Report to: General Committee                                                  Report Date: October 22, 2007

SUBJECT:                          9 Station Lane (Stiver Mill)

Unionville Heritage Conservation District

Options for Disposition

PREPARED BY:               Catherine Conrad, Town Solicitor

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Request for Expressions of Interest Package for the adaptive re-use of the Stiver Mill property include the option for both disposition and long-term lease;

That staff report back on the results of the Request for Expressions of Interest, including the preferred submission;

And that Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Not applicable.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Not applicable.

PURPOSE:

To recommend that the Request for Expressions of Interest to solicit proposals for the adaptive re-use of the Stiver Mill property remain consistent with Council’s March 27, 2007 direction continuing to include both sale and long term lease options.

BACKGROUND:

Council, on March 27, 2007 directed staff to prepare and issue a Request for Expressions of Interest (“RFEOI”) to solicit proposals for the adaptive re-use of the former Dominion Coal/Stiver Mill property at 9 Station Lane (the “Stiver Mill”).

Council further directed that by way of either sale or a long-term lease prior to the issuance of the RFEOI: i) a steering committee (the “Committee”), comprised of 3 members of Council, one representative from each of the Unionville B.I.A, Unionville Villagers’ Association, and the community at large, be established to review the terms and conditions of the RFEOI and provide an opportunity for community input into the process and ii) in the event that the permitted uses contained in the March 8, 2007 report change (see March 8, 2007 report forming Attachment No.1), that the Committee report back to Council.

General Committee, on May 28, 2007 appointed 3 additional community at large members and two alternates to the Committee.

The Committee has met regularly to discuss potential uses for the Stiver Mill, including the following that are permitted under the current zoning by-law (Office “O”):

Business and professional offices, save for medical and veterinarian offices; and, for the easternmost former store component:

Pharmacy, art studio, flower shop, personal service shop (excluding dry-cleaning) custom workshop for arts and crafts, gallery, photo studio, and antique shop

Committee members from the community at large have continued to advocate for the Stiver Mill remaining in public (Town) ownership by opposing the “sale” option under the proposed RFEOI.   In response to the community’s request, General Committee, at its meeting of September 24, 2007, requested that staff report back on the request to remove the option of selling the Stiver Mill and limiting the process to a long-term lease.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

The purpose of the RFEOI for the Stiver Mill was to “cast a net” to capture as many potential uses as possible for the Stiver Mill, subject to certain limitations including:

Preference for disposal or long-term lease

Adaptive re-use of the existing heritage building

Preference to uses permitted by the zoning by-law

Preference for non-traffic generating uses

Recommendation that the proponent, prior to submission, consult with the local BIA and Unionville Villagers Association

Minimal Town funding

Ultimately, the successful proponent will have to identify a use that strikes a balance between these factors and profitability/sustainability.  The RFEOI, by its nature, is not binding on the Town.

In an effort to identify uses acceptable to the community, the Committee sent out a survey to 2000 residents in the community at large, resulting in 471 responses, with the following additional uses garnering a large percentage of votes:

Bed and Breakfast

Fine Dining Restaurant

Farmer’s Market

Museum

Artisan/studios

Save for artisan studios, all of the above uses will require a rezoning.   The number of respondents suggests a broad interest in the fate and success of the Stiver Mill.  Some of the above uses, whether acceptable or not, would require significant capital investment on the part of the proponent to be successful.

The repurposing of the Stiver Mill represents a unique real estate opportunity, however, from an investment perspective, its market is very limited.  Staff caution that a further restriction on the property, specifically, the elimination of the option for proponents to obtain title to the property, will limit the number and extent of responses by restricting the ability of proponents to obtain financing.  Offering the property for sale or long term lease under an RFEOI provides the best opportunity for the Town to obtain a wide variety of creative responses.

If a successful proposal included a sale of the property, it would be staff’s recommendation that it be sold with a Heritage Easement Agreement registered on title to ensure the Town’s ongoing involvement in the protection of the building’s heritage features.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:

None

ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS:

None

ENGAGE 21ST CONSIDERATIONS:

The preservation of heritage buildings helps to achieve a quality community by maintaining local historical landmarks, thereby contributing and strengthening the sense of community identity.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

Planning and Urban Design Department (Heritage Section).

RECOMMENDED

BY:    ________________________          ________________________

Catherine Conrad                               John Livey

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment No.1 – March 8, 2007 staff report