Updating the City of Waterloo Official Plan

A Notice of Adoption has been issued with respect to Official Plan Amendment 58: Official Plan Review (Phase 1). This notice summarizes the purpose of the amendment, the next steps in the approval process, and explains how to obtain additional information.

Waterloo City Council adopted Official Plan Amendment 58: Official Plan Review (Phase 1) on December 2, 2024, and the By-law was passed on December 9, 2024. The revised staff report includes staff recommendations, and the updated Official Plan policies as adopted by City Council. Please note, several site-specific properties were deferred from the decision to adopt the updated plan. These site-specific properties are listed in the updated staff report recommendations.

It is expected that as of January 1, 2025, the approval authority for Official Plan Amendment 58 will be the Province of Ontario, rather than the Region of Waterloo.

Thank you to all members of the community who participated in Phase 1 of the Official Plan Review. Updates and next steps will continue to be posted on Engage Waterloo.

As part of the City’s Official Plan Review, a proposed Official Plan Amendment has been prepared, which includes updated land use policies and mapping. The updated Official Plan reflects feedback received from the community and interested parties. The proposed updated Official Plan forms Official Plan Amendment 58: Official Plan Review (Phase 1).

The proposed City Official Plan amendment includes revisions in response to feedback received from the community, since the release of the draft plan on June 24, 2024. This includes feedback from the statutory public open houses held in September, and the statutory public meeting held on September 23, 2024. Staff have also received numerous submissions on the draft plan since June 2024 and have considered all comments in updating the proposed updated Official Plan. Overall, the updated Official Plan includes editorial change and updates to improve clarity and policy interpretation, as well as additional updates consistent with the Official Plan review goals of streamlining the Plan. A staff report will be released later in November outlining the Official Plan review process and noting how comments were addressed by staff. The Updated Official Plan (Official Plan Amendment 58: Official Plan Review (Phase 1)) will be considered by City Council on December 2, 2024.

The City will be hosting a public open house and a public meeting on the Official Plan Review. Please see the Public Notice for more details and information.

OPEN HOUSE

An opportunity to review and discuss the proposed updated Official Plan with representatives of the Municipality.

Date: Thursday September 12^th, 2024

Times: Afternoon Session, 2:00-4:00 pm

Evening Session, 5:00-8:00 pm

Location: Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex (WMRC) - Community Pavilion. 101 Father David Bauer Drive, Waterloo

If you are unable to attend the Public Open House, the display boards can be viewed online on the Official Plan Review Engage Waterloo page.

PUBLIC MEETING

To hear and consider community comments regarding the Official Plan Review.

Date: Monday September 23, 2024

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, Waterloo City Centre, 100 Regina Street South, Waterloo

The City is undertaking a required review of the Official Plan, which is the plan that helps shape and direct land use and growth in the city over the next 20-30 years. City staff will be at a few pop-up sessions at our local libraries to share what is being proposed in the draft Official Plan and answer your land use and growth related questions. Come by to see what is in the draft Official Plan and how you can get involved. City staff will be available at the following dates and times:

The City of Waterloo is undertaking a required review of the Official Plan. This first draft of the updated Official Plan is intended to refine existing policies and mapping to reflect current best practices in urban planning, and to update for consistency with legislation and Provincial and Regional policies and plans. The draft updates to the Official Plan also address local considerations and input received to-date from community consultation.

A phased approach to the Official Plan review is being used. This first phase includes updates to policies relating to the city structure, land use policies, and implementation. Several Official Plan maps, called “Schedules”, have been updated as well. The remaining chapters of the Official Plan will be reviewed and updated in later phases of the Official Plan Review process.

What is an Official Plan

The Official Plan provides city-wide direction on growth management, land use planning, and development related matters over the course of a 30-year timeframe. The goal is to provide direction through land use and planning policy to achieve the City’s intended vison for growth and community, while limiting overly specific and technical details, which are better left to technical planning tools, such as zoning by-laws.

The Official Plan review identifies several priority focus areas that form the basis of the review. Many of the priority areas of focus were identified through early stages of the Official Plan Review consultation. Priorities include:

• facilitating housing and refining urban form*;
• streamlining and clarifying policies; and,
• encouraging compact complete communities

City staff will be inviting residents, property owners, business owners, developers, various interest groups, committees, agencies, and associations to participate in the consultation process. A public Open House on the draft Official Plan will be scheduled in late summer/early fall.

* "Urban Form" refers to how different parts of the city including Nodes, Station Areas, corridors that connect them, and neighbourhood areas all fit and work together.

As part of the review of the Waterloo Official Plan, urbanMetrics along with Gladki Planning associates, has prepared a summary report for the Commercial and Employment Policy Study (CEPS) on behalf of the City. You can find the report here.

The report provides an overview of commercial and employment market trends, an inventory analysis, best practices and policy recommendations. The directions from the report will help inform updated commercial and employment policies and framework for the Official Plan.

The shopping patters survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated. The survey responses will help us make informed decisions that will strengthen the shape and character of our commercial areas, including shops, services and restaurants.

From November 9-December 1, the City of Waterloo will host the 3rd annual Neighbourhood Summit through a series of virtual sessions. The summit will bring together neighbours from across the city to build capacity, share information and network.

On November 25^th from 7:00-8:30 p.m., the Official Plan Review team will host an “Understanding Planning in Waterloo” workshop. This workshop will share high-level information about urban planning in Waterloo and provide details on how neighbours can get involved/stay informed.

Register to attend

We are looking for your input on whether the Beechwood Park neighbourhood should be included on the City of Waterloo's inventory of significant cultural heritage landscapes. We want to determine whether further study and review of this neighbourhood should be done as part of the City’s Official Plan review and update. Cultural heritage landscapes are heritage areas that have been identified by the community as important. Designation as a cultural heritage landscape serves as a starting point for future planning initiatives and actions (subject to community consultation and council approval) to ensure that significant heritage features are celebrated, enhanced and conserved as the city grows and develops. Visit the Beechwood Park project page to review the information on cultural heritage landscapes and then let us know what you think.

At the Official Plan Review Open House (held June 17, 2021) staff shared information on what the Official Plan is, why it is being reviewed, the study process, and how interested people can help identify priorities for the review.