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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLN 01-24Report to Executive Committee Report Number: PLN 01-24 Date: January 8, 2024 From: Kyle Bentley Director, City Development & CBO Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road - File: A-3300-084 Recommendation: 1. That Council endorse the recommendations of the Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee, dated November 22, 2023, to designate 301 Kingston Road, under Section 29, Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act; 2. That the owner submit a Conservation Plan, which shall include a detailed description of the conservation (restoration and rehabilitation) scope of work for 301 Kingston Road supported by architectural drawings; and 3. That appropriate City of Pickering officials be directed to take necessary actions to designate 301 Kingston Road under Section 29, Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, and include the property on the City of Pickering Municipal Heritage Register. Executive Summary: This report seeks to obtain Council’s approval to move forward with the Part IV designation of the property at 301 Kingston Road, under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. This report provides background information on 301 Kingston Road, including its current heritage status, events respecting this property, and next steps. Qualified heritage consultants have assessed the property on two separate occasions. The reports determined the subject property meets Ontario Regulation 9/06, the criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property was found to retain design/physical, and contextual values. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria. At the meeting held on November 22, 2023, the Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee passed a motion recommending that 301 Kingston Road be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Accordingly, the committee recommended City Council be requested to proceed with the designation. Relationship to the Pickering Strategic Plan: The recommendations in this report respond to the Pickering Strategic Plan Priorities of Champion Economic Leadership and Innovation; Advocate for an Inclusive, Welcoming, Safe & Healthy Community; and Strengthen Existing & Build New Partnerships. PLN 01-24 January 8, 2024 Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road Page 2 Financial Implications: No direct financial implications for the City are associated with the recommended action to designate. Discussion: The subject property is located at the southeast corner of Kingston Road and Altona Road, north of Highway 401, within the Rougemount Neighbourhood (see Location Map, Attachment 1). The property has an area of approximately 0.48 of a hectare, with approximately 60 metres of frontage along Kingston Road, and approximately 75 metres of frontage along Altona Road. Mature trees are located along the western property line, fronting Altona Road. The property contains a two-storey building, which is included on the City of Pickering’s Municipal Heritage Register under Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act. The building has been vacant since at least 2021, when the current property owner made significant interior and exterior alterations to the building without obtaining the necessary demolition or building permit. 1. The following is a summary of events between April 2021 and November 2023 April 23, 2021: City Development staff observed unauthorized construction activity at 301 Kingston Road. April 27, 2021: Building Inspection staff conducted a thorough site visit and found significant alterations that were completed without the necessary permits. April 28, 2021: Order to Comply issued, instructing the owner to cease work and apply for a building or demolition permit. May 3, 2021: The owner submitted a demolition permit application after the Order to Comply. May 19, 2021: The owner requested suspension of the demolition permit to facilitate his pursuit to re-develop the site. The owner also notified the City of his intentions to retain Tacoma Engineers to undertake a structural assessment for the two-storey building. June 2021: The owner's planning consultant spoke with Heritage staff; City staff emphasized the building's importance in the context of the area's history. September 19, 2023: The owner requested to reinstate the demolition permit application. This request was not granted as there have been several building code changes since the initial submission in 2021. Further to this, the 2021 application was deemed incomplete. October 18, 2023: A new demolition permit application was formally submitted by the property owner. PLN 01-24 January 8, 2024 Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road Page 3 November 6, 2023: The owner requested a pause on the demolition permit application. City staff informed the owner that pausing does not stop the 60-day timeline for heritage designation as mandated by the Ontario Heritage Act. November 8, 2023: The owner's lawyer requested an extension for engineering reports and heritage assessments. City staff reiterated the importance of adhering to the 60-day timeline as outlined in the Ontario Heritage Act. Subsequently, the owner withdrew the demolition permit application on the same day. November 22, 2023: Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee passed a motion recommending that 301 Kingston Road be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. 2. The City previously determined that the property has Cultural Heritage Value or Interest In 2020, City Development hired Branch Architecture to undertake a Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report (CHER) for four properties located within the Kingston Road Intensification Corridor. The CHER evaluated the subject property against the criteria of Ontario Regulation 9/06 and determined that it possesses Cultural Heritage Value or Interest (CHVI). The report determined the building at 301 Kingston Road was an altered, but rare example of a Georgian house in Pickering, likely dating to the mid-1800s. The principal built heritage feature on the site consists of a two-storey structure with a gable roof. The front (north) façade includes a balanced, yet a-symmetrical display of multiple openings and a centrally placed door. The side elevations display a symmetrical arrangement of window openings. The building is situated on a stone foundation. The property was also found to be historically linked to its surroundings for its associations with the Community of Rouge Hill, and is one of the few remaining buildings from the early settlement of the community. 301 Kingston Road is considered a landmark through its appearance as a representative historic building at a prominent intersection in Pickering (see Photograph 1 below). PLN 01-24 January 8, 2024 Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road Page 4 Photograph 1: East and north elevations of 301 Kingston Road (Branch Architecture 2019) 3. Council passed a Resolution to include the property on the City’s Municipal Heritage Register Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act indicates that municipalities shall keep a register of properties situated in the municipality that are of CHVI. The register must contain all Part IV properties (individually designated) and Part V properties (within a Heritage Conservation District). The register may also include properties that have not been designated, but that Council believes may have CHVI. These are commonly known as “listed” properties. Council must consult with its Municipal Heritage Committee before including or removing a property on the register. In February 2021, the property owner of 301 Kingston Road informed staff of their intentions to demolish the two-storey building, but did not provide a reason for the demolition. Based on the recommendations of the Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee, and due to the possibility of demolition by the owner, Council passed Resolution #536/21 to include the property on the City’s Municipal Heritage Register under Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act (see Council Resolution #536/21, Attachment #2). As noted above, on November 8, 2023, the owner withdrew the demolition permit application, but is still intent on demolishing the building. If a property is listed under Section 27, the owner must give Council 60 days’ notice in writing prior to removal or demolition. This allows time for municipal staff to request additional required information from the owner, such as additional studies or information, to consult with the Heritage Committee, and to report back to Council. Council may then decide to either allow the demolition, or designate the property under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. Additionally, the Building Code Act requires the owner to apply for, and obtain, the necessary building and/or demolition permits. PLN 01-24 January 8, 2024 Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road Page 5 4. A Structural Report was provided by the Owner to the City After suspending the demolition permit application in May 2021, Tacoma Engineers was retained by the property owner to provide a preliminary structural assessment of the building at 301 Kingston Road. The report, dated August 27, 2021, revised December 20, 2021, found the building to be in a partial state of demolition. The report stated the building was in generally poor condition, and indicated that additional structural work may be required to ensure the long-term viability of the building. The report provided the following seven repair recommendations: 1. Remove products of demolition from the house. The stored material will both trap moisture, and load the ground floor above the anticipated capacity of the framing. 2. Reinstate exterior sheathing. Panel sheathing and/or diagonal board decking serves both as a substrate for exterior finishes and, more importantly, as the primary lateral bracing system for the building. Diagonal bracing has been provided as a temporary measure, but this should not be expected to perform satisfactorily past the onset of the winter season. 3. Provide a temporary weather barrier to the exterior of the building. The protection of the structure from water ingress is critical to the short-term survival of the structure. 4. Investigate the existing foundation conditions and carry out repairs or replacements as may be required. Extensive shoring will likely be required to facilitate this work. 5. During the foundation repair work, remediate existing drainage of the site to mitigate the risk of ongoing water ingress. 6. Repair any damaged heavy timber columns and beams. Many of the columns will require partial replacement near grade, and it is expected that lengths of sill plate around the perimeter of the floor framing will require replacement. Discontinuous beams will require reinforcing across joints by way of sistering or complete replacement. 7. Remove and replace all discontinuous framing of walls, ceilings, and floors, as applicable. New framing should be installed in conformance with current design standards and building codes. To the best of staff’s knowledge, the owner has not completed all the recommendations as outlined by Tacoma Engineers; additional photos or a site visit may be required to determine the extent of repairs. 5. The Owner has submitted a Documentation and Commemoration Report LHC Heritage Planning & Archaeology Inc. (LHC), was retained by the property owner, who completed a Documentation and Commemoration Report, dated April 28, 2022. This report recommended the following, in the event the structure is demolished: PLN 01-24 January 8, 2024 Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road Page 6 • salvaged materials should be either incorporated into any new design or for reuse elsewhere; • a reputable contractor(s) with experience working with cultural heritage resource removal should be retained to salvage the identified features; • before salvaging materials for reuse in other buildings or projects, their end location should be determined; • any materials not deemed salvageable, should be recycled, and diverted from landfill; and • a plaque commemorating the Property and Rouge Hill is recommended to be installed in a location visible from the public realm. The report included an evaluation of the property using Ontario Regulation 9/06 to determine if it retained CHVI. Despite the extensive alterations to the building, the evaluation found the subject property met two of the nine criteria, and therefore retained heritage value. The property was found to have connections to the mid-nineteenth century development of Rouge Hill, and was found to be a landmark building. The report also noted the following remaining heritage attributes: • the form, scale, and massing of the residence, and its medium-pitched side-gable roof with returns; and • its location, orientation, and setback. 6. Heritage Pickering recommends the Part IV designation of 301 Kingston Road On November 22, 2023, City Development staff consulted with the Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee. The committee passed a motion recommending that Council designate the property under Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, and staff advised that the Committee’s recommendation would be forwarded to Council for consideration in January 2024. 7. The designation of the property aligns with City of Pickering Official Plan policies Chapter 8 of the Official Plan identifies a cultural heritage goal for the City, which is that City Council shall respect its cultural heritage, and conserve and integrate important cultural heritage resources from all time periods into the community. City Council, in consultation with its heritage committee, where warranted, shall implement the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act, including the designation of heritage sites. In consideration of the use and reuse of heritage resources, City Council shall maintain, if possible, the original use of heritage structures and sites, and if possible, retain the original location and orientation of such structures. City Council shall prevent the demolition, destruction, or inappropriate alteration of important cultural heritage resources to the extent possible, and, where possible, restore, rehabilitate, maintain and enhance important cultural heritage resources owned by the City, and encourage the same for those owned by others. PLN 01-24 January 8, 2024 Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road Page 7 8. Conclusion: The Part IV or Part V designation of a property under the Ontario Heritage Act gives Council the power to prevent the demolition of a building or structure on a heritage property. The owner of a designated property must obtain written consent from Council before the demolition of building on a heritage property. Additionally, owners of properties designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act require a Heritage Permit for most alterations, the construction of new buildings, and hard landscaping. The subject property at 301 Kingston Road is valued as a rare example of a Georgian house in the City of Pickering, likely dating to the mid-1800s. The property is historically linked to its surroundings for its associations with the Rouge Hill Community and is one of the few remaining buildings from the early settlement of the community. The subject property at 301 Kingston Road is an integral component of the Kingston Road and Altona Road streetscape and is considered a landmark building. To ensure its conservation and to enable the City to provide resources to the owner through the heritage permitting process, City staff support proceeding with serving Notice of Intention to Designate on the subject property. It is recommended that Council designate 301 Kingston Road under Section 29, Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Attachments: 1. Location Map 2. Council Resolution #536/21 PLN 01-24 January 8, 2024 Subject: Part IV Designation of 301 Kingston Road Page 8 Prepared By: Original Signed By Emily Game, BA, CAHP Senior Planner, Heritage 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 EG:ld Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Original Signed By Marisa Carpino, M.A. Chief Administrative Officer Attachment #1 to Report PLN 01-24 Ro ugemountDrive Fawndale Road Valley Gate Alt o n a R o a d Le k a n i C o u r t Toynevale Road Wi n e t t e R o a d Pin e Rid g e R o a d Rouge Hill Court D a l e w o o d D r i v e K i n g s t o n R o a d Brookridge Gate Highway 4 0 1 Ly t t o n C o u r t Ri v e r v i e w C r e s c e n t 1:4,000 SCALE: © The Corporation of the City of Pickering Produced (in part) under license from: © Queens Printer, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.;© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Department of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.; © Teranet Enterprises Inc. and its suppliers all rights reserved.; © Municipal Property Assessment Corporation and its suppliers all rights reserved.; City DevelopmentDepartment Location MapFile:Property Description:A-3300-076 THIS IS NOT A PLAN OF SURVEY. Date: Nov. 20, 2019 ¯ E Pt Lot 32, B.F.C. Range 3 SubjectLands L:\PLANNING\01-MapFiles\Other\CityDevelopment\Heritage\301KingstonRd_LocationMap.mxd (301 Kingston Road) City of Toronto Attachment #2 to Report PLN 01-24Legislative Services Division Clerk’s Office Directive Memorandum March 8, 2021 To: Kyle Bentley Director, City Development & CBO From: Susan Cassel City Clerk Subject: Direction as per Minutes of the Special Meeting of City Council held on March 1, 2021 Director, City Development & CBO, Report PLN 13-21 Recommendation to List 301 Kingston Road on the Municipal Heritage Register - 301 Kingston Road Council Decision Resolution #536/21 Please take any action deemed necessary. Susan Cassel Copy: Chief Administrative Officer Planner II - Heritage 1.That Report PLN 13-21 of the Director, City Development & CBO, regarding the listing of 301 Kingston Road on the Municipal Heritage Register be received; 2.That Council endorse the recommendations of the Heritage Pickering AdvisoryCommittee, dated November 25, 2020 to list 301 Kingston Road on the City of Pickering Municipal Heritage Register; and, 3.That staff be directed to take necessary actions to include 301 Kingston Roadon the City of Pickering Municipal Heritage Register.