Report to Development Services
Committee:                   Date
of Meeting: September 19, 2006

TO:                                    Mayor
and Members of Council

FROM:
Jim Baird,
Commissioner of Development Services

Valerie
Shuttleworth, Director of Planning & Urban Design

PREPARED BY:
George Duncan, Senior Heritage Planner

DATE:
September 19,
2006

SUBJECT:                          OWNER
REQUEST FOR REMOVAL FROM HERITAGE INVENTORY

Ms.
Janice Kaiman

7775
Ninth Line

Box
Grove Community

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report titled “Owner
Request for Removal from Heritage Inventory,” be received;

AND THAT the house at 7775 Ninth
Line continue to be listed on the Markham Inventory of Heritage Buildings.

1.
Purpose                2. Background         3. Discussion             4.
Financial         5. Environmental

6. Accessibility       7. Engage 21st             8. Affected Units       9. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

To recommend to Council that the
house at 7775 Ninth Line, in the historic community of Box Grove, continue to
be listed on the Markham Inventory of Heritage Buildings.

BACKGROUND:

The house has been
listed on the Markham
Inventory of Heritage Buildings since 1991.

The subject property
is located on the east side of Ninth Line within the historic hamlet of Box
Grove.  The house is listed on the Inventory
of Heritage Buildings.  It is
one of several heritage buildings that are found within the core of Box
Grove.  This area has been
identified by the Town as a possible future heritage conservation district
study area.

To date, limited
research has been undertaken on the one and a half storey frame house at 7775
Ninth Line.  It is on Lot 2 of Plan
19, and is near the site of William Beebe’s blacksmith shop.  Based on the form and proportions of the
house, it appears to date from the mid 19th century and has been
well-maintained in a manner that is respectful of its original character.

The owner has had difficulty selling the property

The owner has lived
in the house since the 1970s.  She
is in the process of selling the property and has contacted staff with respect
to the length of time that it has taken to receive an acceptable offer to
purchase.  The owner has discussed
the heritage status of the property and the potential of moving the building to
Markham Heritage Estates with Heritage Section staff, so that the land can be
sold as a development parcel.  Staff
has advised the owner that the house would have to be in a situation where
on-site preservation is not possible in order to qualify for relocation to
Markham Heritage Estates.

The owner made a deputation to Heritage Markham to ask that the heritage status of
the property be changed

The owner made a
deputation to Heritage Markham at the committee’s August 9, 2006 meeting.  At the meeting, Ms. Kaiman provided a
copy of correspondence from the Town’s Municipal Clerk, dated June 30, 1981, in which it
was stated:

This will confirm that the above property has
not been designated under The Ontario
Heritage Act, and is not planned to be designated under such act.

At this time, the
property has not been designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act,
but it is listed on both the Markham Inventory of Heritage Buildings and
as a heritage building within the Box Grove Secondary Plan.  The owner’s position is that the
heritage status of the house has changed since the time of her purchase of the
property, and that the heritage listing and its implications with respect to
the alteration or demolition of the house has discouraged potential purchasers
interested in the property for redevelopment.

Heritage Markham
advised the owner that additional research will be carried out on the property
and it will be subject to the Town’s Heritage Building
Evaluation system

Heritage Markham responded to Ms.
Kaiman’s concerns by recommending that the house be evaluated using the
Town of Markham Heritage Building
Evaluation System.  This will provide feedback to the owner
as to the approach that Heritage Markham would take if an application to alter
or demolish the house was received.
In addition, Heritage Section staff has worked with potential purchasers
to provide guidance and suggestions for how this small house can be expanded by
additions that will preserve the essential heritage elements of the building
while enhancing the space for modern living.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

Heritage Section staff and members of Heritage Markham have visited the property

As a first step in carrying out the
evaluation of the house, Heritage Section staff and two members of Heritage
Markham made a site visit on August
17, 2006.  The site
visit indicated that the house is very modest in size, and is generally in good
condition but would require interior updating and an addition to bring it up to
current standards for a modern family.

The house appears to date from the 1860s

Based on interior mouldings and
other architectural features, the house at 7775 Ninth Line appears to date from
the 1860s.  It was constructed as a
modest tradesman’s home.  Much
of the original layout and materials have been preserved within the context of
later renovations.  The building is
easily recognizable as a heritage structure.

The owner is requesting that the house be removed from the Markham Inventory of
Heritage Buildings

The owner wishes to have the house
at 7775 Ninth Line removed from the Inventory of Heritage Buildings.  This is not the approach to resolving
heritage building status issues that the Town has followed; rather, Heritage
Section staff and Heritage Markham have dealt with this type of request by
putting the buildings through the Town’s Heritage Building Evaluation
system.  Group 1 and 2 heritage
buildings are considered significant and worthy of designation and on-site
preservation.  In cases where a
building comes out as a Group 3 Heritage Building, demolition or alteration of
such a building is generally not opposed.

More research is required to determine the historical significance of
the house

The owner’s
desire to resolve this issue in a timely manner has necessitated the writing of
this staff report prior to full research having been completed on the property.  This research will be done in early
September and will be presented to Heritage Markham for a further
recommendation on September
13, 2006.  The further
recommendation of Heritage Markham, based on the additional research, will be
available in time for the September
19, 2006 Development Services Committee meeting.

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE (Separate Attachment):

There are no financial
considerations in the report.

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The appropriate treatment of
heritage resources within an area of historical interest contributes to a
Quality Community by preserving and enhancing features that contribute to the
sense of place.

RECOMMENDED BY:

Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.

Director of Planning
& Urban Design

Jim
Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.

Commissioner of Development Services

ATTACHMENTS:

Figure 1: Applicant/Location Map

Figure 2: Photographs of the house
at 7775 Ninth Line

Appendix ‘A’: Heritage
Markham
Extract, August 9, 2006

Appendix ‘B’: Letter
from Town stating heritage status in 1981.

Appendix ‘C’: Heritage Building Inventory Listing

FILE PATH:  Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\NINTH\7775\DSCSept19.dot

FIGURE 1:

APPLICANT:             Ms
Janice Kaiman                    Tel.
905-294-6728

7775
Ninth Line                       Work
Tel. 416-499-4000 x55

Markham ON

L6B 1A8

LOCATION MAP: