Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date: October 16, 2007
SUBJECT: DEMOLITION
PERMIT APPLICATION 07 126030 DP
House
and Detached Garage
Ms. Irina Gordon
179
John Street
Thornhill Heritage
Conservation District
PREPARED BY: George
Duncan, Senior Heritage Planner, ext. 2296
RECOMMENDATION:
That in accordance with the
recommendation of Heritage Markham, Council refuse the demolition permit
application for the c.1948 house at 179 John Street;
That the applicant be requested to
work with Town staff and Heritage Markham to create an appropriate addition
that will preserve the significant heritage attributes of the existing house;
That the applicant be notified of
Council’s decision as per the requirements of the Ontario Heritage Act;
That Council indicate no objection
to the demolition of the detached garage on the subject property.
And that Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
An application to demolish a house and garage at 179
John Street has been submitted by the new owner of
the property. The one and a half storey,
frame house was built in 1948, according to assessment data. The house is listed as a “C” class building
within the new Thornhill Heritage Conservation
District Plan. According to the policies
of the plan, some C buildings are of value as they are complementary to the
character of the Heritage Conservation
District, therefore, demolition of C Class buildings is considered on a
case-by-case basis. The owner does not
want to retain the existing house, but plans to replace it with a new, brick,
two storey home in the Gothic Revival style.
The owner has submitted a Minor Variance Application to facilitate
development of a new home, proposed to have an attached, 2-car garage at the
side, recessed from the façade.
Heritage Markham and Staff
do not support the demolition of this house based on its contextual value to
the district, and have had on-going meetings with the applicant over the past
year to suggest that an appropriately designed addition to the existing house
would be the preferred option for creating a more spacious home on the
property. The owner has consistently
opposed this option, and after meeting with Heritage
Markham and staff, has submitted a demolition permit application. On September
12, 2007, Heritage Markham passed
a resolution recommending that Council refuse the demolition permit
application.
PURPOSE:
To present information regarding
an application to demolish a house and garage within the Thornhill Heritage
Conservation District, and to recommend that the application be refused.
BACKGROUND:
The house at 179 John Street dates from 1948
The one and a half storey house at 179
John Street is located at the eastern boundary of
the Thornhill Heritage Conservation District
(A brief description of the house from the Heritage District Building Inventory
is attached as Appendix “A”). According
to assessment records, the building dates from 1948. It is a modest, clapboarded dwelling dating
from the Post World War Two period of Thornhill’s suburban development. Its Colonial Revival architectural style,
wood siding, low height and small scale make it compatible with the
village-like character of old Thornhill.
At a site visit in January 2006, when the property was under
another ownership, Heritage Section staff and
members of Heritage Markham observed that the
house was generally in good condition and that it was of cultural heritage
value or interest as an older building compatible with the character of the
Thornhill Heritage Conservation District. Heritage Markham’s
position was expressed in a recommendation from the February 8, 2006 meeting (Extract attached as
Appendix “B”).
The house has a “C”
classification in the new Thornhill Heritage
Conservation District Plan
When the initial Thornhill Heritage
Conservation District Plan was approved in 1986, this house was not listed
among the “Significant” or heritage buildings.
At that time, most of the significant buildings dated from the 19th
century. Few 20th century
buildings were given recognition as being of heritage value. When the District Plan was under review in
2006-2007, the consultants, in consultation with Heritage
Section staff, created three categories of buildings: A (buildings of cultural
heritage value); B (compatible buildings); and C (non-contributing
buildings). These categories were the
same as those in place in the Markham
Village and Unionville Plan.
In the draft 2007 Thornhill Heritage
Conservation District Plan, the house was proposed to have a “B”
classification, which was supported by Heritage
Section staff. During the latter period
of the Heritage Plan review, based on feedback from some local residents, the
classification system was changed as follows: A (buildings of cultural heritage
value); B (emerging heritage buildings, mainly from the 1900 to 1939 period);
and C (Other buildings, both complementary to the district and
non-contributing). In view of the
changes to the classification system, 179 John Street
was re-classified as a “C” due to its 1948 date of construction.
The new owner has met with Heritage
Section Staff and Heritage Markham
to discuss the redevelopment of the property
By June of 2006, the
property was sold to the present owner, Ms. Irina Gordon. In May of 2007, Ms. Gordon and her architect
met with staff to present a proposal for a new house on the property. The owner stated that the existing house was
not in good condition and that she wished to replace it with a new house. Staff presented the option of an appropriate
addition, which was not of interest to the applicant.
At Heritage Markham’s July 11, 2007 meeting, Mr. Victor Guitberg, Architect,
appeared on behalf of Ms. Irina Gordon, owner of 179 John Street. Mr.
Guitberg presented a proposal for a new 2 storey brick house to be constructed
at 179
John Street, to replace the existing 1 ½ storey frame home on the property. This presentation was for feedback purposes, as
no planning applications had been submitted at this time.
Heritage Markham
does not support redevelopment based on the demolition of the existing house at
179 John Street.
Heritage Markham’s feedback regarding the applicant’s
proposal is contained in a copy of the Extract from the meeting, attached as
Appendix “C”. In brief, Heritage Markham recommended preservation of the
existing house, and support for an appropriately designed addition. This feedback is consistent with the Committee’s
recommendation of February 8, 2006.
The owner was not in agreement with Heritage Markham’s recommendation
At Heritage Markham’s August 8, 2007 meeting, the applicant/owner of 179 John Street, and her architect, made a deputation to the
committee regarding a proposal to demolish the existing frame house on the
property and replace it with a new brick house with an attached garage in the
side yard. Heritage Markham re-affirmed its earlier recommendations from
the July 11, 2007
meeting, supporting the preservation of the existing house with an appropriate
addition, based on the cultural heritage value of the 1948 building.
A demolition permit application has been submitted for
the house and the garage
Subsequent to the August 8,
2007 meeting of Heritage Markham, the applicant/owner applied for a
demolition permit for the existing house and garage. An application has also been received for
Minor Variances pertaining to the proposed new house. At its meeting of September 12, 2007, Heritage Markham passed a resolution that the
demolition permit not be supported by the Town of Markham (Extract attached as Appendix “D”).
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
A “C” classification does not ensure that demolition will be supported
According to the policies of the
new Thornhill Heritage Conservation District
Plan, the demolition of Class C buildings will be considered on a case by case
basis. Many of the C buildings have
cultural heritage value or contextual value.
According to the provisions of the Ontario Heritage
Act, a property can possess contextual value if it is “important in defining,
maintaining or supporting the character of an area”. The loss of a building of contextual value would
be detrimental to the preservation of the character of old Thornhill. Quoting directly from the 2007 District Plan
(Section 4.3.1):
Some Class C buildings are also complementary such as the many Cape Cod cottages, some of the veterans’ housing,
which were inspired by the same New England
precedents that the United Empire Loyalists brought to Upper Canada.
The house can be preserved and enlarged with an appropriately designed
new addition.
The preservation of the existing
house on the property would not prevent the construction of an addition. The recommended approach would be to retain
the essential character of the 1948 house, and expand it at the rear with a
complementary addition according to the guidelines and policies of the
Thornhill Heritage Conservation District
Plan. The demolition of the garage, not
considered to have heritage value, can be supported to allow the applicant
greater flexibility on the site.
The owner/applicant does not want to retain and expand the existing
house
The owner/applicant has made it
clear that she does not want to retain and expand the existing house. She had a professional evaluation of the
condition of the house undertaken, and this evaluation provided costs to bring
the house up to the owner’s desired standards.
The recommended improvements associated with the existing house and
property include the upgrading and replacement of mechanical systems, basement
insulation and waterproofing, interior decorating, new appliances, alarm
system, landscaping and driveway, among other things (please refer to Appendix
“E”). These improvements are typical or
common to many older dwellings and are often the result of the need for maintenance
or the specific needs and tastes of the property owner. The cost to implement the owner’s
requirements was estimated at $33,000 and the owner is not interested in
investing in the current dwelling.
The owner/applicant has submitted plans for a new, brick, 2 storey
house
The owner/applicant has submitted
conceptual plans for a new house on the property, and has submitted a Minor
Variance Application based on this design.
The proposed new house, a 2 storey brick dwelling rendered in the Gothic
Revival style, is consistent with the design guidelines of the Thornhill Heritage
Conservation District, based on a review by Heritage
Section staff. The house would be 407
square metres (4,136 square feet) and would have an attached, 2 car garage set
back on the east side wall. The minor
variances are for minimum lot frontage (to recognize an existing deficient
frontage), maximum building depth, and maximum building height. The minor variances are specific to the
design of the new house submitted with the Minor Variance Application.
Staff and Heritage
Markham have recommended deferral of the Minor Variance Application pending
resolution of the demolition permit application, since the variances deal
specifically with the design of the proposed new house.
The demolition permit application should be refused
Heritage
Markham and Heritage Section staff are of the
opinion that the house at 179 John Street
is of cultural heritage value due to its contextual value (“maintaining &
supporting the character of the area”), and should not be demolished. It should be noted that this position was
made known to the previous owner, and to the current owner, from the time of
the first inquiries about the potential for demolition approval early in 2006.
The applicant has the right of appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board
If Council refuses the demolition
permit application, within 30 days of receiving notice of Council’s decision,
the applicant may make and appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board. If a hearing is held and the Board does not
support Council’s decision to refuse the demolition permit, the Board has the
power, under Section 42 of the new Ontario Heritage Act, to direct that
the demolition permit be issued with or without terms and conditions.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS
AND TEMPLATE: (external link)
Not applicable.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
The preservation of a building,
rather than its demolition, will diminish the amount of demolition debris going
into landfill sites and is a sustainable approach that will recycle an existing
structure for continued use.
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:
Not applicable.
ENGAGE 21ST
CONSIDERATIONS:
The preservation of buildings of
cultural heritage value helps achieve a quality community by supporting the
character of the Heritage Conservation
District.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED
AND AFFECTED:
Not applicable.
RECOMMENDED BY:
_______________________________ _______________________________
Valerie
Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
James Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director
of Planning and Urban Design Commissioner of Development Service
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1: Location Map
Figure 2: Photographs of the Building
Appendix “A”: Heritage
Conservation District
Building Inventory Page
Appendix “B”: Heritage
Markham Extract February 8, 2006
Appendix “C”: Heritage
Markham Extract July 11, 2007
Appendix “D”: Heritage
Markham Extract September 12, 2007
FILE PATH:
Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\JOHN\179\DSCOct1607demolition.doc
FIGURE 1
Owner/Applicant:
Ms. Irina Gordon Tel.
(416) 831-8956
179 John Street Fax.
(416) 321-0045
Thornhill ON
L3T 1Y8
Location Map: