For the first time in 140 years, the huge shoreline industrial site along Lake Street just west of Whitehall's downtown is in the hands of someone other than a leather manufacturer.

As expected, the former Whitehall Leather Co. site, which was contaminated from more than a century of leather-tanning operations, has been sold to developers. If everything goes as planned, the tannery buildings along White Lake will be razed to make room for a 200-unit condominium community.

Genesco Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., which bought the plant in 1944, sold the 33-acre site for an undisclosed price to Old Farm Shores, a land-holding company owned by developer Mick McGraw and his two sons. When a cleanup of the on-site contamination is done, McGraw, president and chief executive officer of Eastbrook Homes of Grand Rapids, plans on developing the site with his South Shore Development LLC partners, including Muskegon attorney Tom Thornhill.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Wednesday approved the city's work order for removal of asbestos and demolition of the on-site tannery buildings, the first substantial physical work on the buildings since tanning operations ceased in 2000. City officials expect to request bids for asbestos removal and demolition early in 2007 and for work to begin in the spring.

"We're excited about the work plan approval because it gives us a chance to do a substantial amount of cleanup," McGraw said.

The cleanup plan for the soil and groundwater on the site, called the remedial action plan, is being negotiated between the DEQ and Genesco. A cleanup of contaminated sediments in White Lake's Tannery Bay -- also a result of the tannery's decades of pollution -- was completed in 2003.

A remedial action plan needs to be approved by the DEQ before construction on the condominium development can begin.

"One of the reasons for closing (on the purchase of the property) is we can exert more pressure on getting the remediation plan done in the way we want it done," McGraw said. "We want it done the right way.

"Genesco wants to get this behind them, but it's a slow process. That's OK, but it's frustrating. I'm satisfied we're making progress."

City Manager Scott Huebler met with DEQ staff Tuesday and said technical issues, such as the number of monitoring wells that will be required, are being negotiated for the on-site cleanup.

"It was certainly a positive-type meeting," Huebler said.

The city earmarked $3.3 million in its 2006-07 budget for tannery site redevelopment. The money will be used for demolition of the building, continued environmental assessments, a public boardwalk along the lake through the site and soil to be spread across the contaminated site.

Most of the money will be reimbursed by Genesco and grants.

The tannery buildings, which are highly visible structures from shores along much of White Lake, likely will be demolished for the redevelopment. Some residents, including longtime former tannery employee Dexter King, had hoped developers would consider building the condos into parts of the buildings.

The approved work order calls for razing up to all of the buildings on the site. McGraw said the developers probably will have all the buildings demolished to accommodate a thorough cleanup and avoid constructing condos in tannery buildings that are close to Lake Street.

The developers are planning on leading local historians through the buildings in an attempt to save any of the historic aspects of the tannery's operations, which began in 1866. The tannery complex includes a gymnasium that was used as a community center and other buildings that employed many White Lake area residents.

"Those buildings were Whitehall, years ago," McGraw said.