Report to: Development Services Committee Meeting Date: September 14, 2010
SUBJECT: Request for Demolition
of Dwelling
7 Victoria Avenue, Unionville Heritage Conservation District
Donna
Nitchie
PREPARED BY: Regan Hutcheson, Manager-Heritage Planning,
ext. 2080
RECOMMENDATION:
1)
That the staff report titled
“Request for Demolition of Dwelling, 7 Victoria Avenue, Unionville Heritage
Conservation District” dated September 14, 2010, be received;
2)
THAT Council does not support
the demolition of the dwelling at 7 Victoria Avenue located within the Unionville
Heritage Conservation District.
3)
And that Staff be authorized
and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
To recommend that Council not support the demolition of the
dwelling at 7 Victoria Avenue, Unionville Heritage Conservation District.
Property and existing heritage dwelling
The existing dwelling at 7 Victoria Avenue, Unionville is
a 1 ½ storey worker’s cottage constructed circa 1875-1880, with renovations
occurring in 1929 and in the early 1960s. The dwelling was placed on a cement
foundation in the 1960s, and a number of renovations have taken place (new
windows and siding) over time.
The subject property, with a frontage of 20.1m (66ft) and
average depth of 49.7m (163ft),
is located in a low lying area just east of the stream on the south side of
Victoria Avenue adjacent to the Planing Mill
commercial shopping development. The
railway tracks abut the southern boundary.
The subject property is zoned
R3. The Official Plan designation is
Special Policy Area.
William Eakin created a small
subdivision of village lots on the south side of Victoria Avenue in 1873. The plan consisted of 8 lots with Lot 1 being
the Planing Mill and Lot 2 being where 7 Victoria
Avenue stands today. In 1877, the
property was sold to Warren Bishop Jr., a labourer/teamster, and later sold to
Robert Meyer, a local labourer in 1889.
In the recollections of Mrs. Jenny Harrington (granddaughter of Robert
Harrington, owner of the Mill), the following passage describes the house as
she remembers it:
“There was a small stream running through
the mill property, In
the spring it would flood and carry some of the planks away [from the planing mill]. They
would usually be caught in a culvert under the railway track…There was a house
below the hill on Victoria Avenue which would be almost surrounded by water in
the flood. We called it ‘The Ark’. The Meyer family lived there at one time.”
Owner of the property seeks
permission to remove or demolish the existing heritage dwelling
The dwelling at 7 Victoria Avenue, Unionville is
identified as a resource of cultural heritage value in the Unionville Heritage
Conservation District Plan. The owner of
the property would like to have this designation removed from the property as
she believes it is negatively affecting the sale of the property. A number of prospective purchasers wish to
demolish the existing dwelling.
The owner has been seeking demolition since approaching
Heritage Markham in 2004. This initial request was abandoned by the owner, but
reactivated in 2005. Heritage Markham
undertook a site visit in 2005 and indicated that the original (front) portion
of the dwelling had sufficient heritage significance to support its
preservation, and that demolition or removal was not supported. Heritage Markham encouraged the owner to seek
approval for a complementary rear addition.
The owner again requested the heritage status of the
property in March 2009 and was provided this information by staff. In March 2010, the owner requested removal of
the home from the heritage listing. The owner provided information from a
previous owner indicating that in 1962 they had installed a new basement and modernized
the interior with new plumbing and wiring.
The owner felt this made it a new house and therefore had no heritage
value. Staff indicated that many
heritage houses have been significantly altered but this has not diminished
their heritage status or value and many more have been restored to their former
glory in heritage districts and at Markham Heritage Estates.
A formal request for demolition was submitted by the owner
and the official notice of receipt was provided on June 28, 2010.
The property is located within a
heritage conservation district
As the property is designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act, the review by Heritage Markham is
required and the approval of Council is necessary to permit the demolition of
the existing dwelling. Council has 90
days or until September 25th to render a decision on this
matter.
The property is located within a
floodplain
Normally development is not permitted in a floodplain, but
as this house is considered historical development that forms part of an
existing floodprone community, the area is designated
Special Policy Area. Potential development must be adequately set back from the
hydraulic floodway and flood-proofed to the Regional Storm Flood Plain
Elevation (175.25 m). All openings (windows/doors)
must be located at or above this elevation.
This would impact any new development on the property.
Heritage Markham does not support the
demolition
The owner of
the dwelling arranged an open house on August 3, 2010 to allow Town staff and Heritage
Markham to visit the property and view the interior and exterior of the
dwelling. At the August 11, 2010
meeting, Heritage Markham indicated that it is of the opinion that the front
part of the existing house at 7 Victoria Avenue, Unionville, is the original
dwelling and possesses cultural heritage value due to its scale, massing and
form, and that demolition or removal is not supported. The Committee suggested that any plans to
modify and/or expand the house include an exterior restoration plan for the
front part of the house and a compatible design for any addition(s).
The dwelling is an important heritage resource on Victoria
Avenue
The dwelling is significant for its context on Victoria
Avenue (which is one of the most intact heritage streets in Unionville) and
retains its original form, scale and massing despite a number of 20th
century alterations. These alterations
include new window openings in the front, aluminum siding, a new foundation and
a carport. None of the changes would
preclude future restoration by another owner.
The property was categorized as Class B in the Unionville
Heritage Conservation District Plan as a building which substantially
contributes to the visual character of the village landscape and supports the
character of the district. The District
Plan also states the following about the buildings on Victoria Avenue:
o The character
of Victoria Avenue is the most representative example of a vernacular
streetscape in the District. Unlike
other linear streets in the District, Victoria Avenue, hemmed in by the Rouge
River on the north and the CNR tracks on the south, has evolved into a narrow
winding road lined with modest, simple, frame houses situated close to the
street.
o While some
buildings have been re-clad over time with modern materials, the 1 ½ storey
wood frame cottage with wood cladding is the predominant residential building
form on the street.
Owner questions whether the heritage
building still exists
The owner speculates
that the former dwelling was taken down and rebuilt in the same shape and size
in the 1960s. Staff
has examined the building and is confident that the heritage house was not
replaced, as supported by the following observations:
o The main
floor is made up of an undisturbed system of fully 2” wide, rough sawn floor
joists supporting a tongue and groove floor and all the wood components are
oxidized which is consistent with wood from the 1800s.
o The
stairwell, stair configuration and proportions, as well as the newel post and railing are original to the
house
o The flooring
of the second storey (as observed when a heating register cover was removed)
revealed carpet on a modern plywood sub-floor atop a historic tongue and groove
floor.
o The roof
slope and size of the small main house are consistent with a late 19th
century house form whereas the rear addition which dates from the 1960s takes
on a more modern appearance (shallow roof slope for better head room). If the heritage building was replaced in the
1960s one would assume that the building footprint which is extremely small
would have been made larger and the roofline modified to provide more head
room.
o Although it
could not be definitively confirmed, it appears that the exterior aluminum
siding covers a wood cladding.
TRCA requirements would appear to
negatively affect the design of any new dwelling
If demolition was permitted, it is unlikely that the new
dwelling would be as compatible with the streetscape/ Heritage District given
the flood-proofing requirements of the TRCA.
A review of the current contours of the property indicates that the
grading at the front of the property is between 171 and 172m. The house and property immediately to the
east is at least 2m higher. Based on
correspondence received, the TRCA would want no openings below 175.25m which
would put any door or window openings of the house some 3.25m (10.6ft) above
the existing grade. The resulting
dwelling design would be out of character with the streetscape and the heritage
area.
Demolition is not supported
Staff and
Heritage Markham do not support the demolition of the dwelling as it represents
an important heritage resource both on the Victoria Avenue streetscape and as
part of the Unionville Heritage Conservation District. The house is a simple worker’s cottage that
is similar to other modest frame houses in the vicinity of the former Planing Mill and railway station in old Unionville. The building is capable of being restored
just as many other properties have been on nearby streets and throughout the Town
in our other heritage districts and at Markham Heritage Estates. It is also unlikely that any replacement
dwelling would be as compatible to the character and context of the heritage
district due to the requirements of the TRCA.
There is no opposition to the removal of the rear tail addition that
appears to have been constructed in the 1960s.
Not applicable at this time.
Not applicable at this time.
The preservation of heritage buildings within heritage
conservation districts aligns with the Town of Markham’s Strategic Priority of
Managed Growth.
The demolition request was reviewed by Heritage Markham,
Council’s advisory committee on heritage matters. Heritage Markham does not
support demolition.
RECOMMENDED BY:
________________________ ________________________
Biju Karumanchery, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Senior Development Manager Commissioner
of Development Services
Figure 1: Location Map
Figure 2: Area Context
Appendix ‘A’ Photo
of Dwelling
Appendix ‘B’ Similar
Dwellings on Victoria Avenue
Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\VICTORAV\07\DSC Sept
14 2010 demo.doc
FIGURE 1
FILE
PATH: Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\VICTORAV\07\DSC Sept
14 2010 demo.doc
APPLICANT:
Donna Nitchie
7 Victoria Avenue
Unionville, ON L3R 1R8
Email – N/A
LOCATION
MAP