Thread by @adamadonaldson

Coming up at high noon is this month's Heritage #Guelph meeting. Follow along with these tweets. guelphpolitico.ca/2023/02/03/mee…

Chair Carroll calls the meeting to order.

Carroll is subbing for the committee's usual chair, Sarah Epp.

First update, an update on the proposed operations campus from Melissa Aldunate, Manager of Policy Planning and Urban Design. This does affect the OR land property, and if you follow this space, this much of the same info from CoW last week: guelphpolitico.ca/2023/02/12/thi…

Aldunate notes that the quarry is within the bounds of the natural heritage system on this property, which will be protected as outlined in the current plan. The buildings will be constructed closer to the Stone/Watson intersection.

Member Tilley asks if there's an overlap with the proposed HCD boundary. Aldunate says the construction site is outside the boundaries, but portions of the whole property are.

Next, moving the recommended boundary for the heritage conservation district at the OR lands. (This was a full presentation at the previous meeting, but it couldn't be passed in workshop.

Corman and Wood move. Passed unanimously.

Next: Designation Priorities and Draft 2023 Workplan. Staff have prepared a list of 10 properties that they will work on designating this year based on committee feedback.

39 priorities were identified, 64% were in the downtown core. Staff wants to focus on properties outside downtown because they want to get a consultant to look at a downtown heritage district, so that feedback is being saved for later.

The top pick for the properties outside downtown was 108 Queen Street. Staff did recommend two properties on their own 331 Clair Road East & 12 Eramosa Road, which they feel will be under pressure to demolish for redevelop. A Willow Rd property was also added at owner's request.

Victoria Nagy, Heritage Planner, notes that there was a lot of overlap on the lists:

Current work plan:
-designating four previously announced properties: Abion, Tytler, Alice Club House, and Delhi Street
-RFP process for the Downtown HCD
-Making the register more accessible
-Speaker series for the spring and fall.

Nagy notes that the register is available online, but it does need to be made more accessible for the general public and AODA compliant: guelph.ca/wp-content/upl…

Immediate Next steps:
1. Move forward with background research on top 10
2. Begin bid process for Downtown Heritage Protection Strategy incl. sharing list of Downtown properties identified
3. Reach out to property owners of residences identified to get friendly designations

Corman asks about the Kidd Barn on Gordon St. Aldunate says it's top of mind, but since the Clair-Maltby plan is being appealed, there's not much they can do now.

Allen's Bridge? That's part of a downtown project ongoing right now looking at infrastructure, and the impacts on heritage are being looked as part of that process.

Corman says she has concerns that there are no properties for downtown on the list despite staff explanations. She's concerned with news about 90 Carden sale and the changes to the Basilica.

Aldunate says they're looking at getting the most work done in the least amount of time, and there are a large number of individual properties DT so getting the HCD makes that easier. Aldunate notes that the Diocese has been good stewards of Catholic Hill & not at risk of redev.

Corman asks getting further feedback from committee about non-downtown properties. Aldunate says if a decision on this deferred to the next meeting, that's no big deal.

Tilley asks if council has seen a plan for downtown HCD. Aldunate says downtown was approved as a priority area in the Cultural Heritage Action Plan. Council approved Ward West study, but that was later deferred for OR Lands...

...Council then approved funding for priority actions, and that money was supposed to go to refresh of Couling registry, but since that's off the table now, it's going to Downtown HCD instead. Council doesn't need to approve funding.

Tilley asks about timing, can it be done in the next two years? Aldunate says about 18 months, there were extenuating circumstances on College Hill HCD that made it take longer.

Tilley asks about the teeth of the Downtown Secondary Plan to protect heritage. Aldunate says if change was to occur, there would be a public process under the Planning Act, but the DSP was designed with heritage in mind.

Tilley asks if there's no reason not to do individual designations. Aldunate says it's a matter of time and resources. They want friendly designations especially b/c that means less time fighting appeals, which is a time suck.

Tilley asks if Catholic Hill is in the scope of the DT HCD. Aldunate says that the CHAP has character areas, and the Hill is a separate heritage landscape from the historic DT. It would not be designated as part of the HCD.

Cllr Downer asks if there's legal tools to stop the demo of a significant building downtown. Aldunate says that she believes that once a HCD study commences that council can pass a bylaw to pause demos. She'll look into it and bring back info.

Downer asks if the Kidd Barn is protected at all right now. Aldunate notes that the cultural heritage policies of the second plan are under appeal, but they're still on the register so there is protection till Jan 2025.

Downer asks about how long the protections will be there. Aldunate says that the appeal for the Clair-Maltby Secondary Plan is set for January, so hopefully it won't take years to resolve the appeal.

Downer notes that she has concerns about St Agnes on Catholic Hill. Yes, the Diocese has been a good steward recently, but there's a concern that the Hill won't be part of downtown HCD.

Nagy says she gets that, and the list is not set in stone. If committee wants, they can make it a priority.

Back to Tilley, who echoes Downer's idea to make St. Agnes a property. Corman also agrees.

Carroll notes that committee will defer this to the next meeting, and asks Nagy to add St. Agnes.

Downer says is there a problem with having 11 top priorities instead of 10. Doesn't want to drop anything.

Nagy says this is just an exercise to shape work plan, the priority was to narrow the list down from 1,700.

Waterman supports the idea of not rounding things off to the "magic number" of 11.

Tilley asks if 408 Willow includes 404 Willow. Senior Planner Robinson says 404 is the couch house, and a separate property. 404 is also owned by the Province, so designation can't come into effect till they sell it anyway.

Member Winters asks if the scope of the downtown HCD is the historic streetscape. Aldunate says yes, and staff will send out that info in advanced of the next meeting.

Motion to defer vote THAT Heritage Guelph supports the February 2023 recommended list of priority properties for designation research by Tilley and Corman. Passes unanimously.

Last item: Update on Designation Plaques.

Robinson shows off one of the 19 new heritage plaques. They're presently being prepared to be sent out to property owners.

So that's the end of the meeting. Be back here for more Heritage Guelph on March 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm.

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