KITCHENER — A new development proposed for a property at the corner of Ontario and Weber streets in downtown Kitchener would wrap a modern 21-storey tower around an 1876 brick duplex.

And in a sign of the new reality in downtown Kitchener, the development is also one of the first not to include a single on-site parking spot for the 126 one-bedroom condos in the tower.

The property at 149-151 Ontario St. and 21 Weber St. N. now contains the yellow-brick duplex, which is listed as a property of heritage interest but isn't a designated building, and a one-storey building put up in 1957 that is occupied by a kitchen and bath store.

The 1876 duplex is used as an office and is in good condition. It is built of the light-yellow brick common in early Kitchener homes. It's the last remaining example of a residential home on Ontario Street and is a unique example of a working-class home, notes a heritage report that the developer prepared for Kitchener's heritage committee, which will consider the project on May 7.

Waterloo Region-based developer Kiah Group Inc. hopes to start construction on the $27-million project next spring, with occupancy in 2021. The project is in on top of proposals to build 18 new buildings in Kitchener's core over the next couple of years.

Kiah had originally planned to demolish the heritage home to make way for a parking garage, but plans evolved after city heritage planners made it clear they felt the building should be preserved.

The heritage facade will be a prominent feature on Ontario Street, and the two side walls of the building will be surrounded by the glass lobby of the condo. The design was inspired by other heritage efforts, such as the redevelopment of the 1907 Huck Glove factory on Victoria Street.

"I'm actually very excited about it," said Kiah principal Sean O'Neill. "The more we talked with city staff, the more we realized we could do something really unique."

The development is also unusual in that it is the first in modern Kitchener not to require any on-site parking.

City council approved the first parts of a massive revamp of the city's zoning bylaw earlier this week, including changes to parking requirements. The new zoning doesn't require any parking in new residential developments downtown.

The changes aim to encourage people to walk, cycle and use transit. They were sparked by a major parking study a couple of years ago that showed Kitchener had been requiring far more parking than was actually used.

There are plenty of parking options for anyone moving into the new development who does own a car, said city planner Garett Stevenson.

Even with all the other developments going up downtown, O'Neill said he's confident there will be a market for these units.

"The city has been working very hard to create a space where people want to live and gather," he said. "I'm happy that there's all this development. They'll all support each other and create this community, which is what the city and I think the people of Kitchener have been waiting a long time for."

The development proposal doesn't require a zoning change, and the developer is working with the city on site plan approvals as well as heritage details.

The redevelopment will demolish the 1957 building and wrap the modern tower around the old brick duplex, which the developer's heritage study says tells something of the story of Kitchener's industrialization in the late 1800s and early 1900s. "Many of the tenants worked in nearby industries which were important to the development of Kitchener and the downtown commercial core," the heritage report says.

The tower will be the highest building along that section of Weber, and will have a significant impact on the Weber Street streetscape, the report says.

cthompson@therecord.com

Twitter: @ThompsonRecord

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