The Bramm Yards is a City-owned parking lot in Downtown Kitchener. At eight acres in size, it is the largest remaining parcel of land the City owns that can be used to support future employment. The site is part of both the Urban Growth Centre and the Innovation District. This makes it a key location for high-density, mixed-use development and major office space.
In 2023-2024, the City developed a vision and guiding development principles for the future of the site based on community input. This formed the foundation of the Bramm Yards Master Plan and ensures that any future development reflects the goals and ambitions of our community.
Following Council’s approval of the Bramm Yards Master Plan, City staff are moving forward with the next steps for the site’s redevelopment. We will complete several pre-design studies, assessing the site’s environmental and technical conditions. We will also assess market conditions to determine the right timing for the land dispossession process and identify any potential limitations. Once ready, we will launch a public request for proposals to find a Master Developer to purchase the site and lead a multi-phase redevelopment based on the approved vision and principles.
Map of Bramm Yards site
The Bramm Yards development site (55 Bramm Street and 130 Park Street) is located in the northwest corner of Downtown Kitchener.
The approved vision in the Bramm Yards Master Plan is to develop a leading-edge, mixed use urban business park that becomes the central gathering point of the growing Innovation District and surrounding neighbourhoods.
The business park would include significant health-innovation focused employment with new and affordable housing, centered around vibrant streetscapes and high-quality public spaces. All built using leading sustainability practices.
The vision and development principles were approved by Council in June 2024. For more information, view the staff report.
Not unlike existing business parks, such as the Homer Watson Business Park, the primary purpose is to see the construction of buildings that house new businesses. However, unlike suburban business parks, an urban business park would contain larger buildings with multiple stories. Buildings would be built close together with wider sidewalks and underground parking. It might contain a mixture of uses, such as restaurants, shops and housing.
As the Canadian population continues to age, health industries are expected to experience significant growth. The Bramm Yards site is ideally situated to attract businesses focused on health innovation in Kitchener.
It is close to:
- University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy
- University of Waterloo’s future Health Innovation Arena
- University of Waterloo’s Velocity Incubator
- MacMaster University’s School of Medicine
- Communitech
It is also not far from:
- Grand River Hospital
- The Medical Innovation Exchange
The original community engagement project was completed in June 2024 and input received guided the vision and development principles for the Bramm Yards Master Plan.
We expect there may be future opportunities to provide input. However, given the significant size, scale and importance of the Bramm Yards site, we do not yet know when these will be.
Staff will integrate additional opportunities for input where possible and appropriate. If you have questions, please reach out to the project team.
Construction has not started. Engineering works occurring on site in 2025-2026 are for the pre-design technical studies. Development and construction will only begin after a successful land disposition process.
