The Town has three heritage districts, each
with an approved plan
The Town
has three heritage conservation districts based on the former historical villages
of Thornhill, Unionville and Markham Village.
Each of these districts has an approved heritage district plan, adopted
by Council, to help guide development activity and related matters within the
district.
The Thornhill Heritage Plan has been used since
1986
The
Thornhill Heritage Conservation District was created by Council in 1986 and is
the Town’s oldest heritage district. The
current plan was adopted by Council after extensive review and re-drafting
between 1984-86. The District Plan has
been used to provide guidance for re-development projects for residents and
Council for the last twenty years.
A number of systemic problems are associated
with the Heritage Plan
The overall
goal of the District Plan is to provide policies and guidelines in order to
ensure the continuation and enhancement of the district’s historical,
village-like ambience while providing for contemporary needs. Over the years, a number of issues have
arisen and the District Plan has had minor amendments to selected policies in
1994 and 1999. However, a number of
concerns remain, including:
- The
guidelines are not always clear and often require municipal staff or the
heritage advisory committee to interpret them;
- In
some policy areas, additional guidelines are required. For example, there is little guidance
given on appropriate direction for alteration to non-heritage properties;
- Some
policies and guidelines require updating as situations and procedures have
evolved or require removal from the Plan as they are no longer needed or
relevant;
- The
Plan is not user-friendly in its format and there are few illustrations or
graphics to explain concepts.
Over the last decade in particular, a number of issues
have been raised which have challenged both the local community and the District
Plan. Issues of note include: the
severance of larger lots, the appropriate design and size of new infill
construction, the treatment of non-heritage properties and inappropriate
alterations to heritage properties. Some of the above issues have been
extremely controversial and have, on occasion, divided community opinion.
A number of planning initiatives have also
impacted the Heritage District
Also, since
the District Plan was approved, a number of planning policies have been adopted
that impact the Heritage District including:
·
the
Thornhill Secondary Plan;
·
the
Heritage
Main Street commercial policies in the Official Plan;
·
the
Town’s new sign by-law;
·
an
infill housing zoning by-law;
·
the
Thornhill Yonge Street Study which includes a component of the Heritage
District;
·
the
Region of York’s Yonge Street transit system improvements; and
·
Regional
Official Plan Amendment 43- Centres and Corridors.
Study was approved by Council
In 2004,
Council approved a study to review the current Heritage District Plan and to
revise the Plan, as necessary. The Town
retained the services of Phillip Carter, Architect and Planner to undertake the
study. The Town also retained the
services of Larry Sherman, a professional facilitator to assist during the
study.
A study advisory committee was created
A District
Plan Advisory Committee was also established.
The advisory committee includes the following members:
- Ward 1
Councillor – Stan Daurio
- Regional
Councillor – Bill O’Donnell
- Judy
Dawson Ryan and Evelin Ellison from Heritage Markham
- William
Wylie from the Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill
- Nigel Connell
from the Ward 1 (South) Thornhill Residents Inc.
- Keith
Irish and David Jordon from the local community; and
- Regan
Hutcheson and George Duncan from the Heritage Section of the Planning and Urban
Design Department
The mandate
of the advisory committee was to advise staff and the consultants on
local matters, provide a community perspective, review work undertaken by the
consultant and assist during any public participation component of the
study.
The study was undertaken in two phases
The first phase of the study involved a complete review of
the current heritage plan and the identification of issues that needed to be
addressed. At the first community public
meeting, we heard the public’s views and recommendations for improving the
District Plan.
The consultant prepared an Issues Identification Report
which summarized the major concerns, described the current situation, offered
options, and made suggested recommendations.
At the second community meeting, the Issues Identification
Report was reviewed with the public and potential solutions to the issues and
concerns were discussed. In June 2005,
Markham Council authorized the consultants to proceed to the second phase of
the study and prepare a revised heritage conservation district plan for Thornhill
Village.
The revised heritage conservation district plan has now been
completed. It includes policies and
guidelines to guide change so that alterations and new construction contribute
to the district’s architectural and historic character. The revised plan has been reviewed by
Heritage Markham, the Study Advisory Committee, members of Town staff and by
members of the public at a community information meeting held on June 8, 2006.
Requirement for
Statutory Public Meeting
A statutory public meeting is
required prior to adoption of a heritage conservation district plan under the new
provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act. Any person attending the meeting is to be
given an opportunity to make oral representations with respect to the
plan. Any person or body may make
written submissions with respect to the heritage conservation plan to the
council of the municipality at any time before the by-law adopting the plan is
enacted.
In accordance with subsection 41(8) of the Ontario
Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.O.18, a person who does not raise objections
to the adoption of a proposed heritage conservation district plan by making
oral representations under 41.1(9) or written submissions under subsection
41.1(11) may be later denied an opportunity to appeal the passing of a by-law
adopting the plan.
The statutory public meeting is
scheduled for the evening of June 20th as part of the Development
Services Committee public meeting agenda. Staff expects that the
majority of feedback from the community was provided at the Community
Information Meeting on June 8th.
Notice was provided
to the local community
Extensive notice was provided to the local community as part
of the consultation process and all meetings were well attended.
Notice of the June 8th community information
meeting and the June 20th statutory public meeting was provided to
the local community in the following manner:
- public
notice in the Economist and Sun and Thornhill Liberal newspapers (Town of Markham
page);
- mailed
notice to each property in the District;
- mailed
notice to the Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill and the
Ward 1 (South) Residents Inc.;
- information
on the study and a copy of the draft study have been posted on the Town
website for review.
The revised district plan could be reviewed in PDF format on
the website or for those who did not have internet access or preferred a
personal copy of the plan, copies were provided by staff.
A revised heritage district plan
The product
of the review study is a new heritage district plan document which provides a
comprehensive framework to guide the development, re-development and alteration
of properties and streetscapes located within the boundaries of the Heritage
District.
As the
prime audience for this document is local residents and property owners, the
new plan is clear and concise, and uses terminology that should be easily understood
by the reader. It is user-friendly in
its format and presentation with illustrations and graphics utilized to explain
concepts. The policies and guidelines of
the new plan respect heritage planning objectives, but are also relevant in the
“real world”. It provides understandable
policies for new construction, alterations and additions to heritage
properties, and alterations and additions to non-heritage properties. This new plan will be extremely useful not
only to local residents and property owners, but also for Heritage Markham
members, Town staff and Council by providing clear direction to allow a review
of applications in a fair and consistent manner.
Members of Council received a copy
of the revised Thornhill Village Heritage Conservation District Plan under
separate cover.
The key issues of concern are addressed in the new plan
The Plan has attempted to address
all the key issues of concern raised by the public as well as reflect current
standards of heritage practice. Each of
the major issues identified in the Issue Identification Report- May 2005 is listed
by subject with an explanation as to how the new Plan addresses the issue/concern.
1. Improvements to the Policies and
Guidelines
a)
Maintain separate guidelines for heritage properties
The revised Plan provides enhanced
guidelines and illustrations for the alteration and maintenance of heritage
buildings. The policies and guidelines
follow the principles for the conservation of historic properties as
recommended by the Ontario Ministry of Culture and the Standards and Guidelines for the conservation of Historic Places in
Canada (retention of historic material, repair/conserve rather than replace
materials, repair with like materials, etc.).
All heritage properties have been identified as Class A in the Plan.
b) Allow
more flexibility in material use on additions to heritage buildings
On new additions to heritage
buildings, the revised Plan encourages the use of traditional materials, but allows
the use of more modern materials in traditional configurations and profiles
where they are not detrimental to the historic character of the heritage
building. Non-traditional materials and
products, such as fibre-cement board, vinyl and aluminium, in historical
configurations and profiles that provide the appearance of traditional
materials may be used on a new addition in the following cases:
i) where the products
and their appearance are not detrimental to the historic character of the
original heritage building.
ii) where the addition is
not readily visible from the public realm (i.e. located in the rear yard or a
distance from the public streetscape).
Consultation with staff will be
required to review the appropriateness of proposed non-traditional
material. Staff will review the material
based on criteria such as traditional profile, colour, sheen, colour fastness.
c) Provide
separate guidelines for existing, non-heritage buildings
The revised Plan includes policies
and guidelines for non-heritage buildings in the District. All non-heritage properties have been
identified as Class B (buildings that are important in terms of contextual
value) or Class C (buildings that do not relate the character of the
District). Property owners may choose one
of two design approaches for additions and alterations:
Contemporary
Alteration Approach – alterations and additions reflect the style of the
existing building. For a modern building
from 1975 (Class C), the changes would reflect the original form and
architecture. For a 1945 Class B building,
the alterations would be consistent with the original architecture and forms of
the period in which it was built.
Historical
Conversion Approach – alterations and additions reflect the spirit and
language of local historical buildings.
The revised Plan also allows the use
of modern materials of suitable quality on non-heritage buildings. These could include fibre cement board,
aluminium or vinyl in configurations and profiles that are appropriate either
to the original architecture of the non-heritage building or appropriate to the
historical conversion.
d) Provide
separate guidelines for new infill buildings
The revised Plan provides enhanced
guidelines and illustrations for the development of new infill single detached
residential dwellings. The design of new
dwellings is to reflect one the historical architectural styles that were
prevalent in the District as opposed to more modern styles. The use of traditional materials (i.e. wood)
is preferred, but non-traditional materials such as vinyl and aluminium in
historical configurations and profiles that generally provide the appearance of
traditional materials may be used.
e) Provide
streetscape character guidelines
Each street in the District is
different and has unique characteristics.
The Plan provides policies to help guide appropriate new infill for each
street.
f) Focus
on work visible from the public realm
The revised Plan emphasizes that
review of alteration and additions will focus on the public realm or what is
readily visible by the general public.
g) Provide
greater details on commonly asked questions
The revised plan provides guidance
on a variety of commonly asked questions such as fencing, driveway treatment,
awnings, skylights, and mechanical equipment.
2. Administration and Enforcement
a) Maintain
the existing Committee structure
The revised Plan continues to
support the current review and approval process as it offers the best approach
for speedy approvals of non-controversial applications. Heritage Section staff can approve all
non-controversial sign, building and heritage permit applications. Heritage Markham
will continue to be consulted on permits and applications that appear to
deviate from the Plan policies and guidelines as well as larger projects
(additions, infill).
b) Improve
clarity through the use of illustrations
Enhanced policies, guidelines and
illustrations in the Plan will help inform applicants and will help minimize
disparities of interpretation by staff and Heritage Markham.
c) Promote
learning opportunities for members of Heritage Markham and property owners in the district
The revised plan offers
recommendations to promote enhanced educational learning opportunities. Education is one of the most effective tools
for helping to conserve our heritage resources in addition to available
legislative tools.
3. Communication Improvements
a) Promote
enhanced communications with those who work, live or undertake projects within
the District
The revised Plan offers a variety of
policy recommendations to improve communication (some of which have already
been implemented) including: a heritage district newsletter, better utilizing
existing community organizations, regular communication with local real estate
firms and improvements to the heritage component of the Town website.
4. Planning
a) Introduce
recommendations that ensure the Official Plan and zoning by-laws are consistent
with the Heritage District Plan policies
The revised Plan recommends that in
particular, the zoning by-law should be reviewed to ensure that it reflects the
policies and guidelines of the Plan especially in the area of dwelling height
and garage projection. Until changes are
considered, Section 41.2 of the Ontario Heritage Act (which was included in the
recent revisions to the Act) states that “in the event of a conflict between a
heritage conservation district plan and a municipal by-law that affects the
designated district, the plan prevails to the extent of the conflict”.
5. Landscape
a) Consider
the enactment of a tree by-law for the District, if not for the Town
The revised Plan supports the
implementation of a municipal tree preservation by-law which would allow the Town
to identify a specific tree, treeline or grouping for protection in the
District. Pending the approval of such a
by-law, removal of trees in the District 20 cm or greater in diameter
(DBH-diameter at breast height) will require a heritage permit.
b) Consider
landscape guidelines
The revised Plan offers guidance on
appropriate historic landscape treatments that can be implemented on a
voluntary basis by homeowners.
Guidelines are provided on appropriate species that are encouraged and
invasive plant species to be avoided.
Guidelines are also provided on fences and driveways. Existing heritage features on heritage
properties such as fences, walkways, gardens, driveways and walls that are
considered significant to the character of the building should be maintained.
6. Yonge Street
a) Maintain/introduce
strong heritage design guidelines on Yonge Street
The policies and guidelines in the
revised Plan reflect the vision for Yonge Street
as proposed in the Thornhill
Yonge Street Study, 2005- A Framework for Renewal, Reinvestment and Community Building that was endorsed, subject
to specific amendments, by Council in April 2006. The policies and guidelines in the heritage
conservation district plan address appropriate designs, signage, scale,
materials and the interface between new construction and existing heritage
buildings and adjacent low density residential.
b) Recommend
a height limit for Yonge Street
The height limit for the part of Yonge
Street within the heritage conservation district
is limited to 3 storeys with the opportunity for up to 2 additional storeys if certain
development criteria are obtained the satisfaction of the Town. This was endorsed by Council in April 2006 as
the basis for draft amendments to the Official Plan and Secondary Plan. The implementation of the vision of the Thornhill
Yonge Street Study will be through amendments to the Official Plan and the
Thornhill Secondary Plan, and through the policies and guidelines of the
Thornhill Village Heritage Conservation District Plan.
c) Conduct
a heritage based review of the Yonge Street Study
The
Thornhill Yonge Street Study was reviewed in detail by Heritage Markham and
Heritage Section staff. A summary of the
review of the Yonge Street Study can be found in the Development Services
Commission staff report of April 4,
2006. Based upon the review,
Council endorsed the Yonge Street Study on April 11, 2006 subject
to the following clarifications and revisions recommended by Heritage Markham
and staff:
·
That the
option of height bonusing up to a maximum of one or two additional storeys in
the Mid-Rise Street Related Mixed Use area (identified as the Heritage Main Street I designation in the draft Official Plan
Amendment attached as Appendix A) would be within an overall maximum height
restriction of 5 storeys;
·
That, in
order to ensure that the new 3-5 storey development is complementary to the character
of the heritage area, within the parameters of the Study’s proposed Built Form
Guidelines new mid-rise development be compatible with the basic tenets of
traditional historical commercial architecture typically found in an older
downtown setting.
·
That in
reviewing public realm streetscape improvement on Yonge Street within the study
area, consideration will also be given to including the public realm areas on
Yonge Street outside of the study area, but within the heritage conservation
district to ensure design consistency throughout the heritage district; and,
·
That all
loose streetscape furnishings and fixed street furniture and lighting
(including transit/bus shelters and kiosk) be reflective of and complementary
to the heritage character of the area;
·
That
balconies shall not be permitted along the Yonge Street frontage within the Thornhill Heritage
Conservation District.
7. Roads and Paths
a) Maintain
recommendations to limit intensity and speed of traffic to preserve the village
character
The revised Plan includes policies
that continue to oppose the widening of existing pavement widths on residential
roads in the District as these are a major contributor to the character of the
District.
b) Include
traffic limitation measures in the heritage review of Yonge Street
The vision for Yonge
Street involves the elimination of individual
driveway entrances on Yonge Street
to offer a safer environment for both drivers and pedestrians on the
sidewalk. Drivers would be directed to
use the integrated parking lots behind the buildings and enter Yonge
Street at signalized intersections. The absence of on-street parking recognizes
the regional transportation function of Yonge Street.
c) Consider
the merits of a sidewalk on the south side of John Street
The issue is not addressed in the
revised Plan. If a sidewalk was
proposed, the policies require the use of concrete rather than modern materials
that often take on an overly tailored appearance.
8. Dollars and Cents
a) Include
heritage information of interest to residents on Town website (impact on
property values, energy efficiency, etc.)
The revised Plan includes a policy
recommendation in this regard.
b) Maintain
the Heritage Property Tax Reduction Program
The revised Plan supports this
program and the Town continues to lobby the Region to participate in it.
c) Explain
the heritage easement concept
The concept of heritage easements is
explained in the revised Plan and it is recommended that a user-friendly information
handout be prepared for distribution or posted on the website.
9. Boundaries
a) Maintain
the current boundaries
The boundaries of the heritage
conservation district were not part of the study. For those who expressed concern about being
within the boundary, it is anticipated that the revised policies and guidelines
will provide clarity and minimize any concerns.
b) Include
a Heritage Character Statement
This is a requirement that must now
be included in heritage conservation district plans. It provides a summary of the important
features and attributes of the area and illustrates how they work together to
make the entire district a special and unique place within the Town.
The District Plan addresses the requirements of the Ontario Heritage
Act
As per the new requirements of the
Ontario Heritage Act, the heritage
conservation district plan includes:
a) a statement of the objectives to be
achieved in designating the area as a heritage conservation district;
b) a statement explaining the cultural
heritage value or interest of the heritage conservation district;
c) a description of the heritage
attributes of the heritage conservation district and of properties in the
district;
d) policy statements, guidelines and
procedures for achieving the stated objectives and managing change in the
heritage conservation district; and
e) a description of the alterations or
classes of alteration that are minor in nature and that the owner of property
in the heritage conservation district may carry out or permit to be carried out
on any part of the property, other than the interior of any structure or
building on the property, without obtaining a permit under Section 42.
Before adopting a by-law to enact the revised heritage
conservation district plan, the municipality is required to undertake certain
prescribed consultation. Information
relating to the proposed heritage conservation district plan, including a copy
of the plan, is to be made available to the public. The Thornhill Plan was made available to the
public on the Town’s website and copies of the draft Plan were available to any
person upon request. All property
owners, as well as local community organizations, received notice concerning
the proposed Plan. In addition, members
of the Study Advisory Committee reviewed a draft of the Plan.
At least one public meeting is to be held with respect to
the proposed heritage conservation district plan. During the study process, two public meetings
were held in Phase 1 to address issues of concern and two public meetings
(including the Statutory Public Meeting) were held in Phase 2. If the municipality has a municipal heritage
committee, the committee is to be consulted with respect to the proposed
heritage conservation district. Heritage
Markham has two members on the
Study Advisory Committee and reviewed the plan at a special Heritage Markham
meeting on May 24, 2006.
Feedback from the
Public Information Meeting
The public information meeting was held on June 8, 2006 at Heintzman House. Approximately 60 members of the public were
in attendance. Staff provided background
information and reviewed the study process followed by the consultants who
presented the draft District Plan. The
public were invited to offer comments.
The main issues involved the following:
- Building
heights on Yonge Street
- Enforcement
(illegal signage, property standards)
- Non-heritage
Building Guidelines (better
clarity)
- Further
Consultation (desire for further review of changes, feel rushed)
- Local
Review Committee (as opposed to Heritage Markham)
- Classification
of buildings
- Planning/zoning
by-law (lot coverage)
- Define
terms
- Ambiguity
(more precise language)
Further details on the issues raised at the meeting are
summarized in Appendix ‘A’.
Changes have been made to the final District Plan document
A number of improvements and
changes have been made to the draft plan based upon the review of the document
by Heritage Markham, the Study Advisory Committee, Town staff and members of
the public. The suggested changes and
staff’s response to the changes are detailed in a chart in Appendix ‘A’.
Feedback from the Statutory Public Meeting
Although staff believes we have
captured the necessary changes to the heritage district plan based on the
feedback provided during the public consultation sessions prior to the
statutory public meeting (evening of June 20th), if any additional modification
are recommended at the statutory public meeting, the changes can be made prior
to Council passing the by-law to adopt the revised plan.
Approval of the Thornhill Heritage Conservation District Plan
It is recommended that the revised
Thornhill Village Heritage Conservation District Plan (2006) and Building
Inventory (2006) be endorsed. A by-law
to amend the existing District Plan is attached as Appendix ‘B’.
