Councillors look for traffic solutions with development proposed by busy roundabout
Posted Aug 11, 2026 09:33:22 AM.
Last Updated Aug 11, 2026 03:21:28 PM.
It’s been in the works since November 2021, and will have to wait a little longer before any potential approvals are greenlit.
A condominium development boasting 113 homes at Stanley Avenue and Schweitzer Street near Bridge Street East and Bloomingdale Road North is raising concerns in a Kitchener neighbourhood.
The primary issues centre around congestion, increased foot traffic at a historic cemetery and housing density.
When it comes to traffic, two neighbours spoke to city councillors Monday night about worries if the project was approved, emergency vehicles wouldn’t be able to efficiently navigate the area, especially when it comes to getting through an already busy roundabout at Bridge Street West and Lancaster Street West.
Councillor Scott Davey agreed, saying more information from the region is needed to address that, with the area involving regionally-owned roadways.
“I’m hoping staff can engage with the region, look at the totality of development including the hundreds of units that are going at some point at the top of the hill where the Tim Hortons is and then getting back with a comprehensive plan on what’s going to happen,” said Davey.
“Because I do tend to agree with the fear that if there is gridlock for, you know, two hours a day at peak times and there is an emergency situation, it is a long drive around and that’s something we need to be on top of.”
The motion was deferred until the next council meeting to give staff time to work with the region on getting those answers.
Mary Lou Schaefer was one of the neighbours opposed to the development. She said in her presentation to councillors Monday that although a pathway to a historic cemetery had been removed from the plan, there was still concern the city could add one in later.
She stressed the high density of the proposed plans would significantly impact the currently quiet neighbourhood that features the heritage designated Free Church built in 1848, located in the Bridgeport Cemetery.
“Turning it in to a playground where there’s dogs urinating on somebody’s final resting place, where there’s children laughing and playing, tripping over, knocking down old stones. Those are all concerns when you’ve got a cemetery that is that old and that sacred.”
Schaefer was also concerned about the potential for a rise in crime with the large influx of people moving in, and just a chain link fence proposed for the area.
Detailed design plans for the project have not yet been finalized. Councillors had asked for more information on what putting in a wooden fence would look like, and playground options for those who would be moving into the area.
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