Growing Together
We are hosting a series of casual events that explore in a hands-on way how growth and change are happening in our community. During the workshops, we will share information about the amount of growth the province has told us to accommodate within the next 10 years. You will gain a better appreciation of the factors that influence growth and development. You will also learn about the City’s obligations to accommodate for this growth.
Later in the process, you will have opportunity to comment on a draft land use and zoning framework. Your feedback will help inform the distribution of different densities of growth across the broader study area.
We want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to take part. We especially hope to reach people who may not be aware of this project and who may have been excluded from past planning initiatives.
Background
Kitchener is growing, and a lot of that growth is around the ION LRT system.
Intensification around transit is a core fundamental principle of Ontario’s planning framework. It has been since the introduction of the Places to Grow and Greenbelt Acts in 2005. These areas have been identified as Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) by the Region of Waterloo. MTSAs have unique policies at both the provincial and regional level. Growing Together will carry out those policies by updating the City’s Official Plan and Zoning by-law.
Growing Together will create a planning framework for Kitchener’s MTSAs. This will enable and encourage responsible growth for many years to come.
Stay informed
If you would like to get email updates about this project, add your email to the Stay Informed section and click ‘Subscribe’.
An Award Winning Process
Growing Together has won two awards to date;
- A Smart50 Award, an international award honouring the 50 most transformative smart projects of the year. Additionally, at the Smart Cities Connect conference in Denver in May 2023, Growing Together was announced as one of the top-3 projects overall.
- A 2023 Excellence in Municipal Systems award by the Municipal Information Systems Association of Ontario.
Videos
-
This introduction shows how your community is shaped, now and in the future. It gives an overview of the topics covered throughout our video explainer series.
-
Kitchener is growing fast. We’re building vibrant communities, fostering new experiences and creating a more compelling and dynamic city. The vision for land use and growth is set out in our Official Plan, a policy document that lays out the roadmap for how Kitchener will grow 20 years into the future.
-
If you think of city planning as a puzzle for a complete community, you can imagine how many pieces there could be. Zoning bylaws are pieces of that puzzle. If the Official Plan is the finished puzzle, the vision for how the city will grow, zoning bylaws are pieces of the puzzle that get us to the vision. If a property owner wants to change the zoning on their property, they can request a zoning bylaw amendment or a minor variance.
-
Kitchener is growing up. New tall buildings are being built in and around the downtown, near ION stations, along major roads and other strategic areas. These new buildings help us meet our growth targets while protecting our farmland from urban sprawl. It encourages public transit use and efficiently makes use of our existing infrastructure.
Who's Listening
-
Phone 519-741-2345 Email growingtogether@kitchener.ca -
Phone 519-741-2345 Email growingtogether@kitchener.ca -
Phone 519-741-2345 Email growingtogether@kitchener.ca -
Phone 519-741-2345 Email growingtogether@kitchener.ca