Enable redevelopment of Places of Worship for housing
The City of Waterloo’s Planning Division is initiating an amendment to the City’s Zoning By-law 2018-050. Through this City-led zoning by-law amendment, fourteen (14) Places of Worship are proposed to be rezoned from Residential One (R1) or Residential Four (R4) to Residential Mixed Use - 20 to permit multi-unit residential buildings such as six storey apartment buildings and stacked townhouses.
Freestanding places of worship will continue to be permitted on these properties. This Zoning By-law Amendment will provide flexibility in how land is used.
This amendment is a part of the Housing Accelerator Fund Initiative 9.
Locally, there have been a number of places of worship that have undergone redevelopment of their lands (in part or in whole) to renew aging worship spaces and create new housing and community spaces. Some projects have redesigned existing buildings, used parking areas or resulted in newly constructed places of worship in conjunction with new housing.
The amendment also seeks to authorize additional community uses within places of worship which will enable "third spaces" to co-locate on the lands if desired. Third spaces are informal, accessible community gathering spots distinct from home ("first place") and work ("second place"). Third spaces may help congregations diversify their sources of income while maintaining worship and community activities.
The properties under consideration for the amendment include:
| Place of Worship name | Address | Current zoning | Current Official Planning designation | Size of property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messiah Lutheran Church | 700 Glen Forrest Blvd. | R1 | Low Rise Residential | 0.57 Ha, 1.4 acres |
| Trinity Evangelical Missionary Church | 330 Conservation Dr. | R4 | Low Rise Residential | 1.54 Ha, 3.81 acres |
| Church Of The Holy Saviour | 33 Allen St. E. | R4 | Low Rise Residential | 0.41 Ha, 1.01 acres |
| Our Lady Of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church | 173 Lourdes St. | R1 | Low Rise Residential | 0.35 Ha, 0.87 acres |
| First Baptist Church | 306 Erb St. W. | R1 | Low Rise Residential | 2.36 Ha, 5.82 acres |
| St. Louis Roman Catholic Church | 53 Allen St. E. | R4 | Low Rise Residential | 0.97 Ha, 2.39 acres |
| St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church | 75 Bluevale St. N. | R1 | Low Rise Residential | 1.13 Ha, 2.8 acres |
| Waterloo Christian Reformed Church | 209 Bearinger Rd. | R1 | Low Rise Residential | 0.92 Ha, 2.28 acres |
| Verity Community Church | 289 Lincoln Rd. | R1 | Low Rise Residential | 0.72 Ha, 1.79 acres |
| Church Of God (German) | 170 Middlebury Dr. | R4 | Low Rise Residential | 1.61 Ha, 3.98 acres |
| Parkminster United Church | 275 Erb St. E. | R1 | Medium Rise Residential | 1.14 Ha, 2.81 acres |
| Mount Zion Lutheran Church | 29 Westmount Rd. S. | R1 | Medium Rise Residential | 0.9 Ha, 2.22 acres |
| Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church | 245 Lexington Rd. | R4 | Medium Rise Residential | 1.08 Ha, 2.66 acres |
| Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church | 15 George St. | R9 | Medium Rise Residential | 0.45 Ha, 1.1 acres |
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