Kitchener council approves plan for fire station and housing development combo

A rendering depicts what a building proposed for 450-470 King Street in Kitchener, Ont. could look like once constructed. (Courtesy: City of Kitchener)

A new kind of development has been approved in the City of Kitchener.

Council has given the green light to a plan that would see a fire station built in the same building as a new 19-storey housing development at 450 – 470 King Street.

“By bringing essential emergency services and much-needed housing together in one location, we’re delivering smart, innovative solutions that will benefit residents today and for years to come,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said.

The city will invest up to $22.6 million for the development, with help from the federal and provincial governments and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Accelerator Fund. The city said there will be no financial impact on taxpayers.

If the idea comes to fruition, it will include approximately 281 below-market and market-rate rental units, featuring a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom options. The fire station will include two apparatus bays and spaces for operational crews.

The project is now moving into the detailed design phase, and a building permit is expected to be issued in the fall. Construction could start in spring 2027, with the new fire station set to open in 2028 and the housing units available to rent in 2030.