MANAGEMENT PLANS FOR FIVE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS IN THE WORKS

Ottawa East News, By Laura Mueller

The city wants to add more heft to the first "experimental" heritage districts it designated in Sandy Hill in the 1980s.

District management plans, which outline how property owners must tackle things like restoration and maintenance work, renovations and demolitions as well as building new infill homes, are being drafted for five small heritage conservation districts in the neighbourhood.

The districts were adopted in 1982 and were the first of their kind in Ottawa and some of the earliest districts designated in the province under the Ontario Heritage Act, said Lesley Collins, a city heritage planner in charge of the project.

"There were no guidelines adopted along with the districts," she said. "It was early days and sort of an experiment in some ways."

Residents whose homes fall within the districts have certain responsibilities to consider and could qualify for restoration grant benefits, but many don't even know their homes are in a heritage area, Collins said.

"Part of this is some public education," she said.

Once the city adopts the plans, which should happen in August, homeowners' responsibilities for their heritage conservation district properties will become clearer. City staff will use the plans to evaluate any proposals to develop or renovate buildings that fall within the districts.

Heritage conservation districts in Sandy Hill include: King Edward Avenue district: eight properties on the east side of King Edward between Wilbrod Street and Laurier Avenue;  Stewart Wilbrod district: a handful of buildings in the centre of the block bounded by King Edward Avenue and Nelson Street; Sweetland district: consisting of all the homes on both sides of Sweetland Avenue from the second lot south of Laurier Avenue to Osgoode Street; Daly Avenue district: the largest district, which includes almost all properties facing Daly between King Edward Avenue and Cobourg Street, as well as a few buildings on Friel, Augusta and Besserer streets; Wilbrod/Laurier district: an irregularly shaped area centered around the block of Wilbrod between Chapel and Charlotte streets.

Collins said expanding or changing the boundaries of those districts was not considered because it would open them up to a possible appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, which runs the risk of undesignating the entire district. "We have not shut the door," on new districts, Collins said, adding that it would require council to give the direction to study that possibility.

There is already a long list of areas requested for heritage districts studies.

A second part of Collin's project involves declaring a large swath of Sandy Hill as a "character area." The designation doesn't come with any teeth, but its guidelines encourage the retention of the neighbourhood's historic fabric and guide what types of new development are appropriate for the area.

The criteria will be similar to the rules used for the heritage districts, but the directions will only serve as suggestions for the rest of the neighbourhood.

Collins said a zoning tool called a heritage overlay was considered, which would have out stricter rules on the size of additions and new homes that replace historic homes lost to fire or other disaster.

But the city would have to dig deeper and conduct a more in-depth zoning study before an overlay could be considered.

Chad Rollins of Action Sandy Hill said he got a sense that people who attended a June 26 open house were pleased that something was being done with the districts, but hoped the protections would have gone further.

"The sense I got is they're glad to see some action," Rollins said. "But I'm not sure if it's enough."

He focused on the fact that guidelines for the heritage character area are not enforceable.