Council Summary February 24, 2025
Council approved the purchase of the former St. Columba Church property at 250 Lincoln Road in Waterloo. The church sits on 1.04 acres of land on a corner lot in an existing residential area with excellent access to transit. Identifying municipally owned lands and potential land acquisitions for the development of affordable housing are actions in the City’s Affordable Housing Strategy.
Planning estimates show the potential for 12 or more residential units on the site with the current zoning. With an appropriate zone change, planning estimates indicate that the property could fit close to 30 units. This land acquisition is an excellent investment for the City, with the potential to help bring a moderate number of affordable housing units to a well established and well-located neighbourhood.
In the long term, this purchase could help the City achieve its affordable housing target (30 per cent of all new housing units be affordable) and would increase housing supply, affordability, and choice in close proximity to schools, transit, and commercial services. In the short to medium term, the existing building can be used as a City programming space to support the needs of local arts organizations and/or other community groups for up to three years.