Kitchener pledge will see 35,000 new homes built in city by 2031

Kitchener council approved a pledge Monday night that says it will support building 35,000 new homes in the city over the next eight years in response to Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, which was passed by the Ontario government last year.

The city says it recently conducted a poll of its residents that found that housing is one of their top priorities.

“Tackling the housing crisis locally means everyone needs to work together — building on our proven barn-raising approach stated that includes all orders of government, the private sector, not-for-profit, educational institutions, and most importantly, all Kitchener residents to help build a stronger Kitchener and a stronger Ontario,” Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said.

“Although the Province’s housing forecasts for municipalities are ambitious, Kitchener is well-positioned to meet these targets thanks to the proactive work we have done and our strong collaboration with partners.”

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The pledge includes a number of initiatives, including updating the land use and zoning for areas around major transit stations as well as working with builders and other groups to identify costs, timing, market conditions and capacity.

The city also intends to work with other levels of government to create strategies to increase the housing supply including the consideration of the funding required to meet these needs.

Under Bill 23, the Ontario government had required some municipalities to submit these types of pledges to ensure that the province could track progress on building new housing.