Olde Berlin Town

Neighbourhood Association Kitchener Ontario Canada

City seeks input on proposed Downtown Cycling Grid (Updated)

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November 2, 2020

Update: In response to feedback from the neighbourhood, Active Transportation Planning Project Manager, Darren Kropf has provided an updated FAQ document regarding Margaret Avenue which includes three additional options for the alignment of the Multi-Use Trail along Margaret Avenue.

October 31, 2020

Update: Active Transportation Planning (City of Kitchener) is proposing a Multi-Use Trail (MUP) along Margaret and Otto, between Victoria and Frederick, as part of a downtown cycling grid. Details are available at https://www.engagewr.ca/downtown-cycling-grid where you are welcome to register and participate via a survey (open until November 11th), or at two upcoming Virtual Open Houses on November 3rd and 4th.  Neighbourhood-specific information is available at https://www.engagewr.ca/…/margaret-avenue-multi-use-trail and Pages 11, 12, 22 and 23 of https://www.engagewr.ca/16695/widgets/65742/documents/39880.

Thank you! to Active Transportation Planning Project Manager, Darren Kropf, for developing a set of Frequently Asked Questions with us, in advance of the Virtual Open House sessions.

Please note that some revisions of the plan are already in the works.  The pages 11, 12, 22 and 23 above are being revised.  They do not yet show the reduced impact on the front yards of 9-55 Margaret Ave and 108 Queen St N as discussed in the FAQ.  

Further design change is also being considered in light of the cancellation of Avenue M (the development at 30-40 Margaret Avenue).

October 18, 2020

Original Post: The City of Kitchener’s strategic plan includes the construction of a continuous and protected cycling grid that connects adjacent neighbourhoods to the downtown. The grid is designed to target all ages and abilities of people who would like to bike more often but currently don’t feel safe riding downtown.

Following consultation of more than 4,000 people through the strategic plan and Cycling and Trails Master Plan, a final round of consultation is currently underway. Several streets are included in the grid, including Margaret Avenue and more. The grid connects to popular trails like the Spur Line Trail, Iron Horse Trail and the Great Trail, providing a new, safe and convenient way for people to access all that downtown has to offer.

See the proposed designs and share your feedback at https://www.engagewr.ca/downtown-cycling-grid

Want to keep in touch with Kitchener’s Affordable Housing Strategy?

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The City of Kitchener is developing an Affordable Housing Strategy.  A Housing Needs Assessment was submitted as part of Phase 2 of the Affordable Housing Strategy.  A summary, including the 13 Key Findings, can be found in Staff Report DSD-20-006 (Affordable Housing Strategy Phase 2: Housing Needs Assessment).

Beyond the Needs Assessment and Key Findings, many other questions have been raised by the Advisory Committee, including:

-Should social service agencies be distributed throughout the city?

-Need we be concerned with the concentration of land ownership?

-Are high-rise condominiums with small units an appropriate solution to issues of affordability?

-Who should manage the housing of the most marginalized members of society?  Is there a role for for-profit corporations?

-Can the full range of affordable housing issues be addressed by a single strategy?  In particular, will a price adjustment offer meaningful change to homeless people?

Our input is requested and needed in formulating policy. When you are ready – before the May 3, 2020 deadline – please complete Engage Kitchener’s survey on affordable housing. 

Here are resources to better understand some of the issues:

PUSH, a film that “follows Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, as she’s travelling the globe, trying to understand who’s being pushed out of the city and why.”

Inclusionary Zoning: Best Practice.  Inclusionary zoning is a planning tool which requires new residential developments to include a predetermined amount of affordable housing.

Three articles on the causes of real estate inflation and suggested solutions:

https://www.moneysense.ca/spend/real-estate/8-factors-that-really-mess-up-vancouvers-real-estate-prices/ (April 2016)

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2019/08/01/Gov-Created-Housing-Crisis-Now-Fix/  (August 2019)

https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/douglas-todd-think-b-c-has-a-lot-of-housing-regulations-you-aint-seen-nothing/ (February 2020)

Please feel free to list additional resources in the comments section, below.

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Geographic boundaries of Neighbourhood:
Weber Street, Lancaster Street, Victoria Street, Frederick Street