Supportive housing key in decision to demolish buildings near St. Andrew’s Church
Posted Aug 27, 2025 07:39:59 AM.
Last Updated Aug 27, 2025 11:56:50 AM.
A decision between heritage and housing by Kitchener City Council, will see the conditional demolition of two buildings in the heart of the downtown core, neighbouring St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.
The buildings are located at 11 Roy St. and 68 Queen St. N. in Kitchener, both adjacent to St. Andrew’s Church.
The main contention and reasoning for the needed approval from city council comes due to the need for heritage permits before any demolitions could be done, with the two buildings containing historically significant elements in the facades.
It introduced challenges, mainly centred around the focus on heritage and history versus affordable, supportive housing.
“There’s not a technical assessment that I can do,” stated Dan Currie with MHBC Planning. “There’s no criteria laid out in the Heritage Conservation District Plan that says these are the criteria you must go by. It’s going to be a decision of council as to whether the proposed development meets other city policies or not.”
Multiple delegates appeared to speak during the council meeting, with some pointing to their hope and interest in sustaining the historic elements of the buildings, but many spoke to the increased need for supportive options in the city, in particular. Something the new development would create.
“There are hundreds approved for this type of housing,” said Judy Hight, a parent in the city whose son needs supportive housing options. “However, spots are not available until someone moves or passes away. Even a caregiver’s sudden death doesn’t change that reality.”
One delegate spoke, pointing to one of the largest supporters in the push for the new development, being St. Andrew’s Church itself.
“It’s been really wonderful to see how St. Andrew’s is taking steps already to address those issues before the first shovel even hits the ground,” said Lisa Reitzel with Elmira District Community Living. “They are invested in building a successful housing model.”
Multiple options are on the table for what the potential supportive, affordable units could be, most of which are centred around a six-storey apartment complex. Many of those options focus on the orientation and location in relation to St. Andrew’s.
The approval from council does come with some conditions, namely that it meets multiple aspects under the Ontario Heritage Act. Council said it hopes aspects of the façade of the two buildings can be incorporated into the new project.
Councillors discussed during the meeting about the potential to incorporate larger aspects from the two, but council instead pushed that, due to the increased risks of complications, it instead pushed for portions of the buildings to be integrated instead.
With the approval now made by council, the project can now continue to move forward, but no concrete look at what the new development will look like will be seen until building permits are submitted and approved at a later date.
