Kitchener Heritage Committee OKs Boathouse plans
The City of Kitchener is moving forward with a plan to redevelop a heritage building on Victoria Park Lake.
In a vote at the November 1 meeting of its Heritage Committee, councillors gave a proposal by Walkinshaw Holdings a unanimous stamp of approval to proceed with renovations to the 1930s-era Boathouse structure.
Walkinshaw Holdings has proposed to turn the Boathouse in Victoria Park into a new venue for live music, food and entertainment. Specifically, it is proposing the following changes:
- an addition to the west façade of the building to accommodate a new washroom,
- a cantilevered patio extending over a portion of Victoria Park Lake, and
- adjustments to windows and doors, including a new building entrance.
In addition, building work would also include mitigation measures such as installing planter beds, ensuring compatible design for the addition, and installing a commemorative plaque.
A prior heritage assessment concluded that the proposed alterations would not adversely impact Victoria Park or the Victoria Park Neighborhood Heritage Conservation District.
The Walkinshaw Holdings proposal places a focus on social responsibility, with paid local live music a minimum of two days a week, and locally sourced food and drink. The organization also proposes to manage neighbourhood noise impacts and establish a local arts fund and form a Community Advisory Committee to ensure programming is inclusive and diverse.
Walkinshaw Holdings is made up of a team of local entrepreneurs with decades of collective experience in the restaurant industry, entertainment, marketing, fundraising, business, and technology.
It plans to open the renovated Boathouse next spring.
The building originally opened in 1929, and was heavily modified after it was damaged in a fire in 1967. It closed to the public in 2019, and in 2021, the city opened a request for proposals process to solicit ideas about the building’s future.
Now that the application has received a green light to proceed from the Heritage Committee, the final deliberation will go to City Council on December 12.