Heritage Markham Committee Minutes

Meeting Number: 1

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 7:15 P.m. - 10:00 P.m.

Electronic Meeting

Members

• Graham Dewar, Chair
• Ken Davis, Vice Chair
• Doug Denby
• Evelin Ellison
• Anthony Farr
• Shan Goel
• Councillor Keith Irish
• Councillor Reid McAlpine
• Councillor Karen Rea
• Paul Tiefenbach
• Lake Trevelyan

Regrets

• David Nesbitt

Staff

• Regan Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
• Peter Wokral
• Laura Gold, Council/Committee Coordinator

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1.

CALL TO ORDER

Graham Dewar, Chair, convened the meeting at 7:15 PM by asking for any disclosures of interest with respect to items on the agenda.

2.

DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST

There were no disclosures of pecuniary interests.

3.

PART ONE - ADMINISTRATION

3.1

APPROVAL OF AGENDA (16.11)

A. Addendum Agenda

There was no addendum agenda.

 

B. New Business from Committee Members

An update on the motion being prepared to recommend that the City be more proactive rather than reactive in protecting cultural heritage resources was added to the agenda under new business.

• Recommendation:

  That the January 13, 2021 Heritage Markham Committee agenda be approved, as amended.

  Carried

3.2

MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 9, 2020 HERITAGE MARKHAM COMMITTEE MEETING (16.11)

Barry Nelson, a member of the community, provided a deputation on items 4.1- Demolition Permit for the William Carry House -12 Imperial Lane, and 6.5 – Committee of Adjustment Consent and Variance Applications - 159 John Street of Minutes. He suggested that staff should have an opportunity to present their recommendations to Heritage Markham prior to Members providing their feedback, and that feedback should be provided in a civil manner, which he did not believe occurred during the discussion of these items at the December 9, 2020 Heritage Markham Committee Meeting.

• Recommendation:

  That the deputation by Barry Nelson regarding the December 9, 2020 Heritage Markham minutes be received; and,

  That the minutes of the Heritage Markham Committee meeting held on December 9, 2020 be received and adopted.

  Carried

3.3

TERM EXPIRATION DATES (16.11)

Extracts:
R. Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
L. Gold, Council/Committee Coordinator, Legislative Services & Communications

 

Regan Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage Planning spoke briefly about the staff memorandum on Members’ term expiration dates.

Evelin Ellison advised that her term on the Heritage Markham Committee from 2004-2006 was for 2 years rather than 3 years, as she was appointed at the end of 2004.

• Recommendation:

  That the attached memorandum be received by Heritage Markham Committee as information.

  Carried

3.4

HERITAGE MARKHAM ELECTION AND APPOINTMENTS (16.11)

1) ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR
2) SUB-COMMITTEES OF HERITAGE MARKHAM
3) HERITAGE MARKHAM REPRESENTATIVE- OTHER COMMITTEES

Extracts: R. Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning

 

• Recommendation:

  That Councillor Keith Irish be appointed to the position of Chair effective January 14, 2021; and,

  That Ken Davis be re- appointed to the position of Vice-Chair; and further,

  That the appointments to the Architectural Review Sub-Committee, Heritage Building Evaluation Sub-Committee, Doors Open Committee, and the Historic Unionville Community Vision Committee be deferred to a future meeting.

  Carried

4.

PART TWO - DEPUTATIONS

4.1

ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT AND DRAFT PLAN OF SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS

10537 KENNEDY ROAD (FORMERLY 10539 KENNEDY ROAD)
ARTHUR WEGG HOUSE (16.11)
FILE NUMBER:
20 129597
Kennedy MM. Markham Ltd.

Extracts:
R. Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
P. Wokral, Senior Heritage Planner
A. Crompton, Planner II, Planning and Urban Design Department
James Koutsovitis, Gatzios Planning + Development Consultants Inc.

 

Regan Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage Planning presented the staff memorandum on the Zoning By-Law Amendment and Draft Plan of Subdivision Applications for 10537 Kennedy Road (formerly 10539 Kennedy Road). The Applicant is now proposing to keep the heritage resource (the Arthur Wegg House) generally in its original location on a new foundation matching the proposed new grading for the subdivision. The lot for the heritage resource has also been substantially enlarged.  Staff support the revised option proposed for the Arthur Wegg House.

Heritage Markham provided the following feedback on the revised option proposed for the Arthur Wegg House:

• Suggested that the preservation of the porch be planned carefully to ensure it is protected, as these types of porches can be easily damaged;
• Suggested there be more greenery around the house, and asked why there is no streetscape.

Staff and the Property Owner advised that the property’s streetscape and landscaping will be looked at as part of the Site Plan approval process. The Site Plan for the property will come to the Heritage Markham Committee as a future application for review.

 The Property owner noted that the type of greenery will need to be selected wisely, as some types of greenery can cause damage to the heritage resource, and a desire to retain views of the heritage resource.

• Recommendation:
  That Heritage Markham supports the revised option proposed for the Arthur Wegg House which includes retaining the heritage resource near its original site (corner of Kennedy Road and future Street F), but on a new foundation and at the proposed grade of the adjacent subdivision lands;

  That the City’s standard heritage requirements be conditions of draft approval for the plan of subdivision and/or included in the Subdivision Agreement;

  And that the applicant secure and protect the building from damage through the requirements outlined in the City of Markham’s Property Standards By-law (Part III – Heritage Buildings), and the Keep Markham Beautiful (Maintenance) By-law including Section 8 – Vacant Heritage Property, and erect a "No-trespassing" sign in a visible location on the property indicating that the Heritage Building is to be preserved onsite and should not be vandalized and/or scavenged.

  Carried

5.

PART THREE - CONSENT

5.1

HERITAGE PERMIT APPLICATIONS

DELEGATED APPROVAL
HERITAGE PERMITS APPROVED BY HERITAGE SECTION STAFF
16 JOHN STREET, THCD
1 CHURCH LANE, THCD
33 DICKSON HILL ROAD, MVHCD (16.11)

FILE NUMBERS:
• HE 20 135175
• HE 20 134735
• HE 21 102639

Extracts:
R.Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
P. Wokral, Senior Heritage Planner

 

• Recommendation:
  That Heritage Markham receive the information on heritage permits approved by Heritage Section staff under the delegated approval process.

  Carried

5.2

BUILDING OR SIGN PERMIT APPLICATIONS

DELEGATED APPROVAL
PERMITS APPROVED BY HERITAGE SECTION STAFF
5990 16TH AVENUE, MARKHAM VILLAGE
10536 MCCOWAN ROAD
40 ALBERT STREET, MARKHAM VILLAGE (16.11)
FILE NUMBERS:
• AL 20 135157
• DP 20 110958
• HP 20 1141437
Extracts:
R.Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
P. Wokral, Senior Heritage Planner

• Recommendation:

  That Heritage Markham receive the information on building permits approved by Heritage Section staff under the delegated approval process.

  Carried

5.3

OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT, ZONING AMENDMENT, PLAN OF SUBDIVISION, PLAN OF CONDOMINIUM AND SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATIONS

9064-9110 WOODBINE AVE.
BUTTONVILLE HERITAGE CONSERVATION DISTRICT (16.11)
FILE NUMBERS:
• OP 17 153653
• ZA 17 153653
• SU 17 153653
• CU 17 153653
• SC 17 153653
Extracts:
R.Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
P. Wokral, Senior Heritage Planner
R. Cefaratti, Senior Planner, Planning & Urban Design

 

• Recommendation:
  That Heritage Markham has no objection to the Part IV designation By-law for the Buttonville Mill House being removed from the 1.64m deep parcel of land that is to be conveyed to the Region of York for road widening purposes.

  Carried

5.4

SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATION

4592 AND 4600 HWY 7 E. UNIONVILLE
THE BEWELL BUNGALOW (16.11)
FILE NUMBERS:
• SPC 20 107969
• A/143/20
Extracts:
R.Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
P. Wokral, Senior Heritage Planner
D. Pragratis, Senior Planner, Planning & Urban Design
J. Leung, Secretary, Committee of Adjustment, Planning & Urban Design

Regan Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage Planning advised that Heritage Markham can recommend that Committee of Adjustment fees be waived in support of achieving a heritage objective. In this case, the fees are being recommended to be waived due to the property owner’s cooperation with the City to retain and restore the Bewell Bungalow, given its current heritage status.  

• Recommendation:
  That Heritage Markham has no objection to the requested variances in application A/143/20 from a heritage perspective;

  That Heritage Markham supports waiving the fee for the parking variance application as per the City’s Fee By-law (Table 6, section 1.6) , because the scope of the variance for the number of parking spaces would be reduced if Heritage Markham had not recommended that the Bewell Bungalow be incorporated into the redevelopment of 4592 and 4600 Hwy. 7 E.;

  And that Heritage Markham recommends that designation of the Bewell Bungalow under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act and entering into a Heritage Conservation Easement Agreement with the City be a condition of approval of the variance application should the Committee of Adjustment approve application A/143/20.

  Carried

6.

PART FOUR - REGULAR

6.1

SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATION

ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT AND SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATION
5560 14TH AVE.
THE MCCAULEY-COOPERTHWAITE HOUSE (16.11)
FILE NUMBERS:
• SPC 20 116893
• ZA 116893
Extracts:
R.Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning

 

Peter Wokral, Senior Heritage Planner presented the staff memorandum on the Zoning By-Law and Site Plan Control Application for 5560 14^th Avenue.  The property owner is seeking permission to construct a new two storey multi-unit building containing 23 warehouse units and to retain and convert the existing heritage resource (McCauley-Cooperthwaite House) into a warehouse unit connected to the main building by a one storey rear link. Staff do not have any objection to this proposal.

Committee provided the following feedback on the proposed zoning by-law and site plan control application for 5560 14^th Avenue, the McCauley-Cooperthwaite House:

• Noted that it is difficult to visualize how the two storey multi-unit building will look connect to the heritage resource from the picture displayed to the Committee and that staff should obtain further details, but suggested this concept can work very well;
• Suggested the Site Plan for the property include the architectural details with respect to the restoration of the house;
• Inquired if the floors would be removed from the heritage resource;
• Asked if the property owner would consider using the heritage resource for transitional housing, as the heritage resource is located right on the bus route;
• Recommended more space be set aside around the heritage resource so that it could be used for alternate uses.

Staff provided the following responses to inquiries from the Committee.  Based on feedback from the Committee, staff will ask the City’s Urban Design Team to look more closely at the integration of the two storey multi-unit building with the heritage resource. There has been no indication that the floors will be removed from the heritage resource when converting it into warehouse space.

• Recommendation:
  THAT Heritage Markham appreciates the applicant’s proposal and efforts to incorporate the McCauley-Cooperthwaite House into the proposed redevelopment of the property on its’ original foundation;

  THAT Heritage Markham has no objection from a heritage perspective to the architectural design of the proposed new two storey warehouse building;

  THAT Heritage Markham does not object to the planned conversion of the McCauley House to a warehouse use, provided that the exterior the building is restored to its original appearance including the street facing veranda as shown in the attached archival photograph;

  THAT Heritage Markham suggests that more space be provided around the McCauley-Cooperthwaite House to permit for a future expansion or addition to the house to make it more versatile for any other future use and to introduce landscaping, including large species historic tree varieties to beautify the property and complement the heritage building;

  THAT the applicant revise the site plan application elevations to reflect the restoration of the McCauley-Cooperthwaite House as shown in the attached archival photograph;

  THAT the applicant enter into a Site Plan Agreement including standard conditions regarding materials, colours windows, verandas, etc. as well as the requirement to designate the McCauley-Cooperthwaite House under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, to enter into a Heritage Conservation Easement Agreement with the City, and to install a Markham Remembered Plaque at their own cost in a prominent location which would be reviewed and approved by the City (Heritage Section);

  AND THAT final review of the site plan and zoning amendment application be delegated to Heritage Section staff.

  Carried
• Recommendation:

  That Staff be requested to work with the applicant to look at alternative uses of the house.

  Carried

6.2

SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATION AND MINOR VARIANCE APPLICATION

RESIDENTIAL ADDITION
50 GEORGE STREET
MARKHAM VILLAGE HERITAGE CONSERVATION DISTRICT (16.11)
FILE NUMBERS:
• SPC 20 134828
• A/130/20
Extracts:
R.Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning
Francois Hemon-Morneau, Development Technician

Francois Hemon-Morneau, Development Technician presented the staff memorandum on the Site Plan Control Application and Minor Variance Application for 50 George Street. The applicant is seeking approval to remodel the existing dwelling, and add a two-storey frame addition.

Russ Gregory, Consultant described his plans, which included expanding the front porch, changing the roofline, and a full two storey addition. A drawing of the proposed addition was displayed to the Committee.

Committee had no objection to proposed Site Plan Control Application, and Minor Variance Application for 50 George Street, but asked if the parking pad will still be used.

Russ Gregory advised that he did not think the owner planned to use the parking pad for parking.

• Recommendation:
  THAT Heritage Markham has no objection from a heritage perspective to the requested variances for a maximum building depth of 18.5 m and a maximum net floor area ratio of 45.3%;

  THAT Heritage Markham has no objection from a heritage perspective to the design of the proposed addition and remodelling of the existing dwelling subject to minor architectural changes to be addressed by Heritage Section staff and the preservation of the Honey Locust identified as (Tree #3) and delegates final review of the Site Plan application to Heritage Section Staff;

  AND THAT the applicant enter into a Site Plan Agreement with the City containing standard conditions regarding materials, colours, windows etc.

  Carried

7.

PART FIVE - STUDIES/PROJECTS AFFECTING HERITAGE RESOURCES - UPDATES

In response to a question regarding Heritage Week 2021, Regan Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage Planning advised that staff will not be able to erect a heritage exhibit at Civic Centre this year for the event due to the pandemic. The Committee suggested promoting Heritage Week by putting information on the website about the self-guided heritage walking tours currently available. Staff agreed to follow up with Corporate Communications staff.

7.1

REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK

DRAFT HERITAGE MARKHAM TERMS OF REFERENCE AND BY-LAW (16.11)

Extracts:
R.Hutcheson, Manager, Heritage Planning

Regan Hutcheson, Manager of Heritage Planning presented the revised draft to the Heritage Markham Terms of Reference, and explained where changes had occurred since the last version.

Committee reviewed and discussed the most recent revisions to the draft Heritage Markham Terms of Reference.  Committee’s comments included:

• changing the suggested number of representatives from each of the three largest heritage conservation districts from one to two citizen members as some members felt that local knowledge was important;
• supporting the ability of councillors to be chair (or vice chair) of the committee, but not limiting the chair position only to members of Council;
• accepting the revised policy on conflict of interest, but reiterating the desire to not discourage professionals in heritage related occupations from applying as members as they do provide useful and practical experience and knowledge.

• Recommendation:
  That Heritage Markham Committee supports the proposed Heritage Markham Terms of Reference and By-law (January 2021 draft), with the following amendments, with additions bolded and omissions strikethrough:

  • 1.2 - If possible, the citizen members will should be selected on a geographic basis as follows:
    • Thornhill Heritage Conservation District or Thornhill Community (1 2 Members);
    • Markham Village Heritage Conservation District or Markham Village Community (1 2 Members);
    • Unionville Heritage Conservation District or Unionville Community (1 2 Members);
    • Members at large (7 4 Members).

  Notwithstanding the above, Council may choose to deviate from this geographic approach, if necessary.

  • 4.1 - The Heritage Markham Committee will elect a chair person (Chair) and a vice-chair person (Vice Chair) from all the members, annually at its first meeting of the year, or as soon as practicable. The Manager, Heritage Planning will conduct the elections of Chair and Vice Chair positions. Once the Chair and Vice Chair are elected, the Chair will preside over the remainder of the meeting.
  • Clause 2.4.2 to be omitted from the Terms of Reference;

  2.4.2 The Chair will be one of the members of Council appointed to the Heritage Markham Committee as elected by the entire Committee. The Vice Chair will be elected by all the members and may be any member of the Committee.

  • 4.1 -The quorum for the Heritage Markham Committee will be seven (7) members being in attendance.
  • 74 - A Heritage Markham Committee member who earns their living in a heritage-related occupation and/or who has been retained for a matter that is before the Committee is considered to have a conflict of interest and should have another representative appear before Committee if a presentation is required or to answer questions.
  • Citizen members of Heritage Markham Committee will serve without compensation other than reimbursement of approved expenses incurred while performing duties on behalf of the Committee.

   

  Carried

8.

PART SIX - NEW BUSINESS

a) Action from Previous Minutes

Councillor Karen Rea and Doug Denby advised that a motion discussed at the last meeting regarding the City being more proactive rather than reactive in protecting culture heritage resources, is still being drafted. 

Councillor Karen Rea advised that matter could be brought up at the Development Services Committee instead.

Recommendation:

That Heritage Markham receive the update as information.

Carried

b) Appreciation

Recommendation:

That Heritage Markham offers its sincere appreciation and thanks to Graham Dewar for his exceptional leadership as Chair of Heritage Markham for the last two years.

Carried

9.

ADJOURNMENT

The Heritage Markham Committee adjourned at 9:57 PM.