Regan Hutcheson presented the staff memorandum on the proposed designation of 33 Dickson Road under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, which included a brief history of the property. The proposed designation was originally brought forward to the Development Services Committee on June 22, 2020, but the matter was deferred at the June 23, 2020 Council meeting and referred back to the Heritage Markham Committee for its feedback on the designation. After the Committee provides its feedback, the designation request will be placed on the July 14th, 2020 Council Agenda for Markham Council’s consideration.
Heritage staff, and two of the Heritage Markham Committee Councillor Liaisons visited the property to view the home.
Staff are recommending that the following be restored or replicated: 1) the historic windows be restored, at minimum the windows located at the front elevation of the house; 2) the front entrance feature be restored (including the sidelights and the transom), with the possible replication of the wooden door to address security concerns; 3) the shutters preferably be restored and mounted on traditional hardware or fixed in place, but could possibly be replicated if in too poor condition; and 4) the smokehouse be restored preferably in its current location.
The property owner has also proposed an addition to the building that will be reviewed by the Committee once a formal application has been submitted.
Shane Gregory, Consultant, representing the property owner advised that his client generally supports the staff recommendations in regards to the heritage features that should be restored or replicated. To date a tree removal application, an engineering permit, and a building permit have been submitted to the City for this property.
Adam Marmo, property owner advised that he is unfamiliar with the heritage process, but is committed to working with the City and the Committee. He was supportive of the proposed heritage designation of the property, but questioned if Site Plan Approval was needed, as the Building Permit Application was submitted to the City prior to any designation of the property.
Regan Hutcheson advised that that the requirement for Site Plan Approval to be reviewed by the Heritage Markham Committee would need to be discussed internally by staff, as this is a unique situation.
Committee briefly discussed recent modifications made to the home by the property owner, including removing a one storey back porch constructed circa 1940 where the new addition to the house is being proposed, as well as one storey portions to the east of the main house that were extensively modified in the 1940’s that the owner reported were infested with animals.
Committee Members provided the following feedback on the heritage attributes and designation of the property:
- Admired the stonework on the house;
- Agreed the house should be designated as a heritage property;
- Suggested most of the shutters will likely need to be replicated due to their poor condition;
- Most of the Members agreed that the windows could be restored, but that a compromise may need to be considered such as allowing the shutters to be mounted in a way that does not compromise the integrity of traditional storm windows. It was also noted that if the shutters are to be reinstalled with the existing shutter hardware, storm windows could not be used.
- Suggested the front door could be restored, but also suggested it could be replicated;
- Most of the Members supported the restoration of the smokehouse;
- Asked that no further modifications be made to the house until after the designation is considered by Council.
Adam Marmo advised that he is committed to restoring or replicating the significant heritage features of the house. The smokehouse will be restored and likely kept it in its existing location, and will probably be used for storage. The front entrance feature will also be restored, but the preference is to replace the wooden door with a more secure door. The windows and shutters need to be made compatible with each other. Therefore, the preference is to restore the windows in the front of the property to maintain the heritage look, and replace the rest of the windows with proper storm windows and remove the shutters. Mr. Marmo provided his commitment that he would not make any further modifications to the property prior the designation being considered by Council on July 14, 2020.
The property owner’s step father recognized the heritage significance of the property, but emphasized that the house needs to be restored into a livable family home.
It was suggested that the review of the Building Permit application be delegated to the Committee’s Architectural Review Sub-Committee so that the Sub-Committee could comment on behalf of the Heritage Markham Committee and not delay the project.