Can Tannery buildings be saved?
Posted May 18, 2010 06:49:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Kitchener city council has asked staff to meet with the Lang Tannery developer about the potential for saving some of the old buildings on the property.
The request comes in response to a number of conservation activists who pleaded with council last night to prevent buildings bordering Oak, Linden, Joseph and Victoria from being torn down and replaced with a parking lot.
John Arndt with the local ranch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario says the hide house, water softener building and boiler house should not be demolished because they are part of a significant cultural heritage landscape.
The Cadan group, which is the Tannery’s developer, plans to preserve just the smoke stack on that block. The buildings in question have not been declared historically significant under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Area architect and resident John MacDonald suggested the block could be better used to create a pedestrian-friendly environment.
Meanwhile, Council approved a plan last night to develop a 200-space parking lot for businesses moving into the Tannery.
Once the consolidated maintenance facility is completed, a section of the Bramm street yards will be converted for that purpose.
The city is also in discussions with an unnamed company on the potential for a parking garage on the block bounded by Charles, Waterloo, Francis and Halls Lane.
