planning and Housing Policy Samantha Leger PhD Candidate and Lecturer at University of Waterloo Sifei Mo Project Lead, Fabrik Architects Page 180 of 183 Mike & Pat Wagner Heritage Award Jean Haalboom Chair, Heritage Kitchener Susan Tienhaara Quality Manager, Govan Brown Garett Stevenson Director, Development and Housing Approvals Sustainable Kitchener & Affordable Housing Solutions Award Natalie Goss Manager, Policy & Research Anna Hohenadel Representative from Climate Change and Environment Committee. Mariam Lawani Founder/CEO Greenhill Recycling Martina Braunstein Team Manager, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, Dillon Consulting Matthew Day Executive Director, WR Community Energy Alison Carlyle Project Manager, Active Transportation Susan Tienhaara Quality Manager, Govan Brown Rosa Bustamante Director, Planning and Housing Policy Schmalz Award for Design Leadership Rodney Gill Representative from Compass Kitchener Oliver Fra ne Doctoral Student, University of Waterloo Cory Bluhm Executive Director, Economic Development Justin Readman General Manager, Development Services Berry Vrbanovic Mayor 2025 Great Places Awards Ceremony The awards ceremony took place on Wednesday October 29, 2025, with attendees including community members, nominated project representatives, development industry, jury panelists, members of Council, and staff. Joined by several members of Kitchener City Council, Mayor Berry Vrbanovic kicked off the event, which named 14 winners across a variety of categories. Several members of Council presented awards. The event was held at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts. To further enhance the event, the award ceremony featured local artists 'The Michael Wood Trio' and keynote speaker Leia Minaker, the inaugural Director of the Future Cities Institute founded by Caivan at the University of Waterloo, and an Associate Professor in the School of Planning in the Faculty of Environment. Minaker's keynote, `What matters: getting the future Kitchener we want' discussed the trade-offs we need to accept and the trust that we need to build for a successful future city that is focused on outcomes rather than process. 2025 Winning Protects The following is the list of award-winning projects by category: Page 181 of 183 Urban Design Excellence Awards • Low -Rise: 26 King Street East — Narrow Building • High Rise: 55 Duke Street West - Young Condos • Civic: 1 Wilson Ave - Montgomery Creek Restoration Placemaking Award • Winner #1: 27 Roy Street — Holly's Cafe • Winner #2: 193 Roxborough Avenue - Admiral Park Winter Lights Sustainable Kitchener Award • Winner #1: 66 Weber Street East - Civic 66 • Winner #2: 100 Rosenberg Way - Southwest Community Library Affordable Housing Solutions Award • Winner #1: 825 King Street West - St. Mark's Place • Winner #2: 292 Sheldon Ave N - Thresholds Homes and Supports Mike and Pat Wagner Heritage Awards • Preservation / Restoration: Winner #1 — 171 Frederick Street - Suddaby Public School • Preservation / Restoration: Winner #2 — 73 Queen Street N - Governor's House Porch Restoration • Rehabilitation / Adaptive Re -Use: 825 King Street West - St. Mark's Place People's Choice Award • 27 Roy Street — Holly's Cafe Schmalz Award for Design Leadership • 825 King Street West - St. Mark's Place Congratulations to all the winners of Kitchener's 2025 Great Places Awards. For more information about the awards program and to view a video of the award-winning projects, visit www.kitchener.ca/areatr)laces FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Capital Budget — This event is funded through the Capital Budget. Operating Budget — There are no financial implications to the Operating Budget. Page 182 of 183 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: CSD — 15-083 Urban Design Awards Program Update DSD -2025-067: Kitchener's Great Places Awards 2025 Program Update APPROVED BY: Justin Readman, General Manager, Development Services ATTACHMENTS: N/A Page 183 of 183