HomeMy WebLinkAboutHK - 2015-09-01 - Heritage Best Practices Update InternalMemo
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Date: August 17, 2015
To: Members of Heritage Kitchener
From: Leon Bensason, Coordinator, Cultural Heritage Planning
cc:
Subject: Heritage Best Practices — Update
At the June 2, 2015 meeting of Heritage Kitchener, eight heritage best practice measures were
identified as meriting further investigation, as follows:
1. Consider establishing Conservation Plans for City-owned cultural heritage resources.
2. Investigate implementing heritage inspections as part of the heritage permit process.
3. Consider establishing a Built Heritage Emergency Management Protocol.
4. Establish a list of pre-qualified heritage consultants and engineers to be used by
heritage property owners and the City in emergency situations affecting heritage
property.
5. Take a more active role in designating properties that are currently listed.
6. Inspection of vacant heritage property as per Chapter 665 (Property Standards).
7. Establish additional monitoring measures and a comprehensive checklist to be used by
the City when inspecting a City-owned vacant heritage property.
8. Take a more active role in promoting greater public education and awareness of heritage
conservation issues.
Heritage Planning staff are of the opinion that all of the above referenced measures have
considerable merit. Some measures may be able to be implemented immediately or in the
short-term, while others require support and further input from other City Divisions including
Legal, Facilities Management and Building.
The following is provided as an information update. Further discussion on heritage best
practices will be scheduled for the October 6, 2015 meeting of Heritage Kitchener, with a formal
report to be considered by Committee and Council in November 2015.
1. Conservation Plans for City-owned cultural heritage resources
A Conservation Plan is a document that details how a cultural heritage resource can be
conserved. The plan typically assesses the condition of the resource and its heritage
attributes, and makes specific recommendations regarding short and long term
conservation, monitoring and maintenance measures.
The care and maintenance of City owned buildings and structures, including those that are
of heritage interest or significance, typically falls under the purview of the City's Facilities
Management Division. An inventory of City owned heritage resources reveals that Facilities
Management maintains 23 properties that have heritage status. Of these, 9 are designated
under the Ontario Heritage Act and 14 are either listed on the Municipal Heritage Register,
identified on the former heritage inventory or have been specifically identified as a Cultural
Heritage Landscape. Several properties, such as the Kitchener Public Library (listed),
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Kitchener City Hall (listed) and Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (listed), have established
maintenance programs in place. Others, such as some cemeteries have no heritage
buildings or structures. Out of the 23 City-owned properties, 10 properties may be
particularly well suited to having a Conservation Plan prepared. Heritage and Facilities
Management staff are continuing to discuss how the City may want to approach the
implementation of this initiative.
2. Heritage Inspections as part of the Heritage Permit Process
Currently, heritage staff do not conduct inspections after the approval of a Heritage Permit
Application. Heritage staff do review the plans submitted for issuance of a Building Permit,
to ensure those plans are in compliance and are consistent with the plans submitted for
heritage approval. Work requiring a Building Permit are inspected by Building staff.
Introducing inspections following heritage approvals may require updating the City Heritage
Permit process and would have an impact on resources. There may be some merit in
considering preparing a procedural by-law for heritage. The City of Kingston prepared such
a by-law in 2013, which clearly outlines among other things, conditions of heritage approval.
Copies will be made available to Heritage Kitchener. Additional work will be required to
address how non-compliance and enforcement matters will be addressed.
3. Built Heritage Emergency Management Protocol
Heritage staff have met with the City's Legal, Building and Facilities Management Divisions
to discuss establishing a Built Heritage Emergency Management Protocol. The City is
committed to reviewing this matter and additional meetings have been scheduled.
4. Establish a list of pre-qualified heritage consultants and engineers to be used by
heritage property owners and the City in emergency situations affecting heritage
property.
The Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP) maintains a directory of
heritage consultants including building specialists and engineers who have experience
commenting on and working with heritage resources. All professional members of CAHP
have at least five years of heritage related experience and are subject to heritage peer
review. Similarly, the Ontario Heritage Trust has published a list of Professional Engineers
(P. Eng.) with similar heritage experience and credentials. In addition, the North Waterloo
Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario has developed a database of heritage
practitioners including conservation engineers.
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This will be considered further in discussions regarding the establishment of a Built Heritage
Emergency Management Protocol.
5. Taking a more active role in designating properties that are currently listed
Currently, there are 210 properties listed on the Municipal Heritage Register. The first step in
taking a more active role in pursuing the designation of a listed property is to establish some
order of priority based on accepted criteria. Such criteria may include the level of cultural
heritage value or significance; the degree to which to the property may be subject to
change; as well as property owner interest or support in designation. Staff suggest that there
is merit in striking a sub-committee or working committee to draft such criteria in identifying
priority sites for review, discussion and possible designation.
6. Inspection of Vacant Heritage Property as per the City's Property Standards By-law
Staff can advise that the inspection of vacant designated heritage property (Part IV and
Group `A' Part V) will be undertaken in 2015-2016 by Enforcement Division staff, in
consultation with Heritage Planning staff.
7. Establish additional monitoring measures and a comprehensive checklist to be used by
the City when inspecting City-owned vacant heritage property
Heritage Staff have met with the Director of Facilities Management to discuss this initiative.
Heritage and Facilities Management staff will be reviewing the existing protocol and
checklist used in conducting inspections of City-owned vacant property, to determine how
such protocol and checklist should be updated where such City-owned property is also
identified as being of heritage value or interest.
8. Take a more active role in promoting greater public education and awareness of heritage
conservation issues
Staff suggest there is merit in striking a sub-committee or working committee to address how
Heritage Kitchener and the City may want to promote greater public education and
awareness of heritage conservation issues. A similar working group has been established
as part of the City of Kingston Municipal Heritage Committee. Sample terms of reference
and briefing notes from the City of Kingston will be distributed.
Reviewed By: Brandon Sloan, Manager of Long Range & Policy Planning
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