Plans for the region’s tallest tower in development

Plans for a 44 storey tall condo with 532 units are in development and this will be the region's tallest tower.

It will be at a currently empty parking lot at the corner of Francis Street South and Charles Street West in downtown Kitchener.

The plans also include improvements to the nearby green space at Francis Green park.

385 one-bedroom, 142 two-bedroom, and five three-bedroom units are being proposed.

“When you allow more density over time, those buildings are more likely to have affordable units,” said Martin Ansling, co-founder of Waterloo Region Yes in My Backyard, a group that advocates for “allowing more types of housing” in the region.

While appearing on the Mike Farwell Show on CityNews 570 on Friday, he said he understands that some people are against tall buildings.

“I would really encourage them to place that emphasis on meeting that demand in other areas. That means that are much more low-rise need to be up-zoned to simply allow for more housing to be built,” he said. 

Asling said residents should consider the demand for more housing in the region.

“If you really want to limit the amount of traffic and the underlying car dependence, what you really want to do is have dense and therefore, more walkable communities, where you're less dependent on cars. You're more able to use transit,” he said.

Asling also asked people to think of the condo development as 532 more places for people to live. 

“When you allow more density, especially over time, those buildings are more likely to have affordable units,” he said.

He explained that having more supply of housing contributes to reducing competition for homes that drive costs up.

The developer behind the project will also donate $300,000 to St. Peter's Lutheran Church affordable housing project, as part of an agreement with the municipality to offer community benefits in exchange for being able to increase the size of the building.