Waterloo council is looking to build 16,000 homes by the year 2031, but the region’s water capacity issue may put that objective into question.
On Monday, the city approved, with a holding provision, zoning changes for a pair of developments in Waterloo’s west end.
The first is a cluster of townhomes that would add 170 units to Erbsville Road. The other is an apartment building development just off of Ira Needles Boulevard on Westhill Drive.
Plenty of work has gone into adjusting the preliminary plans for the development to meet the needs of the public and Waterloo council; there were still questions from both at Monday’s meeting.
“Is there anything nearby where people can just pick up a few things? It looks very car-dependent,” said Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe at Monday’s meeting.
Together, they’d add 310 housing units, but no physical work can begin until the region gives the green light.
That’s because the developments are in the Mannheim Service Area, and for the time being, the region is still holding back on development in that area as they update their water supply strategy.
The Mannheim Service Area is where a water capacity issue exists, and the region is working with outside consultants to find routes forward.