Region of Waterloo looking for development partner for Kitchener housing project

The Region of Waterloo is putting out a call to developers for a mixed-income housing project on Highland Rd. W in Kitchener.

The property at 1388 Highland Rd. W is one of four owned by the region that was declared as surplus in 2021 to help develop more affordable homes. It is part of the Building Better Future Initiative, which is meant to help accelerate house building in the region over the next five years.

“We continue to look at every possible mechanism to create homes for everyone in our community,” said Councillor Jim Erb, Chair of the Community and Health Services Committee, in a press release. “Using Regionally-owned lands to increase the number of affordable homes in our community is an important part of our Building Better Futures strategy.”

Through the request-for-proposal process, the chosen developer would help build and design the property. Criteria for the build include having at least 30 per cent of the units be at or below 80 per cent of the CMHC Median Market Rent (MMR). Most recent data from October 2023 found the MMR in Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge was $1,500.

There is also consideration for a third-party childcare provider to lease a space in the new building.

Applications are now open until March 22. Submissions will be reviewed by a committee of regional staff.