A former church purchased by the City of Waterloo could be torn down later this year to make way for more affordable housing in the Lincoln Heights area.

St. Columba Church, located at 250 Lincoln Rd., is being recommended by city staff to be demolished. The land was purchased by the city in April 2025 for $2.9 million for affordable housing.

Last year, members of council wanted the building to be used as a community arts hub. Ultimately, that plan was rejected because of accessibility issues and the cost of renovations.

Other ideas for the land included using it as an ice rink, pickleball course, tennis court, playground, community garden or a green space.

If council approves the recommendation, demolition of the church would take place this spring, in either April or May. A public information meeting is also required and would be held in March.

The land itself is 1.04 acres (0.42 hectares) and includes the building of the former church, a parking lot and a green space. Staff have argued that it is a good spot for affordable housing because it is on a GRT Route (Routes 29 and 202), is a six-minute walk from a shopping mall with a grocery store and is in an established neighbourhood.

Currently, the land is designated as Low Density Residential, allowing for building heights up to 10 metres and 150 bedrooms per hectare.

Staff are asking that the property be offered at a low or no cost through the Request for Express Interest (REOI) process. If that happens, staff will need to declare that the land is “surplus” before it is sold.

“Staff recommend that the REOI seek a non-profit housing provider or consortium led by a non-profit housing provider to whom the City will either a) grant the land at no or nominal cost or b) provide the land through a long-term land lease,” reads the report.

The same process was used in the current affordable housing development at 2025 University Ave. E. Staff note that using city-owned lands for affordable housing is part of the municipality’s priority actions in the Affordable Housing Strategy, adopted back in March 2023.

Council is set to meet on Jan. 26 to discuss the plan.