The City of Kingston Strategic Plan: 2019-2022
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
1. Increase housing affordability
2. Improve walkability, roads and transportation
3. Demonstrate leadership on climate action
4. Strengthen economic development opportunities
5. Foster healthy citizens and vibrant spaces
1. Increase Housing Affordability
In response to the low vacancy rate, the City of Kingston will aim to increase the rate to 3% by 2022. Council will work with local developers, not-for-profit housing organizations, tenants, homeowners, and post-secondary education institutions to encourage more residential development and affordable housing across the city.
The City of Kingston will accelerate the process between planning approvals and construction, promote secondary suites and tiny homes, and implement the recommendations of the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing: making affordable housing a priority, getting shovels in the ground, and intensifying the city within the urban growth boundary. The City will create incentives and tools to facilitate smart, new housing growth. It will also advocate for funding and increased investments in housing development.
Our priorities include:
1. Pursue development of all types of housing city-wide through intensification and land use policies.
2. Build a significant number of new residential units with a range of affordability.
3. Implement tools and incentives to accelerate construction following planning approvals.
4. Promote secondary suites and tiny homes.
5. Advocate for funding and increased investments.
2. Improve Walkability, Roads and Transportation
Kingston prioritizes active transportation and public transit. The City will build on global best practices and engage citizens in modal transformation and invest in infrastructure maintenance to enable transit ridership growth, promote pedestrian safety, and repair roads.
In both the urban and rural areas, the City will explore specific north/south and east/west corridors for buses and bikes, install crosswalks around schools, decrease traffic speed, increase enforcement, and fill potholes: advancing active transportation and making safe, quality streets, for years to come. This also includes exploring the possibility of providing some form of public transportation connection in Kingston’s rural areas.
Our priorities include:
1. Repair roads and enhance the usability of sidewalks, walkways and paths to increase connections across the city through supporting our active transportation master plan.
2. Enhance public safety through active transportation and a focus on pedestrian access and enforcement.
3. Create network connections and north/south and east/west corridors by maximizing existing infrastructure and explore creating a transit way for both transit and active modes of transportation, together.
4. Install crosswalks around schools, sidewalks and heavy pedestrian traffic areas.
5. Explore a pilot model for providing transportation connections in rural Kingston.
3. Demonstrate Leadership on Climate Action
Given the economic, social, and environmental threats of greenhouse gas emissions and Kingston’s 2019 declaration of a climate emergency, the City is committed to stewarding the environment for future generations. As an internationally connected city, Kingston will address this global issue as a local climate action leader and inspire Kingston residents to become part of the solution.
The City will lead by example with measurable, effective emission reductions, building retrofits, and other energy efficiencies, to become carbon neutral as soon as possible and no later than 2040. This will result in a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across the City’s operations by 2022.
The City will electrify its vehicle fleet, promote green development/energy and active transportation, create well-maintained litter free roads, expand green spaces, protect wetlands, and promote more recycling and reduction: acting on climate change, protecting the environment and the most vulnerable, and lessening costs of waste, today and in the long term.
Our priorities include:
1. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% across the City’s operations by 2022.
2. Enhance and expand green spaces, protect wetlands, and increase the tree canopy through greening initiatives.
3. Incrementally electrify the City’s fleet of vehicles including public transit.
4. Target recycling and waste reduction strategies for businesses, institutions and multi-residential buildings.
5. Develop and promote incentives for residents to reduce their energy use and become part of city-wide solutions to meet Kingston’s carbon neutral target.
4. Strengthen Economic Development Opportunities
The City is committed to creating a high quality of life for residents by fostering opportunities that support social development, create jobs, and build prosperity. With a focus on innovation, Kingston will engage young people, entrepreneurs, innovators, artists, and creative citizens in facilitating economic growth.
The City will attract companies and private sector development in and from emerging markets and growing economies, to build on our assets and strengths, capitalize on talent and seize global opportunities. In partnership with others, innovation hubs in healthcare, bio technology, clean technology, education, and the arts will be created while supporting tourism, arts and culture, and rural economic development: accelerating the economy, growing our tax base, and employing Kingstonians, now and in the future.
Our priorities include:
1. Support new and existing businesses.
2. Foster innovative arts, culture and social enterprises.
3. Create innovation hubs that build on our local strengths in partnership with others.
4. Enable the establishment of a St. Lawrence College downtown campus.
5. Facilitate a deep water dock for cruise ships.
6. Explore the feasibility of establishing rural business parks and associated services.
7. Invest in innovative workforce development and in-migration strategies.
5. Foster Healthy Citizens and Vibrant Spaces
Kingston views all long-term residents and newcomers as citizens of the city, and is committed to inclusively engaging them in local solutions that enhance health, wellbeing, and experience of the city. Local groups, Indigenous communities, and representatives from the public, private, and non-profit sectors will be invited to develop strategies to promote health and wellness and to provide beautiful and engaging spaces for citizens and visitors.
The City will seek reconciliation with Indigenous communities, help revitalize contaminated land, increase waterfront access and public space: focus on food security, and examine fluoridation of the city’s drinking water: improving Kingstonians’ health, wellbeing, and interconnectedness.
Our priorities include:
1. Increase access to and continue to beautify the waterfront.
2. Examine the feasibility of developing an arts walk.
3. Promote the redevelopment of Brownfields properties on the Montreal Street Corridor.
4. Support the potential for Indigenous cultural space.
5. Examine the feasibility of fluoridating the drinking water.
6. Leverage and promote food security solutions in partnership with others.
Guiding Principles
The City of Kingston is committed to applying the following to shape decision making, policy development and resource allocation:
• Environmental sustainability and stewardship to safeguard future generations
• Fiscal responsibility and accountability to create efficiencies and synergies, balance tax and non-tax revenue, and manage debt effectively
• Promotion of social, economic and health equity
• Urban and rural equity to balance appropriate service delivery across regions
• Public engagement to collect diverse perspectives and to act fairly, sustainably, responsibly, and equitably on behalf of our citizens
• The measurement of service standards to ensure high quality customer service
• Innovative approaches and new smart technologies to support fiscal management
• Positive and inspiring work environments to attract and retain talent