Kitchener Council Approves Planning Matters and New Official Plan After Lengthy Debate

Kitchener council approved planning matters for the Trustler Holdings subdivision and the 50 Bordon Avenue South development, and adopted a new Official Plan after lengthy debate over housing growth, heritage protections, land-use permissions, parks and trails, institutional lands, and tree canopy targets.

Topics Discussed

1. TRUSTLER HOLDINGS SUBDIVISION AND ZONING CHANGES

Council approved changes tied to the Trustler Holdings project at 2219 Ottawa Street South and 808 Trustler Road in Laurentian West. The site is about 13 hectares and remains approved for 262 to 410 residential units.

Senior planner Andrew Panel said, "The subdivision permits 262 to 410 residential units." Staff described the revisions as minor and said they included updates to townhouse lot widths, porch heights, parking rates for live-work units, and road widening. Staff said the overall unit count, housing mix, wetland preservation, and conservation of the Shaun House were unchanged from the July 2024 Ontario Land Tribunal approval. Staff also reported that 199 households were notified and no community comments were received.

2. 50 BORDON AVENUE SOUTH MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

Council recommended approval for a major development at 50 Bordon Avenue South. Staff said the proposal is for a mixed-use redevelopment with 1,224 dwelling units in 57- and 51-storey towers with commercial and institutional uses at the base.

Senior planner Eric Schneider described it as "the opportunity to facilitate a transit-oriented development creating 1,224 dwelling units in a land-efficient form within a protected major transit station area." Another staff presentation said "the proposal itself is for a mixed use redevelopment with two towers containing, 1224 units with commercial and institutional uses incorporated at the base of the tower. The tower themselves are proposed at 57 and 51 stories respectively."

The site is across from an ION stop and within a protected major transit station area. Staff said the application would be subject to a holding provision to address noise, traffic, water capacity, and servicing issues.

3. NEW OFFICIAL PLAN ADOPTED AFTER DEBATE ON GROWTH AND HERITAGE

Council adopted a new Official Plan intended to guide growth over the next 25 years. Staff said the plan followed broad public consultation. Rosetta Busa Bamante told council, "As you'll hear this evening, over the last two years, we've had thousands of community conversations which have included the First Nations, grade 5 students, high school students, new Canadians, persons with disabilities, racialized groups, seniors, and many other collaborators."

Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said, "This plan charts a course for the next 25 years," while staff said the recommended plan links land-use decisions to housing supply, affordability, climate and jobs.

Much of the debate focused on whether more housing should be allowed across neighbourhoods or concentrated along corridors and nodes. Councillor Stephanie Stretch argued, "when we lock out more housing from some neighborhoods, then a few must handle the rest on their own," adding that she wanted all neighbourhoods to attract "health care workers, ECEEs like me, grocery workers, and more." Resident Christine Michaud said, "I believe that neighborhoods should be as alive as the people who live in them. They should be allowed to change and grow like the rest of the city."

Others argued for tighter limits in established areas. Councillor Jason Deneault said, "That's not a planning argument clearly. That's that's a desire." Resident Debbie Chapman told council, "This is not a question of growth versus no growth. It is a question of compatible growth. Growth and heritage preservation are not mutually exclusive. They can and should coexist."

4. WESTMOUNT HERITAGE AND HEIGHT LIMITS

A large portion of the Official Plan debate focused on Westmount. Councillor Margaret Johnston described the option council ultimately adopted this way: "Westmount is one land use with a three-story height limit in the plan and one CHL. This option would apply the neighborhood growth area city structure element and neighborhoods land use designation to the entirety of the Westmount neighborhood. It would also identify the Westmount neighborhood as a single cultural heritage landscape."

Residents and speakers argued that taller development would permanently alter the area. One resident said, "An unalterable fact is that if you leave West Mount open to taller development now, you absolutely cannot reverse the destruction." Another called Westmount "Canada's first suburb."

Mayor Vrbanovic said the proposal before council sought to protect something important to the city "while also allowing for appropriate changes and development." Council adopted an amendment incorporating Westmount with the policies in Option 2.2.1A.

5. LAND-USE POLICIES: INSTITUTIONAL LANDS, EMPLOYMENT AREAS, PARKS, TRAILS, AND TREE CANOPY

Delegates and councillors also debated several broader policy issues during the Official Plan discussion.

• Institutional lands: Peggy told council, "We cannot afford to forego the affordable housing that is permitted as a secondary use on institutional lands. No other designation is so supportive of affordable housing." Mayor Vrbanovic said staff wanted more time to work with congregations and faith communities on implementation.
• Employment and commercial lands: Several property owners asked council to retain existing permissions. Shirley said she was asking council to approve "staff's alternative option 2.1A... which would maintain the uses that are permitted on the properties but not yet established." Councillor Paul Singh called one related amendment "really a economic development motion."
• Parks and trails: Staff said trail corridors would not automatically count as parkland dedication if they function mainly as active transportation routes. Davey Scott said, "every square meter in a trail corridor would be one square meter less of active park space."
• Tree canopy: Delegates asked for stronger canopy targets. Andrea Sinclair said, "We are respectfully asking and recommending that 6.7A be amended to state the tree canopy coverage will be 30% in each of the neighborhoods by 2050." Christine Stocky said downtown has "a woefully underserved tree canopy of only 6.9%."

Motions

• Draft Plan of Subdivision 30T-22201 / Trustler Holdings / Report DSD 2026204 — Passed
• Zoning By-law Amendment related to Trustler Holdings — Passed
• Official Plan Amendment for 50 Bordon Avenue South (OPA 230004) — Passed
• Official Plan Amendment OPA26-02-CJZ / Report DSD-2020-26-235 adopting the new Official Plan — Passed
• Amendment incorporating Westmount Option 2.2.1A — Passed
• Councillor Davey amendments retaining existing permissions and land uses for specified properties — Passed
• Additional Official Plan-related motions on land-use permissions and implementation matters — Passed
• Staff addendum report on Dundee secondary plan parks and trails matters to return June 29 — Directed for follow-up

Attendees

Councillors listed as present in the meeting materials: - Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor - Dave Schnider - Stephanie Stretch - Jason Deneault - Bil Ioannidis - Ayo Owodunni - Margaret Johnston - Paul Singh - Christine Michaud - Scott Davey - Debbie Chapman

Disclosure: Councillor Paul Singh disclosed pecuniary interests and recused himself from votes regarding the Sterling and Mill Street corridor, Canoe and Franklin nodes, and Belmont and Highland nodes.