Kitchener approves 'transformative' new policies for growth around LRT stations

The Kitchener skyline appears in a file photo. (CTV Kitchener)

Kitchener is introducing new rules to guide development around major transit stations and mandate the inclusion of affordable housing units in some new builds.

At Monday night’s meeting, council approved a new planning framework that removes density and parking requirements around LRT stations from Grand River Hospital to Mill, among other measures.

“We think this is the most permissive and flexible zoning bylaw in Canada,” Adam Clark, senior urban designer for the City of Kitchener, said Tuesday.

“It really is a transformative project… the idea is that Growing Together really enables that full spectrum of housing, from single-detached, all the way through to high-rise residential apartments and everything in between. So if you want to live in one of Kitchener’s major transit station areas, there’s an option for you, no matter what your needs are.”

A map shows areas covered by the Growing Together plan. (Submitted/City of Kitchener)

The city estimates the new planning framework will enable the creation of 100,000 new homes, including 20,000 units in low and mid-rise apartment buildings, sometimes called the “missing middle.”

Inclusionary zoning bylaw

Also on Monday night, council approved an inclusionary zoning bylaw, which by 2031, will require developments with more than 50 units near an LRT station to make five per cent of them affordable.

“We know it’s not a silver bullet. It doesn’t solve the housing crisis… but it’s one tool in the toolbox,” Clark explained.

The city plans to gradually scale up to the five per cent requirement. In 2025, inclusionary zoning will only apply to “prime” areas including neighbourhoods around Victoria Park, Kitchener City Hall, Queen, Federick and Central stations, and developers will be required to include only two per cent affordable units.

Maximum rents for the affordable units would range from $1,075 to $1,631, based on 2022 rates.