Downtown Strategic Plan

At the centre of the City of Kitchener's strategy for its downtown is the belief that it is people that create a downtown - and on the need to draw people back to the core.  The Downtown Strategic Plan Volume III: The Implementation provides action items which are intended to guide the process of creating an environment for sustained and balanced vitality in the heart of the city. It is directed toward creating authentic community vitality through people living, working, playing and learning downtown.

To assess the progress in downtown Kitchener, staff have released the 2008 Downtown Trends & Indicators report.

Some highlights include:

• 2,049 residents lived in the downtown core; 19,249 residents lived in downtown neighbourhoods;
• 1,207 new residential units have been built downtown since 2001;
• 1,213 new residential units are currently proposed for future development;
• More than $86 million in residential construction has been realized downtown since 2001;
• Residential rental vacancy downtown was at a six-year low;
• 11,967 people were employed in the downtown core;
• 220 new employees in downtown Kitchener;
• 52 per cent increase in construction value of building permits from 2007-2008;
• 55,000 people attended the Kitchener Blues Festival;
• 3,370 students attended school downtown.  

For more information, contact:

Cory Bluhm
Manager Downtown Development
519-741-3400 ext. 3375
cory.bluhm@kitchener.ca