Affordable housing, 400-unit high-rise proposed by downtown church

A $2M deal could lead to new affordable housing in downtown Kitchener.

The city is looking declare the parking lot by St Mathews Evangelical Lutheran Church on Charles Street East as surplus, to make way for a 35-storey, 400-unit residential tower.

The plan put forward by the church in partnership with Benton Communities LP would include 80 affordable units on the land at Benton Street and Charles Street East.

The parking lot in question has nearly 40 parking spots, something a staff report said would not impact the overall parking capabilities of the downtown core.

“The Charles & Benton Parking Garage is directly across the road and contains more than 500 parking spaces,” read the report.

“As such, the loss of surface parking spaces would not negatively impact the overall parking supply needed within this area.”

The lot would be sold to Benton Communities LP for just over $2M. That cash would go into the city’s Economic Development Investment Fund.

A small portion of land beside the lot would be leased to Benton Communities LP during construction, with the option to purchase the land at a later date.

Shovels could be in the ground as soon as late this year, or early 2027 but, that decision is “subject to available water capacity.”

The water capacity constraints in Waterloo Region have led to development delays across the Mannheim service area.

The report on this development goes before Kitchener Councillors on Monday.

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