‘The City of Waterloo believes in the Countryside Line’

Waterloo stands alone among region’s three cities in keeping smart-growth strategy in place

The City of Waterloo is standing by the region’s smart growth plan that keeps new development within a countryside line as almost every other municipality in the region jumped at the chance to open about 7,000 acres of new lands to developers.

“We did not ask for any changes to our urban boundaries because we believe we can meet the growth targets of the community within the urban boundary we currently have,” said Coun. Royce Bodaly, the city’s acting-mayor, during an interview Friday.

He is supported by one of the key findings of a provincial task force on housing, which said there is enough land already identified in official plans to meet housing needs. Affordable housing groups say land speculators, developers and the planning departments at city halls that take years to approve new development applications are responsible for the affordability crisis, not a land shortage.

So when the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing wrote to mayors last year, offering thousands of acres of fresh land for new development, the City of Waterloo said no thanks. But Kitchener, Cambridge, Wilmot, Woolwich and North Dumfries jumped at the chance to give developers access to an estimated 7,000 acres of land beyond their current boundaries.

The changes, which reverse decades of smart-growth planning, will soon become law. The Official Plan Adjustment Act 2024 is part of Bill 162, which is expected to become law before Queen’s Park breaks summer vacation.

“The region’s official plan was put together with extensive public engagement, lots of advocacy from community groups in favour of the Countryside Line, that we preserve our ground water, that we preserve our farmland, preserve our urbanrural fabric that makes us unique,” said Bodaly.

“At the City of Waterloo we did not think it was appropriate to make any changes to the urban boundaries, superseding that broad public consultation,” said Bodaly.

The Countryside Line on the west side of Waterloo is a road called The Wilmot Line. The Vista Hills subdivision is built right out to it, but then stops and rolling farmland begins. It resulted in intensification of housing with multi-residential buildings in mixed-use neighbourhoods supported by public transit, bike paths and parks.

“In short, the City of Waterloo believes in the Countryside Line,” said Bodaly.

Wellesley Township is the only other municipality in the region to turn down the Ford government’s offer to expand their boundaries. Township Mayor Joe Nowak said the rural municipality of about 11,000 people does not have the infrastructure to support more housing right now.

“We don’t have the capacity at our sewage plant,” said Nowak.

The Region of Waterloo is studying options to expand the capacity at the sewage plant for the township. Wellesley Township is at the northwest corner of the region, and includes the villages of Wellesley, Bamberg, Linwood, Hawkesville and Wallenstein.

It is covered with creeks and streams that empty into both the Nith and Conestogo Rivers. The rural landscape is dotted with Mennonite farms, shops selling fresh baked goods and produce, roadside vegetable stands and is popular with cyclists.

“They have to do an assimilation study of the Nith River,” said Nowak. “That’s probably about two years down the line.”

Assimilation studies determine how much pollution a river can handle. Nowak said the township council voted 3-2 against the boundary expansion.

He said the township was concerned about taking more land before it can be serviced, fearing that would attract land speculators and drive up prices.

“That was a concern as well,” said Nowak.

Wilmot Township, which took the opportunity to expand development opportunities by about 800 acres or more, has a sewage treatment plant that can handle 7,00012,000 new residents. Beyond that, the township’s sewage plant will need upgrades.

‘‘ At the City of Waterloo we did not think it was appropriate to make any changes to the urban boundaries.

COUN. ROYCE BODALY