Green light given for development on former Schneiders meat plant in Kitchener
There's plenty of optimism surrounding the site of the former Schneiders meat plant in Kitchener.
City council unanimously passed approval for a development Monday night that will see 13 towers, residential units, retail, office, and restaurants go up.
"I really believe it's going to be one of the crown jewels of our city and of that area," said Ward 3 councillor Jason Deneault.
The former plant stood on Courtland Avenue for more than 90 years before moving out of Kitchener in 2015.
Auburn Developments will now build more than 3,300 rental units, with one, two, and three bedroom options.
"This is a win-win from council perspective, from a developer perspective, from staff perspective, and more important a win for our community," said Ward 6 councillor Paul Singh. "Thank you."
The original development proposal included 135 affordable housing units, which would cost 20 per cent less than the market average.
Staff had asked for those numbers to be increased.
The developer propose an additional 10 affordable housing units during the Monday night meeting and says he will build more in the first stage as long as construction can start in July.
The developer also promised to donate $1 million to the Working Centre.
"We go from around 9.5 per cent of our 35,000 unit target by 2031 to 11.5 per cent in just this one project," said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.
The development will be named The Mets after the original owner John Metz Schneider.
The build is expected to cost roughly $1 billion and create hundreds of construction jobs in the coming years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.
A Utah couple accidentally shipped their cat with an Amazon return. A week -- and 3 'miracles' -- later, they were on a plane to meet a stranger
The Amazon returns employee wasn't at work the day one of her colleagues at a California warehouse found a small, furry stowaway in a box mailed six days earlier from Utah. But Brandy Hunter got the call anyway.
Duelling protesters clash at UCLA hours after police clear pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia
Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.