Kitchener approves plans to build new fire station downtown that will combine housing

Councillors with the City of Kitchener have a approved the development of a new fire station in the downtown core that will also have a 19-storey apartment building.

Kitchener approves plans to build new fire station downtown that will combine housing 19-storey building will have about 281 below-market and market-rate rental units A new fire station is coming to downtown Kitchener that will combine a 19-storey apartment building with over 200 housing units. City council approved plans for the development on June 29 before council took its break for the summer. The city says the project, located along King Street near Madison Avenue, will "bring more housing options and enhanced emergency services to the community."

"This project represents a major step forward in building a complete community in Kitchener," said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic in a release Monday. "Tackling the housing crisis and supporting a growing city requires all orders of government and community partners to work together. 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."

The project is in partnership with Kitchener Housing Inc. and will include approximately 281 below-market and market-rate rental units. The units will be a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units. There building will also incorporate amenity spaces like an indoor community room, new public plaza and park space.

Improve emergency response in a growing city The station itself will have two apparatus bays and operational support spaces. The station will improve emergency response and needs in a growing city, said Kitchener Fire Department Chief Bob Gilmore. "As our city continues to grow, this centrally located station will help ensure we can meet increasing demand while keeping residents and businesses safe," Gilmore said in a release.

Franz Tschoegl, a public education officer with the Kitchener Fire Department, told CBC News last month a new station is needed in the downtown because the fire department is seeing a growing number of emergency calls in that area. He said Station 2 on Lancaster and Guelph streets is the nearest station to downtown Kitchener and has a large coverage area comes to emergencies. "As the community grows geographically, our department can only handle so much," Tschoegl said.

"If our response times go over a certain amount of time, then [the city] has to start considering a new fire station to deal with that area and to keep us within a response time that the Ontario Fire Marshall indicated we have to keep with." Demolition work on the property where the fire station will be built began last fall. The city said the project will now move into the design phase with a building permit coming in the fall and construction expected to begin in spring 2027.

Fire Station 8 is expected to open in 2028 with the high rise building expected to be completed by 2030.