Demolition set for Waterloo church, neighbourhood asking what’s next
Posted Jan 27, 2026 07:28:02 AM.
Last Updated Jan 27, 2026 11:23:58 AM.
After almost a year of discussions around the future of Waterloo’s St. Columba Church, city councillors have now officially slated the property for demolition.
It comes after plenty of pushback and debate centred around the future of the site, regarding the possible demolition, a rejected community arts hub, and what could end up taking its place.
It’s the latter where local delegates continue to raise concerns, voicing their opinions to Waterloo city councillors.
Those voices shared similar messages, mainly tied to what the city had in mind when it comes to potential affordable options for the location at 250 Lincoln Rd.
Last April, the city purchased the property with the intention of using the site for affordable housing, but there is still no set developer or project slated for the property.
“I urge council to reject any amendments that move this property away from low-density zoning,” said John Beresford, a local delegate. “Instead, I think we should focus on gentle density.”
Beresford, along with other delegates, said the direction for councillors should be to reword and refocus council to look for detached and semi-detached housing options, citing possible traffic congestion and overall safety concerns that could arise with potential townhouses or condominiums.
Wendy Ridgeway, another delegate who lives in the community, said the current report and motion leave the door open for those larger options, saying that council needs to do something to limit that potential.
“If this report proceeds unchanged, two outcomes are certain,” said Wendy Ridgeway, who lives in the community. “First, council will have missed an opportunity to rebuild community trust that was lost. Second, there will be increased safety risks for children accessing Lincoln Heights School on Quickfall Drive.”
Ridgeway continued to say that the demand for townhouses and condominiums has begun to decline, citing numbers from the Waterloo Region Association of Realtors showing demand for townhouses in particular has dropped to 40 per cent since December of 2024.
While those delegates spoke out against any potential for townhouse or condominium developments, city staff said that the overall needs for affordable housing options outweigh those wants coming from the local neighbourhood.
“We are going to be taking into consideration the feedback we hear from people beyond the immediate neighbourhood who may be looking to downsize or looking to find affordable housing,” said Michelle Lee, Deputy Commissioner of Innovation and Strategy with the city. “We do have an obligation as a city to consider the input from all members of the community and also to think about future members of the community.”
Councillors continued with some of those same sentiments, including Ward 2 Councillor Royce Bodaly, who said that detached options in particular are just not suitable for the city’s vision when it comes to affordable housing.
“Building affordable housing isn’t going to be, you know, three fully detached McMansions,” said Bodaly. “That’s not what this is going to be. That won’t be affordable. That’s not what we’re intending to do at this site.”
As of now, there is no fixed developer or project for the site, so there’s no set plan on what those future units could look like. The city said it will become green space until that decision is made.
Council ultimately came to a unanimous approval, with demolition now set for St. Columba Church later this coming spring.
The city now said that the next steps include a planning review and public meeting later in March, with staff also in the early stages of a Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) for the future affordable housing development.
The demolition is currently expected in March or April, with a meeting to decide on the development option set for June later this year.
