Regional council approves land purchase as part of downtown transit hub development plan

It appears as though the planned development of a regional transit hub in downtown Kitchener took another step forward Tuesday.

At a special meeting, regional council approved the $19.75M purchase of a property at Duke and Victoria Streets.

But the property comes with some issues.

A plaza occupies one-half of the land. The businesses that currently occupy the plaza will need to be fairly accommodated.

“Regional staff will be reaching out to the various businesses there,” said Regional Councillor and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “The economic development team and the region will support those businesses in relocating when the time comes.”

Vrbanovic also said there remains time to have those conversations because development isn’t imminent.

The other key issue is a homeless encampment occupying the other half of the property.

Back in 2020, the region tried to get a court injunction to evict those living on the land. It was rejected on the grounds that there was not enough shelter space in the region to accommodate those being displaced.

“Obviously, the region is continuing to work with community partners in terms of the residents still located at that location,” said Vrbanovic, when asked about the region’s plans.

He added council will continue to press the provincial and federal governments for more funding to address the homeless issue.