RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the “James Brander House” at 31 Helen
Avenue be approved for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act,
as recommended by Heritage Markham;
AND THAT the Clerk’s Department be authorized
to:
* publish and serve Council’s Notice of Intention
to Designate as per the requirements of the
Act;
and
* prepare the Designation By-law for the
property.
PURPOSE:
To recommend to Council that the “James Brander
House” (historical reference) at 31 Helen Avenue be designated under Part IV of
the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value and interest.
BACKGROUND:
The Heritage Building
The James Brander House is listed on the
Markham Inventory of Heritage Buildings. It is a well-preserved example of a
vernacular Italianate style farmhouse that dates from c.1875, with a two storey
wing that initially appeared to be an earlier phase of the building’s
development, but through a detailed physical examination has been found to be a
later addition. The west part of the
house is similar in design and materials to the Harrington house in Unionville
(c.1873), but is a simplified version of that house. Historically, the building
is significant for its connection to the agricultural community that once
surrounded the Village of Unionville. A detailed research report, revised to reflect the most up-to-date
research on the building, is attached as Appendix ‘A.’
Heritage
Markham’s Recommendations
At its meeting of February 12, 2003, Heritage Markham heard a deputation by the owner’s former agent, Mr.
Bob Martindale, and subsequently passed the following recommendations with
respect to the heritage house and property (See Appendix “B” for complete
extract):
HERITAGE MARKHAM
RECOMMENDS:
THAT the entire house
at 31 Helen Avenue appears to be a very significant heritage building worthy of
preservation;
AND THAT the building
should be preserved on site or within the current parcel and restored as
conditions of approval of any development of the site;
AND THAT an
archaeological assessment should be carried out on the subject lands prior to
any disturbance of soil on the site;
AND THAT the building
is recommended for designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act
and as a condition of approval of any development in the lands, the owner
should enter into a heritage conservation easement agreement with the Town;
AND FURTHER THAT any
development proposal for the subject lands should be circulated to Heritage
Markham for input with respect to the preservation and restoration of the
heritage dwelling on the lands.
Preliminary
Report to Development Services, April
22, 2003
In a Preliminary Report to Development Services
Committee dated April 22, 2003, dealing with the proposed
expansion of Greenbelt Volkswagen, Heritage Markham’s recommendation that the
building be designated was cited in the “Background” section.
Heritage Markham’s
recommendation that the building should be retained and the applicant’s
intention at that time to convert it to office uses were noted. Also included in the staff report were Heritage
Markham’s recommendations for an archaeological assessment to be undertaken on
the property, and for the applicant to enter into a heritage conservation
easement agreement as a condition of approval of any future development
application.
Applicant Preparing to Submit a New Site Plan
Heritage Section staff have been
advised by the District Team that the applicant is now preparing another
revised site plan and building elevations for the expansion of the Greenbelt
Volkswagen dealership, but the applicant has not confirmed at this time whether
or not the house is to remain on site and incorporated into this next version
of the plan. The most recent version of the site plan does not include the
heritage house. Planning staff had been advised when the plan presently on file
with the Town was submitted, that due to anticipated renovation costs and site
constraints, the heritage building was no longer planned to be retained on site
and used as office space, as previously proposed. The applicant had verbally advised that they
would be seeking a demolition permit in due course.
Through the owner’s Heritage
Resource Consultant, Heritage Section staff have been advised that that the
owner has not made a decision on the future of the heritage building with respect
to his plans for the property, but will do so once his consultant report has
been finalized and he has considered its implications.
Recent Research on the Building
In response to the recommendation
to designate the property at 31 Helen Avenue (See report dated February 17, 2004), the owner engaged the services of a heritage resource consultant to
examine the research already undertaken and the building. The consultant
challenged the early date and supposed log construction of the rear or east
wing of the house, and concluded that this portion of the building was a later
addition to the c.1870s building, and that it was constructed of recycled old
material. It is important to note that both Heritage Section staff and Heritage
Markham did not have full access to the building when conducting their original
research (the tenant restricted access), and based their conclusions on the
early date of the rear wing based on documentary sources and the form of the
existing structure. The preliminary
report of the owner’s Heritage Resource Consultant is attached as Appendix “C.”
On March 18, 2004, Heritage Section staff, a member of Heritage Markham
and the owner’s consultants met on site to open up specific areas of the
structure to confirm the results of the consultant’s findings. It was observed
that the rear wing does not appear to pre-date the c.1875 Brander House, but
began as a 1 ½ storey kitchen wing that was later raised to a full 2 storey
height.
In the opinion of Heritage Section
staff, the new findings on the rear section of the Brander House do not
diminish the significance of the main brick portion of the building. It remains a suitable candidate for
designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Referral Back to Heritage Markham
In light of the recent findings on
the rear portion of the Brander House, the designation report was referred back
to Heritage Markham for review (April 14, 2004 meeting). At the time of writing, the results from that meeting are not
available, but based on the new evaluation of the Brander House as a Group 2
(revised evaluation conducted by the Evaluation Sub-Committee on March 22,
2004), it is reasonable to expect that the February 12, 2003 recommendation to
designate and preserve the building will continue to be supported.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
Appropriateness of the Recommendation to Designate and Applicable
Policies Regarding Significant Heritage Buildings
Based on the updated research, the James
Brander House is rated as a Group (2) Heritage Building
according to the Town of Markham’s Heritage Building Evaluation System. According to the evaluation
guidelines adopted by Council in 1991, Group 2 buildings are “those buildings
of significance and worthy of preservation.”
The general policies and procedures associated
with the Evaluation System’s group classifications provide the following
guidelines when dealing with a Group 2 building:
* The
designation of the building pursuant to the Ontario Heritage Act will be
encouraged.
* The
retention of the structure in its existing location is encouraged.
*
Any development application affecting such a building should incorporate
the identified
building.
*
Appropriate alternative uses for the building will be encouraged when
necessary to ensure
its preservation.
* A Letter of Credit will typically be required
to ensure the protection and preservation of
the building.
Based on the above policies,
supported by the Heritage Conservation Policies of the Official Plan, the
subject property is an appropriate candidate for designation under the Ontario
Heritage Act.
Designation
should proceed while further discussions are undertaken with the owner
Staff recommend that, given the
significance of this building, Town Staff and Heritage Markham open new
discussions with the applicant to determine a solution that satisfies the Town
of Markham’s Heritage Conservation objectives and the owner’s
objectives for the property. The owner’s Heritage Resource Consultant has been
provided with a copy of the revised Heritage Building Evaluation and Research
Report. At the time of writing, the
consultant was not prepared to say what the owner’s response will be, or
whether he will challenge the Group 2 rating.
Heritage Markham has indicated its support for the concept of moving
the heritage building to a different part of the subject property to facilitate
development. Another relocation option that could be considered is for the
house to be moved, at the applicant’s cost, to another site in the vicinity of Helen Avenue, in order to maintain some of its relationship to the
original farm property and to keep the building within a similar community
context.
Given the uncertainty about the
future status of 31 Helen Avenue, it is recommended that the designation of the property under Part IV
of the Ontario Heritage Act proceed.
This will provide interim protection for this significant building
pending further discussions with the owner.
Should Council decide to proceed
with the recommendation to designate the James Brander House under Part IV of
the Ontario Heritage Act, the Clerk’s Department should be authorized
to:
*
publish and serve on the property owner, the Ontario Heritage Foundation
and the public
through a newspaper advertisement, Council’s notice of intention to
designate the property
as per the requirements of the Act; and
*
prepare the designation by-law for the property at 31 Helen Avenue.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
There are no financial implications to the Town
at this time.
ENGAGE 21ST
CONSIDERATIONS:
Heritage designation helps to
achieve a quality community by recognizing, promoting and protecting a heritage
resource, which strengthens the sense of community.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Acceptance of this recommendation to designate
31 Helen Avenue will require the Clerk’s Department to initiate the notice
process and prepare the designation by-law.
ATTACHMENTS:
Figure 1:
Applicant/Agent and Location Map
Figure 2:
Air Photo
Appendix ‘A’:
Updated Research Report
Appendix ‘B”:
Heritage Markham Extract
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Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Director of Planning & Urban Design
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Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.
Commissioner of Development Services
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FIGURE 1:
DOCUMENT: Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\HELEN\staffreport.doc
OWNER: Greenbelt
Volkswagen tel. 905-477-2421
Gerd
Reisenecker fax
905-477-7530
7997
Kennedy Road
Markham.
Ontario
L3R
2E2
AGENT: Mike
Everard tel.
905-944-9709
Augusta
National Inc. fax
905-944-9710
34
Melchior Crescent
Markham,
Ontario
L3R
9A4
LOCATION MAP:
