Plans to develop near Huron Natural Area pass committee, face backlash from residents
Posted Oct 29, 2025 11:15:04 AM.
Last Updated Nov 12, 2025 06:05:23 AM.
Plans to subdivide and build an industrial business park next door to the Huron Natural Area passed another hurdle at a City of Kitchener committee this week, but the move has been met with significant backlash from the community.
A proposal from the owner of the lot on Strasbourg Road was brought before the City of Kitchener Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee on Monday, and a room full of delegates lined up to share their opinions before councillors went to a vote.
An online petition has circulated in the community, with 4,300 signatures as of Monday, looking to advocate for and protect the plants and wildlife that reside within the Huron Natural Area.
“Please ask the City of Kitchener to stop the spread of industrial, residential, and commercial development encroaching on the East, West, and South sides of Huron Natural Area by signing our petition,” reads the petition on change.org.
The developers are looking to subdivide the lot so that it can turn it into a business park, creating roads, roundabouts, and a setback to make space between the park and the natural area.
“Ever since I learned that this development may be happening, when I go to Huron, I am filled with grief,” said Karly Rath, a delegate at Monday’s meeting, through tears. “I look around me and I quietly say goodbye to all it currently is. But, as I look out across the water amidst my grief, I really try to hold out hope.”
The land was purchased from the City of Kitchener in 2022, entering into an agreement that any development on that land would include a trail connecting Strasbourg Road to the natural area, and that they would not build any of the following on it: a transportation depot, a truck transport terminal. a warehouse, a wholesale, or a service and storage of motor vehicles.
However, the land is zoned industrial, and besides having to go through council and committee to subdivide the land, the owners and developers could simply apply for a building permit to proceed with development as a single lot.
“We depend on the City of Kitchener to make decisions that preserve our environment and health, not just pave the way for developers to make money,” said Chantal Stieler, a delegate at Monday’s meeting.
The Huron Natural Area spans more than 250 acres of protected wetland and forest, housing countless species of plants and animals, and has historical connections to Indigenous Peoples.
The issue passed the committee on Monday and will appear before City of Kitchener Council for a final decision in November.
