In its latest push to tear down an historic south end barn it failed to maintain despite orders to do so, an ownership group including Mattamy Homes has again turned to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).
The group is appealing city council’s mid-May decision to deny it a demolition permit for 2187 Gordon St. citing safety concerns for repair workers and a potential decrease in the number of homes it can build there if it can’t tear the building down.
“The appellant has proposed to the city an alternative … which would involve a relocation of the farmhouse, and the demolition of the barn and reclamation of useful undamaged materials for the purpose of the partial relocation and commemoration of the barn,” states the letter of appeal, filed by a lawyer on behalf of 2575950 Ontario Ltd.
“This proposal does not appear to have been considered by the city in refusing the demolition application.”
That offer is mentioned in a staff report to council last month recommending the demolition application be refused, noting, “the cost of restoration has only risen because of the owner’s neglect to address it at an earlier stage even in the face of property standards orders.”
Barn restoration work is estimated to cost $1.5 million, the owner now claims. Last September, while unsuccessfully appealing a work order from city officials to repair the building, it pegged the cost at $400,000.
The property at 2187 Gordon St. is home to two buildings with ties to the early days of Guelph’s settlement: One is a stone barn built around 1850, known as the James Kidd barn, and the other is a farmhouse constructed in 1907 and known as the Blair farmhouse.
The development group is also appealing council’s February decision to designate the property for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act, making the same arguments in favour of demolition.
“The condition of the barn has deteriorated significantly in recent years, culminating in the collapse of the north-facing rear stone wall of the barn. There is no long-term remedial solution that is practical or economical to restore the barn to its original state, and no expectation that doing so will ensure its conservation,” the latest appeal letter continues, suggesting it would result in 200 to 500 fewer homes being built.
“The appellant seeks to redevelop the subject lands, and retention of the barn and the dwelling in situ is incompatible with the redevelopment.”
No OLT hearing dates have been set at this point regarding the heritage designation or the denied demolition permit.
