City of Kitchener looking at infill development for property on Queen’s Boulevard
Posted Jul 17, 2023 12:14:27 PM.
Last Updated Jul 18, 2023 02:34:20 PM.
A 10-unit block of townhouses could be replacing a single-detached home on Queen’s Boulevard.
A few residents recently participated in a recent virtual neighbourhood meeting regarding the 0.4 acre site at 1154 Queen’s Blvd. According to Senior Planner at the City of Kitchener Eric Schneider, they asked if the new building would have geared-to-income homes. Schneider said they will not, and instead the units will be condominiums rented at market rate.
He also told CityNews that the proposal for the three-storey, 10-unit building is taking advantage of a certain new, controversial piece of provincial legislation.
“Bill 23 exempts site plan control from developments that are 10 units or less,” said Schneider. “It’s interesting to see that with the provincial changes, we are getting what was intended and that is small residential development in infill situations like this.”
Schneider also explained why Kitchener is looking at more infill development.
“Infill development is extremely important in raising our density targets within the city. We know that we can’t meet our growth targets with just suburban development and greenfield development. We know that there is a lot of under-utilized land in the city.”
There was also initial discussion surrounding the amount of parking spots on the property, which led to a reduction of two spots, from 19 to 17. In turn, it creates more green space on the property.
The next step is for the proposal to be voted on by the Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee on Monday, Aug. 14 and if approved, the plans will be looked at by council on Aug. 28. A zoning bylaw amendment is still needed to allow multiple dwelling units on the site.
