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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLN 27-23Report to Council Report Number: PLN 27-23 Date: June 26, 2023 From: Kyle Bentley Director, City Development & CBO Subject: Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 - Request for Demolition - 860 Whitevale Road - File: A-3300-097 Recommendation: 1. That Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 to demolish the existing dwelling and accessory buildings located at 860 Whitevale Road be approved; 2. That if there is the opportunity to salvage materials from the garage building for adaptive reuse or donation, should their condition allow it, the Owner make efforts to identify a project use; and 3. That a copy of the final Cultural Heritage Review Recommendations Report is filed with the Pickering Library & Archives as a record of the property’s history. Executive Summary: A Heritage Permit application has been submitted for 860 Whitevale Road to demolish the existing dwelling and accessory buildings. The owner, Infrastructure Ontario, and their agent have submitted a Cultural Heritage Review Recommendations Report in support of the Heritage Permit. While the City of Pickering Heritage Delegation By-law allows the Director, City Development & CBO to grant minor heritage permits, any requests for demolition or removal of a building within a Heritage Conservation District must be approved or denied by Council, in consultation with the Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee (Heritage Pickering). The Ontario Heritage Act, requires municipal Council to issue a decision within 90 days from the receipt of a heritage permit application. Given the required timelines to make a decision, the Heritage Permit application was presented to Heritage Pickering for consideration at a special meeting on June 14, 2023. The Committee recommended approval of the request to demolish the existing dwelling and accessory buildings. Staff recommend that the Heritage Permit be approved. While demolition is considered to be a last resort, the property is not identified as a heritage property within the Whitevale Heritage Conservation District. Additionally, the existing dwelling and one out building were constructed in the 1950s and are not original to the property. No new construction has been proposed at this time. Financial Implications: No direct cost to the City area is anticipated as a result of the recommendation of this report. PLN 27-23 June 26, 2023 Subject: Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 Page 2 Discussion: 1.Background The property at 860 Whitevale Road forms part of the Whitevale Heritage Conservation District (HCD) and is protected under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. While the property is within the Whitevale HCD, the property is not identified as a heritage property in the HCD. The property is located on the north side of Whitevale Road, west of Whites Road (see Location Map, Attachment #1). The property is known as the John Sleigh property or “Spring Grove Farm” and is believed to have been settled in 1825. There are three buildings currently located on the property. A detached dwelling, a garage building, and a storage/former pool building. The buildings are currently vacant and the property has not been occupied since 2018. The current dwelling and storage/former pool building are believed to have been constructed in the mid to late 1950s. Figure 1: Existing detached dwelling at 860 Whitevale Road. The original farmhouse was demolished after the current dwelling was constructed. There is no identified construction date for the garage building. However, it is located in the approximate location of the original driveshed on the property, shown in the 1877 Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario (see Figure 2 below). PLN 27-23 June 26, 2023 Subject: Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 Page 3 Figure 2: Picture from the 1877 Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario. Figure 3: South elevation of the existing garage building. PLN 27-23 June 26, 2023 Subject: Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 Page 4 2.Heritage Permit Application In April 2023, a Heritage Permit application was submitted for 860 Whitevale Road. The scope of the permit application includes the demolition of the existing residential dwelling and accessory buildings. A Cultural Heritage Review Recommendations Report (CHERR) was submitted in support of the Heritage Permit. The City’s Heritage Delegation By-law 7651/18 does not permit the Director, City Development & CBO to grant a Heritage Permit for the demolition or removal of a building that is part of a Heritage Conservation District. Therefore, as required by the Ontario Heritage Act, the status of this heritage permit application is to be decided by Council, in consultation with its Municipal Heritage Committee. 2.1 Cultural Heritage Evaluation Recommendations Report (CHERR) The applicant has submitted a CHERR, prepared by TMHC Inc., in support of the heritage permit application. The CHERR provides background information on the property and existing buildings. The CHERR also documents the condition of the existing structures. The CHERR notes limitations due to no access to the interior of the buildings being available during the site visit. As such, no assessment, or pictures, of the interiors of the buildings are provided in the inventory sheets of the CHERR. Since the report was submitted, the applicant has conducted additional research and investigation of the interior of the garage building. The additional research has not provided any additional conclusions from those reported in the CHERR. If the garage building does have an association with the driveshed depicted in the Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario, the modifications and renovations that have occurred over the years have erased any discernable connections. The additional investigation of the interior of the building documented more modern construction materials and methods. The CHERR concludes that the property does not meet the criteria of Ontario Regulation’s 9/06 or 10/06. The report indicates no further assessment of the property is recommended and recommends that the applicant apply for a heritage permit before any demolition, as the property is located within the Whitevale HCD. 2.2 The Ontario Heritage Act Section 42 of the Ontario Heritage Act states that no owner of a property designated under Part V, Section 41 shall demolish, alter or erect a building or structure on the property unless the owner applies to the Council of the municipality in which the property is situated and receives consent in writing to the demolition or erection of buildings. Within 90 days after the notice of receipt is served on the applicant, the Council, after consultation with its municipal heritage committee, may consent to the application, consent to the application subject to such terms and conditions as may be specified by the Council, or refuse the application. If the Council fails to notify the owner of its decision within the 90 day time period, Council shall be deemed to have consented to the application. PLN 27-23 June 26, 2023 Subject: Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 Page 5 If Council refuses the application, or if Council consents to the application with terms and conditions, then the owner of the property may appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal within 30 days of the owner receiving notice of Council’s decision. 2.3 Whitevale Heritage Conservation District On June 7, 1993, By-law 4074/92 was passed by Council, designating the entire Hamlet of Whitevale as a Conservation District under the Ontario Heritage Act. The HCD was created to encourage the maintenance and conservation of heritage buildings, provide guidelines on conservation practices, and maintain and protect the rural and unique character of the hamlet. Whitevale is a mixture of rural Ontario vernacular architecture that has a distinctive scale, mass, decorative detailing, and building materials. Although many individual buildings and properties have been altered over the decades, the overall nineteenth century village character has been retained. 860 Whitevale Road is not identified as a heritage building within the Whitevale HCD. 3. Analysis 3.1 Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee Recommendation On June 14, 2023, the request for demolition of the existing residential dwelling and accessory buildings was presented to the Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee (Heritage Pickering). The applicant and their heritage consultant, TMHC Inc., presented the findings of the CHERR to the committee, highlighting the additional research of the garage building. The consultant identified that the dwelling and storage/former pool building are not original to the property. The garage building, while possibly older, does not show any clear evidence, through materials or construction methods, that would be able to confirm the date of construction or connection to the driveshed depicted in the Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario. The committee discussed several items with the heritage consultant regarding the existing structures, possible alterations that have occurred, and future plans for the property. The committee noted that the applicant and their consultants provided clear and detailed information regarding the existing structures on the property. Heritage Pickering passed the following motion: 1.That the Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee support the Heritage Permit Application for the demolition of the existing structures, including the detached dwelling and accessory buildings as requested; 2.That a copy of the final CHERR and inventory sheets be filed with the Pickering Library & Archives as a record of the property’s history and documentation of changes; and PLN 27-23 June 26, 2023 Subject: Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 Page 6 3. That if there is the opportunity to salvage materials for adaptive reuse or donation, should their condition allow it, the applicant shall work with staff to achieve that outcome. 3.2 Heritage Consultant Comments The firm Heritage Studio was retained by the City to assist in the review of the heritage permit application. Heritage Studio has advised that the CHERR is complete and accurate. Further, Heritage Studio agrees with the evaluations provided in the CHERR, which concludes that the property does not meet the criteria of either Ontario Regulation 9/06 and 10/06 for cultural heritage value and interest. 3.3 Staff Comments Staff encourage the preservation and adaptive reuse of heritage structures where possible and demolition should be a last resort. While staff encourages this approach, 860 Whitevale Road is not identified as a heritage property in the Whitevale HCD. The CHERR, prepared by TMHC Inc., and comments from Heritage Studio, have established that the existing dwelling and the storage/former pool building are not original to the property, were constructed during the 1950s, and do not meet the criteria for cultural heritage value and interest. Staff had identified that the existing garage building on the property could be associated with a driveshed that was depicted in the 1877 Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario. The applicant has conducted an additional investigation since the CHERR was submitted. The additional investigation did not provide any further conclusions that would link the garage building to the original structure on the John Sleigh farm. The updated information will be included in the final CHERR report. The applicant has not provided a plan for new development on the lands at this time. Should a new development be proposed in the future, the owner of the property will be required to submit a heritage permit as required by the Whitevale HCD. Staff has no objection to the request to demolish existing dwelling and accessory buildings located at 860 Whitevale Road. Attachments: 1. Location Map PLN 27-23 June 26, 2023 Subject: Heritage Permit Application HP 03/23 Page 7 Prepared By: Original Signed By Brandon Weiler, MCIP, RPP Principal Planner, Policy Original Signed By Nilesh Surti, MCIP, RPP Division Head, Development Review & Urban Design Approved/Endorsed By: Original Signed By Catherine Rose, MCIP, RPP Chief Planner Original Signed By Kyle Bentley, P. Eng. Director, City Development & CBO BW :ld Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Original Signed By Attachment #1 to Report PLN 27-23 Whitevale Road W h i t e s R o a d City Development Department Location MapFile:Municipal Address:HP 03/23 Date: May. 15, 2023 ¯ 860 Whitevale Road L:\PLANNING\01-MapFiles\Other\Heritage\HP03-23 860 Whitevale Road\HP03-23_860WhitevaleRoad_LocationMap.mxd 1:6,000 SCALE: THIS IS NOT A PLAN OF SURVEY. © The Corporation of the City of Pickering Produced (in part) under license from: © Kings Printer, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.; © His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, Department ofNatural Resources. All rights reserved.; © Teranet Enterprises Inc. and its suppliers. All rights reserved.; © Municipal PropertyAssessment Corporation and its suppliers. All rights reserved. E SubjectLands