Three culturally significant areas of the city have been identified as top priorities for protection – Exhibition Park, St. George’s Park and Ward West.
Next week city council will be asked to take the first step in potentially designating the Ward West area as a heritage conservation district, which would come with regulations regarding new developments, renovations and additions, among other things, intended to preserve heritage features.
Ward West (the western part of The Ward neighbourhood) is bordered by the Eramosa River to the west, Huron Street to the east, Elizabeth Street to the north and Alice Street to the south, as well as lands to the southwest including Howitt Street and down Wyndham Street to York Road.
“We’re suggesting we start with Ward West because … there’s a lot of change happening in that area. There’s pressure for new development and growth in the Ward area, particularly on the west side as you’re approaching downtown,” explained Melissa Aldunate, manager of policy planning, urban design planning and building services for the city.
“It’s one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Guelph … and we want to conserve that for the future.”
That first step, should council approve it during Tuesday’s planning meeting, is to launch a study next year that would identify the area’s cultural heritage features, seek to understand their significance and how to preserve them, and to firm up the precise boundaries of the area to be considered for designation.
The matter would then go back to council to determine if it is suitable to continue with a heritage conservation district designation, followed by the development of a series of planning guidelines and, potentially, new zoning regulations.
“Let’s say they have to repair their porch or they want to replace their porch, they look at those planning guidelines and it sets out things for them to consider in terms of that renovation project,” Aldunate explained of property owners in cultural heritage districts, noting guidelines cover things such as the types of materials to be used, size and scale, setbacks and more “It also sets out whether they require a permit or not.”
“If they require a permit, then they have consultation with our heritage planner and in some cases, if it’s a major alteration, then they have Heritage Guelph and require council approval.”
The city’s only existing heritage conservation district is Brookyln and College Hill, which runs along Gordon Street from Royal City Park to College Avenue. It was approved by council in 2014 but appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board. That appeal was ultimately dismissed and the heritage conservation district officially came into being in 2015.
All three of the priority areas identified in the cultural heritage action plan (CHAP), which council is also being asked to approve on Tuesday, include many lands already listed on the city’s register of cultural heritage properties, as well as properties protected under the Ontario Heritage Act. The process of registering additional properties, Aldunate explained, will continue outside of the action plan.
Other recommendations in the CHAP include:
-
Creation of a suite of financial incentives for landowners
-
Support and encouragement of cultural heritage initiatives
-
Website enhancements
-
Signage and way-finding
-
Support for heritage-related events.
City council approved the creation of a cultural heritage master plan in 2016 and launched a series of public and stakeholder engagement efforts including two community consultation sessions and an online survey.
“Overall the feedback received on the draft CHAP has been supportive of the City moving forward with approval and implementation of the plan,” states a staff report going to council on Tuesday.
