Waterloo Region Updates
22 Weber St W Kitchener
https://archive.ph/T1Ccb#selection-4529.101-4535.45
OLT sides with developer’s plan for tower in Kitchener heritage district
The proposal would see a 19-storey apartment building constructed on what is currently a parking lot.
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Sept. 23, 2025 - The Ontario Land Tribunal has approved a developer’s plan for a 19-storey tower at the edge of a Kitchener heritage conservation district.
The decision helps pave the way for the redevelopment of a property at 22 Weber St. W., near Queen Street North. The site is currently a surface parking lot.
A 30-day period in which a party to the case may request a review from the tribunal or a judicial appeal of the decision expires Oct. 17.
The proposal calls for a 19-storey rental apartment building with 167 units and storage for at least 173 bicycles, either within the units or a secure bicycle storage room.
No vehicle parking spaces are required, as the property sits within a major transit station area where intensification, transit and active transportation uses are all encouraged.
The developer initially launched an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) a few years ago when the city failed to respond to the application for official plan and zoning bylaw amendments within a prescribed time frame...
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The Ontario Land Tribunal has ruled in support of a developer’s plan to build a 19-storey apartment building at 22 Weber St. W. in Kitchener. Mathew McCarthy/Waterloo Region Record file photo
https://experience.arcgis.com/experi...tive_5584%3A44
32, 36 and 38 Grand Ave. Cambridge
https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-...bunal-11255720
Council sidelined as developer takes Galt tower plan to tribunal
City officials in Cambridge are pledging changes after a missed deadline allowed developers of a contentious downtown high-rise project to skip local approval and head straight for tribunal review | Keegan Kozolanka
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Sep 24, 2025 - Cambridge council didn’t even get a chance to either follow a staff recommendation to turn down a massive tower proposal in Downtown Galt or approve it before it got appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) due to a staff error on timing.
A proposal to build a 28-storey tower at 32, 36 and 38 Grand Ave. was slated to be considered at the Tuesday evening council meeting but it had been pulled from the agenda when the addendum was published on Monday.
A developer had pitched the building made up of a six-storey podium with ground floor commercial spaces topped by a 22-storey residential tower with 328 units. Parking would be included in the podium with 134 spots for residents, 16 parking spaces for the adjacent restaurant and 83 indoor bicycle parking spaces.
The staff report recommended council turn it down, calling the proposed height increase, floor space increase and setback reduction as contrary to its planning policies.
At the meeting, general manager of planning and development Hardy Bromberg explained the official plan and zoning bylaw amendment for the Grand Avenue tower had been pulled from the agenda because the developer was appealing to the OLT on the grounds of a non-decision by council.
Under the Planning Act, applicants can appeal an application where no decision has been made by council within 120 days of a submitted complete application...
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https://skyrisecities.com/forum/thre...tecture.42181/
9, 33 & 47 Erb St W Waterloo
https://archive.ph/QFfWn#selection-4215.26-4256.0
Waterloo’s tallest tower is proposed at 39 storeys — on a flood plain in the heart of the city
Final approval rests with the province because of flood risks that are deemed manageable on Erb Street West.
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Oct. 1, 2025 - The tallest tower proposed in Waterloo drew praise and criticism when city council got a first look at it.
Momentum Developments aims to build 39 storeys on Erb Street West, beside Waterloo Public Square in the city’s downtown.
The tower would have 412 apartments. One-third would have two or more bedrooms.
Current plans are to make it a rental building. However, this could change if the developer sees a renewed market to sell condominiums, city hall was told at a public meeting Sept. 22.
The tower would replace a parking lot, near the Ion rail transit station across the street from the 13-storey Marsland Centre office tower.
...The provincial government will have the final say because the site is partly on a flood plain, which brings safety considerations. Flood risks have been assessed as manageable in a technical report that’s under provincial review...
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https://www.engagewr.ca/9-33-47-erb-st-w
167 - 171 King St S Waterloo
@ZEBuilder 09-30-2025
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This is now finally a public facing application.
As expected it is VanMar leading the application but Urban Legend is also involved. All the consultants, to the suprise of no one, are the usual suspects for VanMar/Urban Legend, Kirkor is the architect, MHBC is doing planning, Paradigm is doing traffic, WalterFedy is doing civil works, and CVD is doing the geotech.
The towers are 37 and 33 floors as I stated a couple of months ago with a maximum height of 123m (bylaw allows for 81m), they will be the second and third tallest in Uptown proposed (for now...), the development will be entirely 1 and 2 bdrm units. There will be a total of 834 units, 238 will be 2 bdrm (29%), 596 will be 1 bdrm (71%). It will be a phased development with phase 1 fronting Caroline being the 37 floor building, phase 2 will be 33 floors and front King. The 37 floor building will have 4 elevators meaning 1 elevator per 109.5 units and the 33 floor building will have 3 meaning 1 elevator per 132. Best practice is 1 elevator per 100 units, but this isn't completely horrible.
In order to make this work they will be moving the heritage building to a different portion of the site but maintaining it on site.
In total there will be 790.68 sqm of retail space, this will all front King, it will be regular units and the historical building will become a restaurant. There will be 758.97 sqm of indoor amenity space all within tower 1 and 1182.46 sqm of outdoor amenity space on top of the podium.
As for parking there will be 403 spots, good for a ratio of 0.48 per unit. For bike parking there will be 256 good for 0.3 per unit, City of Waterloo bylaw is 0.5, Kitchener bylaw is 1.0 (bad ask by VanMar). All of the parking within the building will be above ground in the podium which makes for a rather unpleasant street presence.
VanMar is asking for relief from setbacks along King and Caroline particularly for the upper podium parking levels which will extend to the property line (very bad ask), bylaw requires a 4-5m setback, for context the property line is effectively the edge of the existing sidewalk so it will be an imposing podium, if they matched Circa 1877 next door which roughly abides with the bylaw it would be more reasonable, it also isn't that difficult to do.
Urban Design Brief: Z2523_167-171KingStS_Urban_Design_Brief_20250819.pdf
Arch Set: Z2523_167-171KingStS_Plans_Pack._Site_Plan_and_Floor_Plans_20250819.pdf
Engage Page: 167-171 King St S | EngageWR
Renders: Z2523_167-171KingStS_Buiding_Renderings_20250819.pdf
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https://archive.ph/Li8i8#selection-4849.88-4849.119
Historic home of Waterloo brewers might become a restaurant beside tall towers
VanMar Developments proposes to incorporate the Kuntz-Labatt house into a redevelopment alongside two towers taller than 30 storeys in Waterloo’s downtown.
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Oct. 4, 2025 - ...City council will get its first look Monday at a new proposal for two adjacent towers: one at 37 storeys and one at 33 storeys. The towers would be about 300 metres from Waterloo Public Square in the downtown.
VanMar Developments proposes the towers to replace Erb and Good Funeral Home, which is relocating to Kitchener from its longtime home at 167-171 King St. S.
The towers would have 834 units: 596 with one bedroom and 238 with two bedrooms. It’s estimated just over 1,400 people could live in them.
“While the tenure of the units is intended to be condominium, it is likely there will be owned units that would be rented out,” according to a report filed with city hall by a planning consultant.
...Council has signalled its support for the heights proposed by VanMar, in a planning document it sent to the province for approval in July.
But council will not decide on the tower project Monday, pending further planning review. City approval is required to tweak planning regulations around density, setbacks and outdoor areas.
The shorter tower would overlook King Street. The taller tower would overlook Caroline Street. The towers would sit on top of a shared, five-storey podium that provides 403 parking spaces, almost one for every two units. Retail space is planned on the ground floor.
The developer proposes to incorporate the historic Kuntz-Labatt house into the project. The house might be used as a restaurant after it is moved slightly closer to King Street and put on a new foundation.
The two-storey house was built of yellow brick in Italianate style in the 1880s.
The Kuntz family, prominent brewers, and other notable residents lived there, according to city hall’s heritage register. The house is known for its graceful verandas and is officially designated as historic.
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Rendering of a restaurant that might operate inside the historic Kuntz-Labbatt house in Waterloo after it is incorporated into a redevelopment. MHBC
CTV Kitchener Oct 6, 2025: Proposed development for funeral home in Waterloo
CTV’s Krista Simpson finds out what the developers want to do with the Erb and Good Funeral Home.
• Video Link
https://www.waterlooregionconnected....9820#pid119820
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