Thread by @mr_lois_lane

🌇🏚️⛪️As #HamOnt grows, residents and politicians are questioning how to balance historical preservation with new development. I talked to local historians/ heritage advocates, government officials and an architect about the challenge. [1/13]

https://twitter.com/TheAgenda/status/1376566945248591876

In Ontario, the Heritage Act gives municipalities and the province the powers to preserve heritage properties and archeological sites. One application of the act is the use of municipal-heritage registers that publicly identify heritage properties. [2/13] mtc.gov.on.ca/en/heritage/he…

Buildings on the list are afforded some protections from development: 60-day notice must be given to city council, for example, before the demolition or removal of the building in question. During that time, a building’s history and value can be assessed. [3/13]

Then, council can decide whether a heritage designation — which grants long-term protection against demolition and certain alterations — is appropriate. Maria Pearson, the #HamOnt councillor who chairs the heritage committee says they consider significance as well as age. [4/13]

Michael McClelland, of @ERAarch, says definitions of heritage can change with time. The fact that “a lot of Hamilton's heritage is industrial,” he says, leads to such questions as “What is the heritage value of the Stelco plant and all these other industrial buildings?” [5/13]

Further complicating matters is that not everyone who champions heritage does so for disinterested reasons. McClelland notes NIMBY-ism can sometimes masquerade as heritage concerns.
(@TheAgenda did a great segment on NIMBY-ism recently:
) [6/13]

But, he says, it’s in Hamilton’s best interest both to have more density and to protect heritage buildings: “Significant, interesting heritage buildings and cool streetscapes are part of the attraction of the place — they’re why people like living in Hamilton.” [7/13]

Being pro-conservation does not mean being anti-development, notes Shannon Kyles, the president of the Hamilton chapter of @arconserve. “We have no interest in stopping development. But if there are things worth saving, let's identify them and then save them." [8/13]

Will Coukell, president of the ACO, worries cities are losing too many historic buildings. “When you walk down the street, the way the streetscape itself speaks to you about a neighbourhood is quite important,” he says. “I think we're losing that in Ontario.” [9/13]

Amendments to the Heritage Act (ola.org/en/legislative…), Coukell notes, have made it easier for property owners to appeal heritage designations, as they can take a council decision to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. [10/13]

For Ancaster resident Bob Maton, the 2020 demolition on the historic Brandon House (thespec.com/news/hamilton-…) was a call to action. It inspired him and a group of about 20 volunteers to survey pre-1867 buildings in Ancaster to update Hamilton’s heritage inventory. [11/13]

“In Ancaster, we have lost a lot of heritage buildings,” Maton says. “I think there's a kind of rising up of people who are really concerned about that and would like to preserve what still exists.” Kyles calls such work critical to preservation.
e5o.fbc.myftpupload.com/wp-content/upl… [12/13]

Both Maton and Kyles say after staying home during the pandemic, some people seem to have a greater appreciation for their local communities, and more desire to preserve buildings they think matter.

Read the full article here: tvo.org/article/what-c… [13/13]

PS: There were several interesting heritage pieces in the local news recently. Check those out to see the kind of heritage conversations happening in the city right now.

hamiltonnews.com/news-story/103…

thespec.com/local-dundas/n…

thespec.com/news/hamilton-…