Updating the Regional Official Plan

Welcome to 2020! We are excited about the new year and all the upcoming work that we will be sharing with you as the ROP review progresses.

Please note: there have been minor revisions to the three display boards that were presented at the first round of Public Open Houses from November 18 to December 4, 2019 (to reflect an ongoing Local Appeal Planning Tribunal matter - PL180728). The fundamental information on the display boards remains the same.

Also, the deadline for comments on the proposed delineation for the Regional Recharge Area in the Southwest Kitchener Policy Area has been extended to April 1, 2020. Feedback on the proposed mapping for the RRA can be submitted directly to ABridge@regionofwaterloo.ca.

As always, please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

The first round of Open Houses are complete and we were pleased to be able to talk to so many community members about growth within Waterloo Region.

If you were unable to come to one of the Open Houses, or still have some thoughts that you'd like to share with us on:

• the draft employment land conversion criteria;
• the proposed criteria for the Candidate Areas in the Agricultural Land Base; and,
• the proposed mapping of the Regional Recharge Area (RRA) in the Southwest Kitchener Policy Area;

please do so by January 17, 2020. Feedback on the employment land criteria and agricultural land base can be submitted through this survey. Feedback on the proposed mapping for the RRA can be submitted directly to ABridge@regionofwaterloo.ca.

We will then review the information received, continue to work on the technical analyses that will feed into our Land Needs Assessment, and anticipate being ready for another round of public consultation by Spring 2020.

• The draft employment land conversion criteria, based on criteria provided in the province's A Place to Grow, can be seen on the Open House Display Boards (board #10). After the January 17, 2020 deadline for feedback, we will finalize the criteria, and then publish a public notice regarding the submission of employment conversion requests, providing a 60 day window for submissions.
  
  
• The proposed criteria and the draft mapping, using direction from this provincial publication, can be seen on the Open House Display Boards (boards 16 and 17). Based on the feedback we receive, Regional staff will present updated information at the next round of public consultation in Spring 2020.
  
  
• The proposed delineation (mapping) of the Regional Recharge Area in the Southwest Kitchener Policy Area can be seen on the Open House Display Boards (boards 12 and 13) and the technical information upon which the proposed delineation (mapping) can be accessed here or here. Based on the feedback we receive, Regional staff will present the recommended mapping to Regional Council in 2020.
  
  

The first round of the “Talking Growth” public Open Houses has begun and there are still three more opportunities to join us:

· Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at Cambridge City Hall, 4 – 8 p.m.

· Thursday November 28, 2019 at the Wilmot Recreational Complex, 4 – 8 p.m.

· Wednesday, December 4, 2019, at the Heidelberg Community Centre, 4:30 – 8 p.m.

In the Document Library, we have also posted the open house display boards, in addition to some technical information about the proposed delineation (boundary) of the Regional Recharge Area in the Southwest Kitchener Policy Area.

Please feel free to browse through the new information, or drop by an upcoming Open House and chat with us about where we have been and where we want to go as a community into the future.

The Region has initiated a multi-year process to review the Regional Official Plan (ROP), beginning with an in-depth technical analysis of growth and development across the Region. We are looking at opportunities to accommodate a diverse and growing population, while continuing to offer a vibrant environment for people to live, work and play into 2041.

We will be hosting the first round of community and stakeholder engagement during November 2019 - please join us! We will be talking about where we have been and where we want to go as a community into the future, and we need your input. Please see the Key Dates section on this page for more event information.