The whole area is currently undergoing a huge $30-million development plan which has already been through the zoning and approval process. Phase one of the complex, known as the Artisan Building, was completed last fall. The second phase, which has tenants moving in already, is planned for research and technology firms, restaurants and specialty retail.

Rheinhold Lang founded the tannery in 1848. Fire destroyed the original building. The buildings that remain and form what is now called the Tannery District were built between 1896 and 1956 on the block bounded by Charles, Joseph, Francis and Victoria streets. The collection of more than 12 buildings was added to over time as the industrial processes changed and as the business grew. They are well-made and it has been relatively uncomplicated to update them to modern requirements.

These buildings once supplied the leather for boot soles and saddles in the First World War and leather linings for aircraft fuel tanks during the Second World War.

TheRecord.com of Kitchener-Waterloo reported June 9, 2010 (see http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/725072) that City Council will not stand in the way of demolition. At issue are four buildings on Joseph Street and Linden Avenue. The developer working on the Tannery project, Cadan Inc., wants to demolish the buildings to make way for a temporary gravel parking lot for office workers and visitor until a parking garage is constructed. City councillors appear to accept that the developer already has the approvals necessary to do what it feels necessary for this huge renewal project in downtown Kitchener.

Under Cadan’s plan, the 24-metre chimney on the site, the last industrial smokestack in the city core, will be preserved.

The Official Plan calls for the conservation and reuse of historic buildings and new development that creates lively and interesting streets and heritage advocates think that the parking lot plan does not fit with the approved plan. They also point out that there are several open-air parking lots in the area already.

But Cadan says it needs 640 parking spaces to support retail, restaurant and office tenants in the main Tannery building across the street. Cadan has said the best way to ensure the long-term economic health of the main Tannery building is to ensure there is adequate parking for the people leasing space in it.

The redevelopment of the Tannery District is one of the biggest private-sector investments in the downtown in years. It was sparked by the City of Kitchener’s move to provide $30 million and land to the University of Waterloo for the establishment of a school of pharmacy and a satellite medical school nearby on Victoria Street.