Association Report The Waterloo Regional Apartment Management Association (WRAMA) was formed to provide information and support to owners and managers of residential rental properties all over the Golden Triangle (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and surrounding area). WRAMA’s mission is to actively and positively develop and sustain the integrity of its members’ business – the provision of private residential rental accommodation – in the Golden Triangle. According to the Region of Waterloo, “the region is the 10th most populous Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in Canada, with 583,500 residents in 2016 (with the total 2018 year-end population of the Region of Waterloo sitting at 601,220). The Province’s Growth Plan projects that Waterloo Region’s population will reach 742,000 by 2031, which makes it one of the fastest growing regions in Ontario.” Currently, eight municipalities govern the Region of Waterloo, with one in each of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo; each of the four townships of Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot and North Dumfries; and a larger regional government. In a continued effort to help decision makers address municipal rental housing issues, WRAMA has responded with a credible and informed voice, providing insight to the challenges and opportunities that exist in the Region of Waterloo. The ION Light Rail transit system began service on June 21, 2019, linking the Conestoga Mall at the north end of the Waterloo to the Fairway Mall at the south end of Kitchener. This system not only helps plan for the unprecedented population growth over the next decade, but also adds to Waterloo Region’s world class reputation of being forward thinking. The marketing and introduction of the trains has included local media attention, public service announcements and free ridership until July 1, 2019.
Grand River Transit operations ION Light Rail and the bus system in Waterloo Region.
The predicted population growth and expansion of Conestoga College, Wilfred Laurier University and the University of Waterloo has not gone unnoticed by housing developers. A mix of projects ranging from
22 – theANNUAL Waterloo
residential condominium projects to purpose-built residential rental housing is reflected by a skyline littered with cranes and construction. Halifax-based Killam REIT continues to build its presence as “one of Canada’s largest residential landlords, owning, operating, managing and developing a $2.7 billion portfolio of apartments and manufactured home community properties.” River’s Edge I & II and Saginaw Gardens by Killam REIT, located in Cambridge, are soon to be joined by Westmount Place in central Waterloo.
Westmount Place by Killam REIT (rendition)
HIP Developments is “seen as the innovative leader in real estate development in southern Ontario.” President Scott Higgins grew up in Cambridge, and HIP’s projects (including Gaslight District in Cambridge, and Strata and Circa 1877 in Waterloo) “not only create exciting new forms of residential living, they tangibly contribute to making the community more creative, vibrant and confident.” Family-owned Drewlo Holdings Inc. owns and manages over 8,900 rental housing units and “has been developing, constructing and managing apartment buildings for 60 years”. Its latest project is in downtowneast Kitchener, on the ION line, and is situated across the street from the largest high school in the Region and a bustling downtown retail experience anchored by the Kitchener Farmers Market.