RECOMMENDATION:
That the staff report entitled “Identification
of future Heritage Conservation District Study Areas: Public Consultation”,
dated June
28, 2004 be received;
And That the following communities, as shown on
the maps attached to this report as Appendix ‘A”, be identified as areas for
consultation and future study to determine their suitability as future Heritage
Conservation District Study Areas, and that properties in these areas be listed
on the Markham Heritage Inventory as areas of special historic and cultural
value and interest to the Town of Markham:
Locust Hill
Cedar Grove
Victoria Square
Box Grove
Almira
Dickson Hill
And That Council authorize the initiation of
public information meetings to be held in each community (six in total) to
consider the establishment of Heritage Conservation District Study Areas;
And That staff report back to Council regarding
the results of the meetings, and any proposed Heritage Conservation District
Study Area by-laws.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is to bring forward
a study undertaken by Town (Heritage Section) staff and the Heritage Markham
Committee with respect to the identification of six communities within Markham as
potential heritage conservation districts.
It is recommended
that Committee authorize the scheduling of public information meetings in each
of the six communities to consider their formal establishment as Heritage
Conservation District Study Areas.
BACKGROUND:
Town (Heritage Section) Staff and Heritage Markham undertook a study of
historic hamlets
In 2002 and 2003, Town (Heritage
Section) staff and a sub-committee of Heritage Markham undertook a study of the
historic communities of Markham to determine their potential as future heritage conservation districts,
and to make recommendations to Council with respect to the formal establishment
of Heritage Conservation District Study Areas.
The study was undertaken to
proactively document all historic settlements within the current boundaries of
the town and to identify those which may be considered in the future as formal
heritage conservation districts under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Currently The Town of Markham
has three heritage districts and one study area
The Town of Markham currently has three areas designated under Part V of
the Ontario Heritage Act; the major historic settlements of Thornhill, Markham Village and Unionville.
The town also has one Heritage Conservation District Study Area in the
historic community of Buttonville. A
formal review of the Buttonville Heritage Consevation District Study Area is to
be undertaken by a consultant this year.
There are a number of other historic communities in Markham
With its rich farmland, numerous rivers
and streams, and proximity to Yonge
Street, a number of
historic settlements have emerged in Markham since the
beginning of European Settlement in 1794. While some of these, such as German
Mills, were eclipsed by larger settlements and eventually disappeared, a number
remain as functioning historic settlements up to the present day. These remaining historic communities are
Locust Hill, Box Grove, Cedar Grove, Dickson Hill, Victoria Square and Almira
(Figure 1);
Historic hamlets are significant reminders of Markham’s heritage
Heritage Markham identified over 20 historic hamlets that once existed
in the present day town boundaries. At
least six of these communities continue to exist in a discernable form. Those settlements that have remained are significant
reminders of Markham’s early heritage as a community of communities. They
are characterised by their mostly 19th and early 20th
century building stock, many are set adjacent to river valleys, and some have
been fortunate to retain their original variety of building types with post
offices, general stores, mill or church. Together, these features form some of
the most picturesque cultural heritage landscapes in the entire region.
Six communities were selected for further study
The six communities identified by
Town (Heritage Section) staff and Heritage Markham as meriting further study
for potential future heritage district designation are as follows (further
information is attached as APPENDIX “A”):
Locust Hill
Located
on Highway #7, between York Durham Line and Reesor Road, Locust Hill contains 17 heritage properties. The building stock was largely built in
response to the railway boom in the late 19th Century and includes a
Church, a post office and a historic hotel.
The community is surrounded by lands associated with the Rouge Park.
Box Grove
Located
at the intersection of 9th Line and 14th Avenue, and
adjacent to the Rouge River, Box Grove contains 23 heritage properties, many of
which are workers cottages associated with the historic 19th Century
mill and box making industry in the area.
The community also has a church, a cemetery, schoolhouse, and an
historic general store building. The
community is bounded by the Minto Legacy community on the northwest and the
future Box Grove community to the south and east.
Victoria
Square
Located
at the intersection of Woodbine Avenue and Elgin
Mills Road, Victoria Square contains 21 heritage buildings in what was
once a very active crossroads community.
A landmark of the village is the Victoria Square United Church. The community
is bordered on the southeast by an estate residential community. The future
Cathedral community will bound the community to the south and west.
Almira
Located
on 19th
Avenue between Warden Avenue and Kennedy Road, Almira contains 9 heritage buildings most of which are concentrated
into a scenic grouping at the Rouge River. A landmark
feature of the village is the Almira Mill which was recently restored and
reconstructed. The area around Almira is
primarily agricultural and estate residential.
Cedar Grove
Cedar
Grove is located along Reesor Road between Steeles Avenue and the Highway 407 Bridge. The
community contains 14 heritage buildings including an historic cider mill, a
school house, and the Cedarena natural skating rink. The Rouge River Valley is a major natural and cultural landscape feature in the Cedar Grove
area.
Dickson Hill
A small hamlet on Highway 48 at 19th Avenue, most of the six heritage resources in the community
are concentrated around the Rouge River and the existing mill, forming a picturesque historic
setting.
Historic hamlets are threatened by urban expansion
It is remarkable that despite
significant changes in society and the gradual loss of their original function
as commercial centres for the surrounding agricultural districts, so many
hamlets have survived virtually intact in Markham. Current and
future pressures, however, which are emerging from urban development and the
resulting increased traffic, and road widenings may not be so lenient. It is clear that a number of hamlets,
particularly those close to the urban fringe are in danger of being lost or
marginalized to the point where their heritage significance will no longer be
apparent if efforts are not made to study and protect them.
Historic communities should not be
viewed as a hindrance to development, but rather as an opportunity to provide a
picturesque, and interesting heritage oasis, which can become an effective
community amenity area and landmark.
Identification as a Heritage Conservation District Study Area is the
first step
The identification of the six
historic hamlets as Heritage Conservation District Study Areas would provide a
first step in protection of the hamlets as cultural landscape features. Establishment of a Heritage District Study
Area provides the area a level of status which is recognized in the official
plan. In the Buttonville Heritage
Conservation District Study Area and Unionville (prior to its official
designation in 1997), all applications for development of both heritage and
non-heritage properties have been reviewed for compatibility with the overall
heritage concept. The result has been a
greater measure of more successful and compatible heritage infill development
in both Unionville and Buttonville, than might ordinarily have been
possible. Although the level of
protection is far less than in a designated district, the establishment of
study areas has also served to raise the general awareness of the areas as a
place of special significance.
The creation of District Study Areas is supported by the Official Plan
The Official Plan supports the
creation of additional heritage conservation district study areas. Section 2.36 (d) of the Official Plan states
that Council may, by by-law, pursuant to Section 40 (Part V) of the Ontario
Heritage Act, R.S.O,, 1990, , c.0.18, define the municipality or one or more
areas thereof as an area to be examined for future designation as a Heritage
Conservation District.
The Town of Markham has created
heritage district study areas in the past
The Town of Markahm was one of the first municipalities to create
heritage district study areas when in 1976 it passed by-laws giving that status
to Markham Village, Unionville and the eastern half of Thornhill. Buttonville was declared a Heritage District
Study Area in 1987. Formal Heritage
Conservation Districts were ultimately established in Thornhill in 1986,
Markham in 1991 and Unionville in 1997.
A consultant will be retained this year to work with the community and
staff on both the Thornhill Heritage Conservation District Plan Review and the
Buttonville Heritage Conservation District Plan.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
Public input will be sought in the heritage district designation process
Although not a requirement of the Ontario
Heritage Act, the seeking of public input in the heritage district
identification and designation process is strongly encouraged. Town (Heritage Section) staff intend to
follow the process outlined below, with respect to designation of the hamlets:
- Report to Council (this report) seeking endorsement of the six
communities as potential heritage district study areas and permission to
hold a public information meetings for each community;
- Hold a public information meeting (one for each proposed study
area) to seek public input with respect to the process of formally
establishing the communities as Heritage Conservation District Study
Areas;
- Report to Council with the results of public information meetings
and proposed by-law establishing one or more of the communities as
Heritage Conservation District Study Areas;
- Report to Council with a request to proceed with consultant
selection to undertake each heritage conservation district study and plan
for the areas identified in the by-law;
- For each potential heritage district:
- An advisory committee would be formed
from members of the public, business owners and council to guide the
heritage conservation district study;
- Public meeting held to consider the
Heritage Conservation District Boundary;
- Report to Council for endorsement of the
Heritage Conservation District Study;
- Public meeting held to consider the
Heritage Conservation District plan;
- Report to Council for endorsement of the
final Heritage Conservation District Plan and district boundary
by-law.
District Studies will be conducted over time as funding and staff
resources permit
The undertaking of heritage
conservation district studies for the six communities is proposed to be spread
out over time, as funding and staff resources permit, with a general objective
of completing one study per year.
Priorities will be developed based on the following criteria:
1.
Timing of impact
from external pressures, e.g. development;
2.
Quality of
historic building stock and cultural landscape features to be preserved; and
3.
Support in the
community for heritage designation.
Buttonville
remains a priority with respect to the undertaking of heritage district studies
Given that Buttonville was established as a
heritage conservation district study area in the late 1980s, Town (Heritage)
section staff will ensure that the Buttonville Heritage Conservation District
study is undertaken this year.
Markham Heritage Estates is another potential study area
Recent amendments to the Ontario
Heritage Act. now permit properties to be designated under
Part IV (individual designation) and Part V (district designation) of the
Act. This change makes it possible to
consider the Markham Heritage Estates as a potential future heritage
conservation district. All properties in
the Heritage Estates are required to be designated under Part IV of the
Act. The addition of a heritage district
designation to this area could provide a framework for future management of the
subdivision, once it has been substantially completed. A further report will be prepared to consider
the merits of Markham Heritage Estates as a Heritage Conservation District.
Listing on the heritage
inventory will provide an initial level of recognition of the communities as
areas of cultural heritage value and interest
Recent changes to the Ontario Heritage
Act allow municipalities to recognize not only heritage buildings but entire
cultural landscapes of buildings and natural and man-made landscape features,
as areas of heritage significance. The
historic hamlet communities of Markham, with their heritage homes, mills,
stores, trees, rivers, ponds and other features can clearly be defined as
significant cultural landscapes which are worthy of identification. As a preliminary step to illustrate that the
six communities are areas of particular significance, it is recommended that they be included in
the Markham Heritage Inventory as areas of special historic and cultural value
and interest.
Identification
of all historic settlements through special signage could contribute to a sense
of community
In addition to the six communities identified
above, the study reviewed a further 14 former communities, which are as
follows:
- Armadale -
Steeles Avenue and Highway 48
- Milliken - Steeles Avenue
and Kennedy Road
- Hagerman’s Corners - 14th
Avenue and Kennedy Road
- Cashel -
Elgin Mills Road at Kennedy Road
- Mongolia -
Elgin Mills Road at Reesor Road
- Milnesville -
Highway 48 north of Major MacKenzie
- Peaches -
Elgin Mills Road at McCowan
- German Mills -
John Street west of Leslie Street
- Amber -
Steeles Avenue
- Langstaff -
Highway #7 at Yonge Street
- Steeles Corners -
Steeles Avenue at Yonge Street
- Colty Corners -
Major Mackenzie Drive at Kennedy Road
- Belford - 14th
Avenue at York Durham Line
- Settlers Hill -
Kennedy Road north of 16th Avenue
Although not meriting Heritage Conservation
District status, primarily due to a lack of remaining heritage resources, these
communities would appear to merit some form of recognition through such
features as entry signage, street name signage and historical plaques. This is a practice carried out in a number of
other municipalities such as Toronto, where special street signs and entry
signs are seen as a way of enhancing a sense of community and
neighbourhood. The signage for the
historic communities could be in a form similar to that used in the existing
Heritage Conservation Districts in Markham.
A future report will be prepared by staff on this concept.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Funding for the specific heritage conservation
district studies will be considered on an annual basis by Markham Council as
part of its overall annual budget process.
ENGAGE 21ST
CONSIDERATIONS:
This
project aligns with the corporate goal of achieving a Quality Community through
recognizing, promoting and strengthening a sense of community.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Staff in the Development Services Commission
will consult with the appropriate internal and external departments and
agencies throughout the consultation process.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1
– Location Map
Appendix A –
“Markham Heritage Conservation Districts Identification Study”
|
|
|
|
|
Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning & Urban Design
|
|
Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Commissioner of Development Services
|
FIGURE 1
FILEPATH: Q:\Development\Heritage\SUBJECT\DISTRICT
STUDY\PMS0528.doc
LOCATION MAP:
