Kitchener defers decision on residential towers due to water capacity issue

Councillors on a City of Kitchener committee decided to defer a decision on an enormous residential development on Courtland Avenue until they learn more about the Region of Waterloo’s water capacity issues.

The development and application to amend the zoning at 808 and 836 Courtland Ave. came before Kitchener’s Planning & Strategic Initiatives Committee on Monday.

Zehr Group originally presented its proposal to the city more than two years ago, and spent most of 2025 addressing concerns from CN Rail and Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation as the development sits adjacent to the expressway and its feeder ramps.

Some Kitchener residents have expressed concerns about the development to the city through written letters, including concerns about traffic, parking, the height of the towers, and more.

But it was a letter sent to the municipality from a development officer at the Region of Waterloo that caused any movement or decisions on this development to be deferred to next week.

In December, the region identified a water capacity issue in the Mannheim Service Area, which includes the bulk of Kitchener, Uptown Waterloo and the Preston area of Cambridge.

“As this site falls within the Mannheim Service Area, the region is not in a position to support approval of this application at this time,” said Amanda Kutler, associate director of regional development services, in a letter to City of Kitchener staff.

The region claims that population growth and aging infrastructure have led to the water capacity issue, adding that it will need to be addressed quickly. That work includes a third-party review of the region’s water resources, which is currently underway.

City of Kitchener staff indicated that the region is set to release more information regarding that water capacity issue on Tuesday.

As a decision was deferred, the development and zoning bylaw amendment application will come before City of Kitchener council at their next regular meeting on Jan. 12.

More in politics

Cambridge mayoral candidate steps down, five candidates remain

There are now five options for Cambridge Mayor in the upcoming municipal election as of Friday morning. The clock is ticking down for new candidates to put their names forward, with the last day to…

August 14, 2026 8:17 am EST EST

Ford announces plans to attract AI data centres at Guelph conference

Premier Doug Ford and other Ontario ministers met in Guelph to announce the framework for Ontario’s Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Playbook. The Ontario Government says the framework will attract…

August 13, 2026 3:37 pm EST EST

Well owners, councillors get first look at new well interference policy

Changes are coming to way private well owners can report issues with their wells running dry and voice concerns when it comes to regional groundwater pumping. In April, Regional Council rescinded a…

August 13, 2026 1:40 pm EST EST

Region moves to study data centre impacts, concerns

The Region of Waterloo is taking a deep dive into data centres. Regional Councillors unanimously moved to have a staff report issued on the impacts data centre development could have on the local economy…

August 12, 2026 7:04 am EST EST

Keep it Factual

Add CityNews Kitchener as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.