Growth Management

To prepare for this growth, the Regional Growth Management Strategy (RGMS) was created in 2003 to guide future plans for our community. The goals of the RGMS were to protect farmland, provide greater transportation choice, and build vibrant urban places. These goals were included in the Regional Official Plan (ROP) approved by the Province of Ontario in December 2010 and continues to be reflected in the Region’s current Official Plan (2015). 

The ROP created a fixed border between rural and urban areas, establishing a protected countryside to permanently protect our drinking water and main environmental areas.

The ROP also anticipated a rapid transit system to encourage growth within the region’s core areas and to move people more efficiently within those areas.

Today, ION rapid transit is helping focus new development and investment in the region’s cores. In the ION attracts development map, you can explore the ION Corridor and the buildings started before ION approval in 2011, buildings started after ION approval, and those announced but still in the planning stages as ION launches.

Our community’s growth management efforts are proving successful. Since 2010, Waterloo Region has exceeded the intensification targets of both the Province of Ontario (40 per cent) and the ROP (45 per cent). In fact, over 50 per cent of new residential units have been built in existing urban areas (also known as the Built Up Area) in six of the last eight years, with the exception of 2012 and 2015. This construction pattern is contributing to the reduction of urban sprawl, protecting farmland, and bringing more people to the region’s core areas to live, work and play.  It's important to note that building activity is cyclical in nature and is impacted by the overall regional, provincial and national trends.

In August 2018, Regional Council approved a review of the ROP which will manage growth within the Region to 2041. 

Bringing the Vision to Life

In June 2015, the Ontario Municipal Board approved the new Regional Official Plan (ROP). This meant the vision established in the RGMS became official policies. These policies will promote balanced growth by:

• Directing more growth towards the built-up areas in our community, making better use of land, existing infrastructure, and services; and
• Creating more compact, vibrant and complete communities in our suburban areas with walkable neighbourhoods and a better mix of employment, housing, shopping and services.

Balancing growth like this will make it more cost effective to provide services such as sidewalks or transit. It will also reduce the need to expand roads or water and wastewater facilities.

More in-depth information about the Region's growth management polices can be found in Chapter 2 of the Regional Official Plan.

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is important to our community's health. Our actions have an impact on the environment around us. Together, we can work together to protect our environment and planet for future generations. 

Environmental Strategy and Initiatives

The Region is committed to ensuring a healthy natural environment with clean air, water and land. The following three documents provide more information:

• Environmental Sustainability Strategy: This report ensures that environmental consideration is incorporated into the Region's decision-making. It outlines a process for establishing targets in all program areas that have a significant impact on the environment. 
• Past and Present Environmental Initiatives (May 2008): The Region of Waterloo's environmental record is documented in this report. 
• Sustainability Progress: We track our progress on environmental commitments with this dynamic tool.

Reurbanization

We have many green initiatives here in Waterloo Region. One of our largest is our focus on reurbanization.

What is reurbanization?

More people are choosing to live, work and invest in built-up areas like downtowns. Reurbanization means that buildings, empty properties and parking lots in these areas are being reused and turned into new dwellings, shops or restaurants. 

The majority of reurbanization is happening in the downtowns of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo and within ION rapid transit station areas.

What are the benefits of reurbanization?

Reurbanization helps to:

• Reuse buildings and use building supplies more efficiently
• Provide people with more choices about the type of home they live in, including houses, townhouses, apartments and condos
• Create more active, successful and interesting downtowns
• Make better use of roads, schools and pipes, so we can be more efficient with supplying things like transit, education and water
• Protect farms, forests and wetlands by using less land
• Support the clean up of older industrial properties

What does reurbanization look like?

Reurbanization comes in many shapes and sizes. A Symphony of Design is a great video highlighting some of the region's finest examples of urban design.

What is the Region of Waterloo doing about reurbanization?

The Region's Community Building Strategy sets out the best places for even more reurbanization like downtowns, ION rapid transit station areas and many of GRT's iXpress routes (reurbanization corridors). 

Development along the Central Transit Corridor: Shaping the Community 

People and businesses are investing in the urban areas of Waterloo Region. One area that has seen a lot of development and growth is along the Central Transit Corridor (CTC).

The ION route falls within the CTC, attracting significant private investment. From 2011 to 2015, residential and non-residential construction in the CTC was valued at over $2.1 billion. Many of the developments around ION are high quality, award winning projects. This map highlights some of these developments.

Many of the developments have received funding through the Region's Brownfield Financial Incentive Program (BFIP). Between 2006 and 2014, the Region approved 36 applications as part of the BFIP assisting with the investigation or remediation of 22 properties along the CTC.

Environmental Stewardship

Environmental stewardship is an important part of the Region of Waterloo's Environmental Sustainability Strategy. This includes protecting and managing the 16 forest systems owned by the Region, and overseeing the new Conservation of Trees in Woodlands By-law, also known as the Tree By-Law.

The Tree By-Law regulates tree cutting in private and public woodlots throughout Waterloo Region. It was passed by Regional Council after two years of research and consultation with wildlife experts, industry professionals, environmental groups and members of the public.

Under this By-Law, a permit is needed from the Region to harvest trees in woodlots of one hectare or more. The purpose of the By-Law is to promote good forestry practices and protect woodlots, but also to restrict harvesting times and methods in order to protect breeding habitats.

Learn more about the Region's Forests and Woodlands Conservation.