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TO: |
Mayor and Members of Council |
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FROM: |
Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services Valerie Shuttleworth, Director of
Planning and Urban Design |
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PREPARED BY: |
Regan Hutcheson, Manager of
Heritage Planning |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2003-Feb 4 |
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SUBJECT: |
Heritage
Status 9767 Kennedy Road |
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RECOMMENDATION:
THAT the heritage dwelling located at 9767
Kennedy Road known as the Henry Pingle Senior House be considered a significant
heritage resource;
THAT the dwelling be preserved within any
future development of the property preferably on its original foundation on an
appropriately sized, newly created lot;
AND THAT, if after consultation with staff,
retention on its original foundation is not feasible given development
constraints, the dwelling may be relocated to another lot on the property,
which is of a size that does not compromise the aesthetics of the dwelling,
provides an appropriate amenity area and would allow the dwelling to continue
to face Kennedy Road.
PURPOSE:
The
purpose of this report is to provide direction to any future purchasers of the
property as to the importance of incorporating the existing heritage dwelling
into development scenarios.
BACKGROUND:
Owners request evaluation of heritage building in advance of sale of land for development
In October
2002, the current owners of the property requested an assessment of the
dwelling at 9767 Kennedy Road, in order to provide greater clarity with respect
to the heritage status of the house to facilitate its sale to others for
development.
Markham Inventory of Heritage Buildings
The house at
9767 Kennedy Road is a dwelling listed on the Markham Inventory of Heritage
Buildings and is identified as a heritage resource in the Berczy Village
Secondary Plan, adopted by Council in March 1996. A resource included on the inventory is considered to be a
‘listed property’, and all development proposals or building permit
applications affecting listed properties are reviewed by Heritage Markham as
part of the regular approval process.
This property has been on the inventory since 1993.
Owner was notified of heritage status in 1995
A letter in
the file for the property dated November 21, 1995 indicates that the current
owner was notified with respect to the listing of the building through the
evaluation of heritage resources undertaken for the Berczy Village Secondary
Plan Area
Berczy Village Secondary Plan requirements
With the
projected urban development in the OPA 5 Future Urban Area in the 1990s, the
house was reviewed and evaluated through a windshield survey in 1994, along
with other heritage resources..
Berczy Village Plan supports preservation of heritage buildings
The Secondary
Plan, approved in March 1996 adopted a number of policies related to heritage
resources. Included is the intention of the Town to “encourage the retention
and conservation of buildings of architectural and/or historical merit on their
original sites and to promote the integration of these resources into their
original use”. The secondary plan also
states that “Prior to recommending draft approval of a plan of subdivision for
the lands on which these buildings are located, Council shall obtain the
recommendation of the LACAC as to whether the existing buildings should be
retained, removed or can be demolished”.
A more detailed assessment is undertaken when buildings are threatened
The previous
evaluation of the premises undertaken in June 1994 as part of a review to
establish policies for the Berczy Village Secondary plan resulted in the house
being identified as a Group 2 structure (see Appendix ‘C’ for classification
categories). The 1994 evaluation was based on preliminary research and a
windshield survey of all properties in the Berczy Village community.
Heritage Markham Sub-Committee conducted a site visit to the premises
In response to
the current request as to the status of the dwelling, the Heritage Markham
Architectural Review Sub-Committee and Town (Heritage Section) staff undertook
a site visit to the premises on October 31, 2002 in order to obtain a full
understanding of the condition of the house and its architectural significance.
(See Appendix ‘A’ for a description of the dwelling and photographs from the
site visit).
Architecturally
the house was found to be of greater significance than had originally been
anticipated. The dwelling has been successfully converted from a one storey
Georgian built c.1850 to an attractive Arts and Crafts Bungalow style from in
the 1920s. The building appears to be
an excellent example of a transitional house as it illustrates a Markham farm
dwelling that was renovated 70 years after its construction to a style that was
very popular in the 1920s in urban centres.
Building plans for the Arts and Crafts Bungalow style appeared in many
home magazines in the 1920s and 30s.
However, there are very few examples of this type of conversion (or the
new construction of this type of dwelling) in Markham.
From a
historical perspective, in 1849, Henry Pingle Senior retired from farming and
purchased a 12-acre parcel on which this home now sits. The 1851 Census lists Henry and his family
in a one-storey brick home. It is
interesting to note that Henry Pingle Senior was not only a Berczy settler, but
also led a detachment of the 1st Regiment of York Militia to Detroit
with General Brock as part of the War of 1812.
George Weatherill purchased the property in 1913 and renovated it in
1924. (See Appendix ‘B’ for the
historical background).
Dwelling classified as a Group 1
With the new
information now available, the building was subsequently re-evaluated by Town
(Heritage Section) staff and a Heritage Markham member, according to the same
“Evaluating Heritage Resources in the Town of Markham” booklet that was used in
1994, and scored 78.4, which would place the building in the Group 1
category. The policies associated with
this classification include pursuing designation, preserving the building on
its original site and incorporating the building into new development. (See
Appendix ‘C’). Heritage Markham
endorsed the results of the evaluation at its November 13, 2002 meeting.
OPTIONS/DISCUSSION:
The owners have indicated that they are concerned about the consequences of a Group 1 classification of their dwelling. They have cited the following reasons for their concern with the classification:
House is a significant Heritage Building
and should be preserved
It is the
opinion of Town (Heritage Section) staff and Heritage Markham that the house at
9767 Kennedy Road is a resource of major significance to the Town of Markham
and should be preserved. The
preservation of heritage resources through photo documentation only, as was
suggested by the owners, is not consistent with the policies outlined in the
Town of Markham Official Plan concerning heritage preservation.
Staff from the
Planning Department has met with representatives of the owner to assess whether
the building can be retained on site and still allow reasonable development to
occur. (See Appendix ‘D’ for existing development around the property). The subject property is a remnant parcel
adjacent to an established subdivision.
On January 7,
2003, a concept plan was submitted by a planning consultant on behalf of the
owners indicating that the dwelling could be maintained on its original
site. However, the dwelling would be
very close to the proposed road right-of-way and the development scenario would
create a number of substandard lots according to the planning consultant. Given the pre-determined road system in the
immediate area, staff is of the opinion that the dwelling would likely have to
be relocated in order to maximize the number of new development lots on the
property. If this were pursued, any new
lot for the relocated heritage house would have to be of a size that does not
compromise the aesthetics of the house and should provide an appropriate
amenity area. There may be other
development scenarios that do not achieve as many new lots, but allow the
dwelling to remain on its original foundation on a new lot.
Recommendation
Staff
recommends that the dwelling be preserved within any future
development of the property preferably on its original foundation on a newly
created lot. If, after consultation
with staff, retention on-site is not found to be feasible given the development
constraints, the dwelling may be relocated to another lot on the property,
which is of a size that does not compromise the aesthetics of the dwelling,
provides an appropriate amenity area, and would allow the dwelling to continue
to face Kennedy Road.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
None
at this time.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Any
future development application will be circulated for comment
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix A – Heritage Markham Architectural Review
Sub-Committee notes (October 31, 2002) including photographs
Appendix
B – Historical Background
Appendix
C – Evaluation of Heritage Buildings (Group Classifications)
Appendix
D – Existing Development
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Valerie Shuttleworth, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Director of Planning and Urban Design |
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Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P. Commissioner of Development Services |
Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\KENNEDY\9767\dsc
jan 21 03 .doc
Q:\Development\Heritage\PROPERTY\KENNEDY\9767\dsc
jan 20 03 .doc
Owners:
Lester and Bonnie Weatherill
Unionville, ON
Agent:
Martha Mingay
81 Main Street Markham North
Markham, ON
L3P 1X7
TEL 905-294-0550
FAX 905-294-9141
Location:
