City of Kitchener approves Colt Canada expansion request [Video]

A gun manufacturer in Kitchener will be expanding its facilities.

At a meeting on Monday, council approved a request to amend the official plan to redesignate properties near 1036 Wilson Avenue from low-rise residential use to business park employment use.

Documents submitted to council show Colt Canada plans to build additions onto their existing facility and relocate employee parking.

The company has already purchased the 1084 and 1092 Wilson Avenue properties, immediately south of the existing Colt Canada building. Empty single detached homes still sit on the property but the majority of the land is covered by woodlot and natural features, as well as a steep slope to the Grand River.

“The two dwellings that exist now are currently vacant and have been vacant for some time,” Kitchener’s Director of Housing Approvals Garett Stevenson said. “We did review those buildings. Our senior heritage planner reviewed them and they are not …