Heritage Conservation Districts at Risk in Kitchener

Kitchener's Core area with Heritage Conservation Districts in Red

A Heritage Conservation District (HCD) is an area within a municipality that is noted for its distinct heritage character and policies are put in place to guide future change. These policies are identified in a plan when a municipality enacts a HCD bylaw. In the case of Kitchener, the Victoria Park HCD was enacted in 1995 and the Civic Centre HCD was enacted in 2007. Both districts are adjacent to Kitchener's core and Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA). 

These HCDs are facing a very serious threat. The Province has determined that Kitchener should have higher density, particularly near. A proposal by planning staff, Growing Together, would allow high density buildings of 8 and 25 storey buildings in these historic areas.

ACO is opposed to these provisions because they are incompatible with the low density and culturally significant historic areas. We presented our opposition to the Growing Together plan at the Heritage Kitchener Advisory Committee and at the Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee. We then met with planning staff on February 29 to ask that HCDs be excluded from MTSAs. Planners appear to be unmoved by our concerns. They think that having buildings of 8 and 25 storeys is compatible with a heritage district. 

If the proposal is passed with tall buildings allowed inside HCDs, then the heritage district would be drastically reduced in size. Heritage districts were created because a significant number of buildings were in an area which needed protection under the Heritage Act. They also give value for tourism and they represent the physical aspect of the city’s past. 

Planners asked us: How is a tall building incompatible with heritage?

We asked them: How is a tall building built with glass and steel compatible with a district of buildings made of stone and brick more than 100 years ago?

There is plenty of room in Kitchener for growth outside the HCDs. The city is being asked to provide housing and ACO agrees that we need that increase in housing. But when you consider all of Kitchener’s heritage buildings, they are less than 2% of the 65,000 properties in the city.

We need to act to prevent the plan from being implemented by asking members of Kitchener’s City Council to oppose these proposed provisions in the plan.

If you live in Kitchener, please call or write your councillor and ask that HCDs be excluded from the Growing Together proposal. You need only say that you are concerned that the heritage districts are at risk and need to be protected.

Please talk to your neighbours and friends and encourage them to attend the meeting of Council on March 18 (7:00 pm in Council Chambers at 200 King Street West in Kitchener)

If you need to review our arguments, you can refer to the following statements we made to Heritage Kitchener:: 

ACO Submission to the Heritage Kitchener Advisory Committee

and to the Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee here:

ACO Submission to PSIC

We need to write councillors and attend the Council meeting in order to turn the tide and save these historic, districts.

Now is the time to say something if you want to save the integrity of the Heritage Conservation Districts in Kitchener.

Write... talk... act!