Region of Waterloo considers putting affordable housing over parking lots

Councillors with the Region of Waterloo will be voting on a motion to build affordable housing on top of parking lots.

Councillors with the Region of Waterloo will be voting on a motion to build affordable housing on top of parking lots.

It was an idea that Cambridge council already rejected in December, while the City of Kitchener supported the proposed plan.

Regional council has now asked staff to report back on any city-owned land that could be used for potential housing developments.

Regional Councillor Pam Wolf admitted the housing crisis isn’t getting any better, with the average wait time at more than seven years.

“We have 8,341 applicants on our waitlist at the moment,” Wolf told CTV News, ahead of Wednesday night’s council meeting.

She said the motion she’s putting forward is slightly different than what the version presented to Cambridge and Kitchener councils.

“The region doesn’t own a great deal of parking lots. So that’s why we added vacant land, and repurposing buildings,” she explained.