The next step in bringing a new Catholic elementary school to the northern part of the city could be taken this year.
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has identified a plot of land that sits along Briardean Road in the River Mill subdivision for the build.
The site has been "reserved," according to the board and will be purchased once it's registered by the developer.
With expectations the purchase will be made sometime in 2025, the WCDSB has already submitted an application for funding to the provincial government.
"The construction of the school is not something that we can undertake without financial support from the province, so the timing for construction is dependent on approval of our fall capital funding application," Lema Salaymeh, senior manager of communications for the WCDSB, said.
The board has the first right of purchase to the land, which Salaymeh said it fully intends on exercising.
Getting the school built would relieve pressure on St. Gabriel Catholic School, which is accommodating students in eight portables this year.
This past fall, the Waterloo Region District School Board submitted a business case to the Ministry of Education for a public school in the same area. That new school would be located on a 7.02 acre property on Equestrian Way with a capacity of 620 and serve Junior Kindergarten through Grade 8.
Both boards are also currently in the process of building Waterloo region's first joint-use campus in the city's south end on Wesley Boulevard.
The school will span 9,100 square metres and have 45 classrooms, creating 519 new elementary school spaces for the public board and 354 Catholic seats.
An additional 88 child care spots operated by the YWCA Cambridge is also part of those plans.