Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Where can I see more details on the existing land-use designation and zoning?
A: New land use designations and zoning were applied applied by the City of Kitchener to the surrounding properties on March 19, 2024, via the Growing Together project. 22 Weber St W was not re-zoned, as the case was before the Tribunal.
The land-use designation of 22 Weber St W under the outgoing bylaw is “High Density Commercial Residential“. The zoning of 22 Weber St W under the outgoing bylaw (85-1) is “Commercial Residential Three CR-3“.
The Civic Centre Heritage District Plan is available at https://www.kitchener.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Documents/DSD_PLAN_Heritage_Plan_Civic_Centre.pdf
Q: Where can I find more information on the application?
The owner of 22 Weber St W has updated their application to permit a 19-storey build. The revised Heritage Impact Assessment can be found at https://obtfriends.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/22-Weber-St-W-Revised-HIA-with-Elevations-submitted-April-29-2022.pdf
Other revised supporting documentation, including site plans, urban design report, justification report, etc. can be found here:
For comparison, the supporting documents for the original 15 storey proposal can be found here:
Kitchener Planning Staff’s Pre-Submission Consultation record begins on page 59 of the “Planning Justification Report 21July2020“.
Three additional Pre-Submission Consultation comments from city staff were made public via the Ontario Land Tribunal on June 16, 2021, dated from August and September 2020 regarding Heritage, Planning and Urban Design.
View the August 24, 2022 notice of appeal of the Heritage Permit Application decision.
Q: Where can I see more about the Heritage Kitchener reviews?
A: You can watch the March 1, 2022 Heritage Kitchener review of the draft Heritage Impact Assessment at https://youtu.be/1_Q1BLeLOkU.
Friends of Olde Berlin Town engaged a registered heritage planner to review the application. You can watch his presentation to Heritage Kitchener on the Heritage Impact Assessment here and view his presentation slides here.
You can watch the August 2, 2022 Heritage Kitchener review of the Heritage Permit Application at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uYR0c_OaGI and read a summary of the Staff Report here, with the full June 29, 2022 report including our consultant’s report (starting on page 100) available at the City’s website.
The Civic Centre Heritage District Plan is available at https://www.kitchener.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Documents/DSD_PLAN_Heritage_Plan_Civic_Centre.pdf
Q: How can I participate in the OLT hearing process?
The set of Participants and Parties to the case has been established by the Tribunal. Community members who wish to engage can join Friends of Olde Berlin Town and/or share their concerns with City Council, as both Friends of Olde Berlin Town and the City of Kitchener are parties to the case.
Q: How do I contact Council?
A: To submit an official comment to staff and the current members of Council, email the following addresses. Try this link to auto-generate an email to submit a comment regarding the August 22 Council Meeting item on 22 Weber St W.
mayor@kitchener.ca;
ayo.owodunni@kitchener.ca;
bil.ioannidis@kitchener.ca;
christine.michaud@kitchener.ca;
dave.schnider@kitchener.ca;
debbie.chapman@kitchener.ca;
jason.deneault@kitchener.ca;
margaret.johnston@kitchener.ca;
paul.singh@kitchener.ca;
scott.davey@kitchener.ca;
stephanie.stretch@kitchener.ca
Q: Why is the application before the Ontario Land Tribunal when it has never been considered at the municipal level?
A: This Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment Application has not been considered by Council at a public meeting as required by law. The application is before the Ontario Land Tribunal as the City did not render a decision in the timeframe permitted by the province. (The timeframe was reduced by the provincial government from 210 days to 120 days under Bill 108. Many municipalities struggled to meet the reduced timelines during Covid.)
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