Report to: Development Services Committee Report Date: June 10, 2008
SUBJECT: Request for Demolition of Dwelling
12 Euclid Street, Unionville Heritage Conservation
District
PREPARED BY: Regan Hutcheson, Manager-Heritage
Planning, ext. 2080
RECOMMENDATION:
That the staff report titled “Request for Demolition of Dwelling, 12
Euclid Street, Unionville Heritage Conservation District” dated June 10, 2008,
be received;
And that Development Services Committee be
advised of the May 14, 2008 resolution of Heritage Markham,
supporting the demolition subject to conditions as outlined in Appendix “A”;
And that Development Services Committee be
advised of the Heritage staff recommendation that the demolition permit
application for 12 Euclid Street, Unionville be refused for the
following reasons:
- The dwelling is important
in terms of contextual value to the heritage district;
- The
dwelling contributes to the visual character of the village landscape;
- The
dwelling is a good example of Colonial Revival architectural style.
And that Development Services Committee provide
a recommendation to Council on the demolition permit application;
That the applicant be notified of Council’s decision as per the
requirements of the Ontario Heritage Act;
And that Staff be authorized and
directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
The purpose of the report is to present information
regarding an application to demolish a house within the Unionville Heritage Conservation
District. The staff recommendation is
that the application be refused for the reasons outlined in the report. Heritage Markham at its
meeting of May 14, 2008 supported
the demolition, subject to conditions (see Appendix “A”).
The property is located in the Unionville Heritage
Conservation District
The dwelling
at 12 Euclid Street is a
one-storey, clapboard sided building in the Colonial Revival architectural
style. The dwelling’s date of
construction is 1949. The dwelling was
built for Mervyn and Evelyn Rainey, lifelong residents of Unionville. The property is located within the Unionville
Heritage Conservation District.
The dwelling
is classified as a type ‘C’ property in the Heritage District Building
Inventory prepared in 1997. Class C
buildings in this district are defined as “buildings that may not relate to the
heritage character of the District”.
Notwithstanding this classification, the building at 12 Euclid Street
possesses similar characteristics to other local houses of the 1920s to 1950s
period that are listed as Class B buildings (“buildings that are important in
terms of contextual value; contribute substantially to the visual character of
the village landscape).
Potential purchasers of the dwelling want to construct
a new dwelling
Mac and
Jennifer Cosburn, the potential purchasers, propose to demolish the existing
dwelling, which they indicate does not meet their needs, and replace it with a
new dwelling that will be compatible with the heritage character of old Unionville. They have advised staff that remodeling and
adding to the existing dwelling is, in their opinion, not feasible. They would also like to pursue the future
severance of the property to create a second lot to the rear.
The potential
purchasers have, with the permission of the current owner (Evan MacDonald),
elected to apply for a demolition permit.
They have a conditional offer on the house which is subject to being
permitted to remove the existing dwelling.
A site visit was arranged to view the dwelling
The owner of
the dwelling arranged an open house on May 12, 2008 to allow Town staff and Heritage Markham to visit
the property and view the interior of the dwelling. The findings included:
Ø
A number of mature trees on the property; the house
is in a park-like setting;
Ø
Exterior of dwelling is generally in good condition;
all windows are replaced with newer vinyl;
Ø
Interior features: good condition, smaller sized
rooms, period woodwork and trims, excellent period interior wood/glass doors
(dining room, front and back doors); damp basement.
Heritage Markham reviewed the
application
At the
Heritage Markham meeting on May 14, 2008 the owner,
the prospective owner and Maria Gatzios, Planning
consultant were in attendance. Mr.
Cosburn offered his commitment to work with staff and Heritage Markham to
achieve a compatible new house and confirmed a size of 3,000 sq ft was
envisioned. He also agreed to retain the
mature vegetation on the property.
Heritage Markham reviewed the
demolition permit application and after extensive discussion, agreed to support
the demolition conditional upon an undertaking from the new owner to retain the
mature vegetation and to limit the new house to around 3,000 sq ft. so that it
would be compatible with other dwellings in the heritage conservation district
(see Appendix “A”)
The subject dwelling is a compatible dwelling in the
heritage district
Most of the
dwellings built circa 1920s to 1950s in the Unionville Heritage District are
listed as Class B properties in the district plan (See Appendix “B”). They are buildings that are generally
compatible in terms of contextual value-- they fit well into the neighbourhood
due to their construction materials, size and scale and massing. They may not be of significant historical or
architectural value, however they contribute to the heritage/village-like
character of the area. The dwelling at 12 Euclid
Street is no different even though it has a
Class C label. Staff has consistently
requested those interested in the property to consider retaining the original
dwelling, modifying the interior and adding an appropriate addition.
The District
Plan does not address the demolition of Class B or C buildings, but rather
provides policies for renovation approaches.
Therefore, demolition requests of these buildings are reviewed on a
case-by-case basis, and the ultimate decision is that of Council.
Heritage Markham supported
the demolition request subject to conditions
As the
property is located within a heritage conservation district, the demolition
permit application (Building Code Act) is also an application as per Section 42
of the Ontario Heritage Act.
The owner must apply to the municipality for a Heritage Act permit to
demolish the building. Council may give
the applicant:
a) the permit applied for;
b) notice that the council is refusing the
application for the permit; or
c) the permit applied for, with terms and
conditions attached
This
application was the subject of considerable lengthy debate at the Heritage
Markham meeting of May 14, 2008, with
Heritage Markham initially not supporting the demolition. In the end, the Committee resolved to support
demolition subject to conditions (a limit to the size of the new dwelling and
retention of mature vegetation).
Staff does not support the demolition
Staff’s view
is that the dwelling may not be of significant historical value, but that it
has strong contextual value, is similar to Class B buildings in the district,
and helps support the character of the village due to its scale and massing. The
dwelling represents a good example of the Colonial Revival architectural style
and there is growing interest in the preservation of architectural styles from
the 1920-1950 period, especially when they form part of protected cultural
heritage landscapes such as heritage conservation districts.
Staff
supports the retention of the existing dwelling for the following reasons:
The property does possess the potential to be severed
into two lots subject to the approval of the Committee of Adjustment. This scenario would allow the existing
dwelling to remain with a new dwelling constructed to meet the purchasers’
needs.
If demolition is supported by Council, staff
recommends conditions
Any new
dwelling on the property will not only be subject to heritage approval as per
the Ontario Heritage Act, but also
site plan approval as per the Planning
Act. The District Plan provides
detailed design guidelines for new buildings.
If Council
elects to support the demolition of 12 Euclid
Street, Unionville staff suggests that it
be subject to the following terms and
conditions as per Section 42(4) of the Ontario Heritage Act:
1) The applicant advertise the availability
of the dwelling for relocation (but not to Markham Heritage Estates) and/or
salvage of materials to try to divert the materials from landfill;
2) The applicant obtain Site Plan Approval
for the new dwelling, prior to the issuance of the demolition permit;
3) The new dwelling unit be approximately 3,000 sq ft in size, to be
compatible with the neighbourhood and comply with the Unionville Heritage
Conservation District Plan; and
4) The
applicant work with staff to retain mature trees and vegetation on the
property.
None
Not
Applicable
Environment: If demolition is supported, it is recommended
that the mature trees on the property be retained and protected. It is also recommended that the applicant
advertise the availability of the dwelling for relocation and/or salvage of
materials in the local newspaper to try to divert the materials from landfill
Heritage Markham was
circulated this application for comment.
RECOMMENDED
BY: ________________________ ________________________
Valerie Shuttleworth, MCIP, RPP Jim
Baird, MCIP, RPP
Director
of Planning and Commissioner
of
Urban
Design Development
Services
Figure 1: Location Map
Figure 2: Area Context
Figure 3: Air Photo
Figure 4: Photographs
Appendix A Heritage Markham Extract
Appendix B Sample Class B
Buildings
Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\EUCLID\12\DSC
Report June 10 08 demo FINAL.doc
FIGURE 1
File Path: Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\EUCLID\12\DSC
Report June 10 08 demo FINAL.doc
APPLICANT: Mac Cosburn
59
Bridlefield Lane
Markham,
ON
L6C 2H1
905-477-2557 (H)
905-477-9993 Fax
OWNER: Evan MacDonald
33
Heatherwood Crescent
Markham,
ON
905-940-0655 (T)
LOCATION MAP: