New twin-tower, 34-storey project could soon neighbour Waterloo Park
Posted Feb 10, 2026 07:10:40 AM.
Last Updated Feb 10, 2026 10:47:17 AM.
Waterloo Park may soon welcome a twin-tower: a 34-storey high-rise as its neighbour.
Plans introduced to Waterloo City Council, show an early draft of the development, located at 87-95 Seagram Dr. It was brought to councillors and includes a 7-storey podium, with two 27-storey high-rise towers on top.
It would add 522 units of housing to the city, totalling 1,074 beds consisting of one, two, three, and four bedroom units, with around 4 per cent pegged as affordable housing options.
While the project would see hundreds of units of housing, it currently has just 76 structured parking spaces in its plans, along with 560 total bike parking spaces.
One of the main concerns raised by councillors was around the potential for shade over the nearby portions of Waterloo Park and, specifically, Wilfrid Laurier University’s football field. Council wasn’t alone in those concerns.
“Because of our neighbourhood’s very close working relationship with Laurier, I immediately wondered about these two new towers and how the two new towers in the stadium will get along,” said Kay Algea, who lives in the city. “Although it’s domed in the winter, I believe it’ll still be open in the summer.”
The developer stated that, “regardless of a seven-storey building versus the proposed building, the adjacent properties would have the same shadow impacts exceeding the intervals, simply due to shadows produced by a podium or seven-storey design.”
With it still in the early stages, Algea also introduced other aspects of the location near Waterloo Park that the developer would need to keep in mind, namely the noise that can stem from the football games nearby.
“The football broadcast got so noisy that it was interrupting small children trying to take their afternoon nap, so we worked for a long time with Laurier about that, and we now have a really excellent working relationship with very few problems,” Algea stated. “I wonder if you have considered the impact of the noise from the stadium on your residence.”
One of the other concerns raised by councillors included the potential for a wind tunnel to be created at times between the two towers, with the developer saying that a wind study will be completed at a design level.
Before the project could move forward, a site-specific zoning amendment would need to be made to the city’s bylaws, allowing for the building to reach the height of 34 storeys.
As the project is still a ways away from being set in stone, with no decisions or approvals made by council during the meeting, Algea also took the time to introduce a few ideas that the developers could look to integrate.
Those ranged from rain collection and environmental initiatives to a possible refuge area that could be a benefit for the local community.
“Given the extreme likelihood of extreme weather events in our near future, I hope there will be a refuge area in this development,” said Algea. “A place where residents can gather to stay warm or cool, charge their cell phones, use the internet, et cetera, for at least 72 hours.”
As the project still needs a site-specific zoning amendment and other approvals before continuing, there’s no current timeline for when the development could be completed.
Further details are set to be brought back to council at a later date.
