Endorsement of the Draft MTSA Boundaries and Draft Regional Employment Area
At the April 21, 2021 Regional Council meeting, the proposed Major Transit Stations Area (MTSA) boundaries and alternative density targets for the Laurier-Waterloo, Block Line, and Delta MTSAs, and the draft Regional Employment Area (REA) were endorsed. For more information on what MTSAs and alternative density targets are, please refer to Report PDL-CPL-21-17 (also listed in the Document Library in the right-hand column of this page) and the interactive mapping tab on the now endorsed boundaries. Regional staff can now request the Province’s approval for the three lower density targets at the identified MTSAs, and we can also begin to draft policy, in collaboration with our Area Municipal colleagues, for the MTSAs.
The ROPR team anticipate having a revised version of the draft Intensification Strategy, which may contain minor revisions to the MTSA boundaries and draft intensification corridors, available by late Spring and to be engaging with the public for comment on draft MTSA policies this summer. We will then provide our final recommendations to Regional Council on the MTSA boundaries and policies through a draft ROP amendment this Fall (2021). Please stay tuned for more engagement opportunities in the near future!
Regarding the draft Regional Employment Area (REA), please click here to view an interactive map of the draft REA.
For context, there are four types of employment within the Region:
- Major Office Employment: Jobs with office buildings larger than 20,000sq.ft or 1,900sq.m
- Population-Related Employment: Jobs that provide daily goods and services (such as grocery stores, restaurants, retail and service stores, any school, non-major offices including municipal, law, and medical offices, etc.)
- Employment Land Employment: Jobs generally within industrial type buildings (such as manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and construction) and are generally clustered together within Employment Areas
- Rural Employment: Jobs in the rural area, such as those related to agriculture and mineral aggregates
The focus of the REA is employment land employment. The REA designation will protect these lands for long-term employment uses. Below are links to the endorsed Regional Council Report, including appendices.
Employment Report (PDL-CPL-21-16)
Appendix A: Employment Definitions and Preliminary Draft Forecast (Appendices A, B, C, D, and E)
Appendix B: Draft Regional Employment Area and Vacant Employment Land Maps (Appendices A, B, C, D, and E)
Appendix C: Regional Employment Area Delineation and Policy Considerations (Appendices A, B, C, D, and E)
Appendix D: Employment Land Conversion Criteria (Appendices A, B, C, D, and E)
Appendix E: Employment Conversion Request Maps (Appendices A, B, C, D, and E)
Appendix F: Summary of Employment Conversion Recommendations (Appendices F, G, H, and I)
Appendix G: Table of Employment Conversion Requests Beyond the Regional Employment Area (Appendices F, G, H, and I)
Appendix H: Table of Employment Conversion Requests Recommended for Approval or Partial Approval (Appendices F, G, H, and I)
Appendix I: Table of Employment Conversion Requests not Recommended for Approval (Appendices F, G, H, and I)
Appendix J: Employment Conversion Request Letters (Part 1, Cambridge; Part 2, Kitchener and North Dumfries; Part 3, Waterloo Part 1, Wat-1 to Wat-7; Part 4, Waterloo Part 2, Wat-8 to Wat-14, Wilmot, and Woolwich)
Appendix K: Letters in Response to Preliminary Recommendations (Appendix K)
Appendix L: City of Kitchener Staff Report to Council, DSD-2021-5 Regional Official Plan Review (Appendices L and M)
Appendix M: City of Cambridge Report to Council, 21-065(CD) Regional Official Plan Review Project – Employment Strategy – City of Cambridge Opportunity to Respond (Appendices L and M)
