Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee Meeting

Minutes

Meeting #:

Date:

Wednesday, February 08, 2023

Time:

7:00 P.m. - 9:00 P.m.

Location:

Virtual

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1.

Members Present:

Michele Camacho (Chair), Barry Duffey, Marsha Paley, Angela Richardson, Marwa Refaat, Len Collins and Alan Harrington

2.

Regrets:

Sille Nygaard Mikkelsen, Jenna Dobson and Rob Korporaal

3.

Others Present:

Councillor Shawna Stolte, Kayla Jonas Galvin (ARA Ltd.), John O'Reilly (Heritage Planner), Jo-Anne Rudy (Committee Clerk)

4.

Land Acknowledgement:

The Chair read the land acknowledgement.

5.

Declarations of Interest:

None

6.

Approval of Minutes:

6.1

Approve minutes from meeting held January 11, 2023

On motion, the minutes from the meeting held January 11, 2023 were approved as presented.

7.

Delegation(s):

7.1

488 Locust Street - Eligibility for Heritage Designation - Michael Sobhi, property owner

• Geeta Sobhi, property owner, spoke in opposition to the designation of her property at 488 Locust Street and stated that it is not a strong example of Gothic Revival style and it will negatively impact the market value of the property and her family.

8.

Regular Items:

8.1

Heritage Planner update

a.

488 Locust Street - Eligibility for Heritage Designation

• John provided a brief overview of the property and noted that Council added 488 Locust Street to the Heritage Register and directed staff to evaluate the eligibility for heritage designation by hiring a qualified heritage consultant to complete a heritage property evaluation and statement of significance. John advised that the City retained Archaeological Research Associates Ltd. (ARA) to complete this work and introduced Kayla Jonas Galvin from ARA to present their findings.
• Kayla reviewed the Design/Physical, Historical/Associative and Contextual values of the property and noted that while this property is representative of a Gothic Revival cottage, it is not the strongest example. Kayla stated that it does not have significant historical or associative value and noted that the owners of the house were not particularly significant to the community at large. The property has been altered since the owner purchased it with all historic wood windows being removed and rectangular windows being inserted into the semi-circle openings of the arched windows. Kayla added that while this property is not individually outstanding, it has contextual value and is part of and supports the continuity of the streetscape and historic character of the area.
• Members expressed concern about the City losing heritage properties slowly and stated the importance of maintaining the heritage streetscape. Members supported designating this property but noted the rear elevation and existing addition should be excluded as heritage attributes. Motion: Whereas 488 Locust Street meets the criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest under Ontario Regulation 9/06 and is well suited as a contributing property in the cultural heritage landscape of Locust Street, the Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee recommends that City Council proceed to designate the property under section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, while excluding the rear elevation and existing additions from the list of heritage attributes. CARRIED

b.

496 Walker's Line - Eligibility for Heritage Designation

• John advised that on February 1, 2023 the Committee of the Whole recommended that Council ratify a motion that directed staff to review the current condition of 496 Walker's Line, assess its continued eligibility for heritage designation and consult Heritage Burlington to obtain their recommendations concerning the eligibility of this property on the Heritage Register and for heritage designation. John provided an overview of the property and noted that it was designated from 1992 to 2012. The designation was removed in 2012 at the owner's request to permit the demolition of the barn and improve the property's marketability to developers who would only purchase if designation was removed. Heritage Burlington and staff recommended the designation of the house be maintained as it was considered to have heritage value under all three categories. John noted that all heritage attributes of the house still exist although the neo-palladium windows are badly deteriorated and damaged.
• Members discussed and decided the property meets the criteria for designation. Motion - Whereas 496 Walker's Line meets the criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest under Ontario Regulation 9/06, the Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee recommends that City Council proceed to designate the property under section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. CARRIED

8.2

2022 Annual Report

• Committee reviewed the 2022 Annual Report. Motion: Approve Heritage Burlington's 2022 Annual Report. CARRIED

8.3

2023 Work Plan/Budget

• Committee reviewed the 2023 Work Plan/Budget. Motion: Approve Heritage Burlington's 2023 Work Plan/Budget. CARRIED

8.4

Sponsorship of Applefest Fall Fair (Museums of Burlington)

• Jo-Anne advised that she had received a request from Museums of Burlington to ask  whether Heritage Burlington would be interested in sponsoring the Applefest Fall Fair event again this October in the amount of $500.
• Committee discussed and agreed to sponsor this event. Motion: Approve an expenditure of $500 to sponsor Museums of Burlington's Applefest Fall Fair event. CARRIED

9.

Other Business:

None

10.

Adjournment:

Chair adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m.