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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-09-144 - Deferral of the Mike Wagner Heritage Awards & Urban Design Awards I~rTCx~~R Development & Techrr~ca~ Services Report To: Development and Technical Services Committee Date of Meeting: October 5, 2009 Submitted By: Alain Pinard, Interim Director of Planning Prepared By: Sandro Bassanese, Urban Designer (741-2305) Michelle Wade, Heritage Planner (741 2839) Ward(s) Involved: All Date of Report: September 23, 2009 Report No.: DTS 09-144 Subject: DEFFERAL OF MIKE WAGNER HERITAGE AWARDS AND URBAN DESIGN AWARDS TO OCTOBER 2011 RECOMMENDATION: That the presentation of the next scheduled Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and the Urban Design Awards be deferred to October 2011; and, That Planning staff review the Mike Wagner Heritage Award and Urban Design Award programs to determine if a change in presentation andlor award venue is merited; and further, That Planning staff review the Mike Wagner Heritage Award and Urban Design Award criteria and processes to better reflect current urban design trends and city initiated urban design policies BACKGROUND: The Mike Wagner Heritage Award program was established in 1997 to pay tribute to property owners and businesses who have contributed to the conservation of the City's heritage resources. The program is named after former City Councillor Mike Wagner who served on City Council from 1989 to 1997, and who was a strong advocate for heritage, culture and the arts. The program has recognized projects throughout the past decade that have contributed to the conservation of heritage resources through adaptive re-use, rehabilitation and restoration. The Urban Design Awards program was established in 1988 to honor developments throughout the City of Kitchener that were designed and built in a manner which enhances the public realm. The awards have been well received by industry professionals as well as the general public and have increased the awareness of the importance of urban design to the public realm. Both of these award programs have assisted in increasing public awareness of the importance and necessity for high quality urban design and the conservation of cultural heritage resources. 5-1 In order to continue to offer relevant and vibrant award programs it is proposed that the award process, judging criteria, presentation format and venue be critically reviewed and updated accordingly. REPORT: The establishment of the Mike Wagner Heritage Award and Urban Design Awards programs have raised the profile of heritage conservation and urban design throughout the City. Planning staff seek to further build the reputation of these award programs. Current Context: After the award presentation at Council in September 2008, planning staff was asked to explore alternatives that would serve to improve the award presentation format and provide an appropriate venue for the ceremony. Planning staff have initiated a preliminary review of both the Mike Wagner Heritage Award and the Urban Design Awards programs. The following items were noted by staff as potential areas for improvement. Urban Design Awards: During staff's preliminary review it was noted that a large volume of nominations had been recognized during the 2008 presentation. This was due to the broad scope that the current design awards encompass. Currently there are three types of awards: • The Award of Excellence, which is for site development exemplifying superior design; and, • The Award of Merit, which recognizes unique project specific elements which make developments worthy of recognition. • The Urban Design Finalist which recognizes projects worthy of submission to the final judging committee that did not receive either an "Award of Excellence" or an "Award of Merit". The original intent was to make the two categories broad-based in order to have a large pool of nominees to draw from. The scope of the awards has served its original intent and over the past two decades the Urban Design Awards program has recognized a significant number of high quality developments while increasing the profile of Urban Design in the City of Kitchener. The standard of urban design in the City has increased in the past decade. This has resulted in an increase in the number of projects that merit recognition under the current award criteria to a point where the awards have lost some of their relevance. As our urban design standards have evolved so should our criteria for evaluating urban design award nominations. Mike Wagner Heritage Award: The Mike Wagner Heritage Award program offers two award categories: Outstanding Achievement and Award of Merit. Up to four awards may be presented in either of the two categories. The current Mike Wagner Heritage Award program involves the submission of nominations; short listing and evaluation by sub-committee; the evaluation and recommendation by Heritage Kitchener; and, confirmation of award recipients by Council. Short listing by the sub-committee and the evaluation by Heritage Kitchener Committee is not subject to specific evaluation criteria. 5-2 In order to ensure a consistent, fair and transparent award program, planning staff recommend that the program be reviewed to incorporate evaluation criteria. Staff Review: Planning staff have conducted a preliminary comparative review of heritage conservation and urban design award programs offered by other municipalities of similar size to the City of Kitchener. With respect to heritage conservation awards, the preliminary review suggests the following items should be considered: ^ The provision of a range of heritage conservation award categories; ^ The establishment of eligibility criteria; and, ^ The establishment of general and specific evaluation criteria. With respect to urban design awards, the preliminary review suggests the following items should be considered: • The restructuring of categories to recognize various forms of development; • The creation of more focused criteria for judging each built form category; • The discretion to have awards of Merit and Excellence award in each category; and • The ability for staff to regulate the number and types of awards to be given in each category. Planning staff have also considered ways in which to improve the awards ceremony and presentation, and have noted the following items for consideration: • Format of awards (possible standardization of awards and or certificates); • Venue of awards ceremony; and • Frequency of awards programs. Next Steps: A deferral of the next scheduled presentation of the Mike Wagner Heritage Award and Urban Design Awards programs from 2010 to 2011 would allow planning staff to undertake the following review: 1. Review the urban design awards criteria to better reflect current urban design trends; 2. Establish general and specific evaluation criteria for the Mike Wagner Heritage Award program; 3. Review and update Urban Design categories to reflect urban design polices and guidelines; 4. Review and update the Mike Wagner Heritage Award program categories; 5. Exploration of other venues for award presentation other than Council meetings; 6. Liaise with Homebuilders and development industry to gauge response to potential changes related to categories, criteria and venue; and, 5-3 7. Liaise with the Heritage Kitchener Committee to gauge response to potential changes related to categories, criteria and venue. It is the opinion of staff that current fiscal constraints further reinforce a recommendation to review and defer these awards to better streamline their administration. If a deferral of the award programs is not granted, the awards will continue to be presented in 2010 in their current format. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Should Council approve the recommendation made in this report, it is expected that capital funds assigned to the Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and Urban Design Awards program will be made available in 2011 instead of 2010. It is also staff's expectation that streamlining the administration of the awards programs and standardization of the award certificates may lead to potential cost savings. CONCLUSION: Planning staff acknowledge the significance of the Mike Wagner Heritage Award and Urban Design Awards programs and are of the opinion that a deferral to facilitate a review would benefit the long term viability and relevance of these award programs. CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: Heather Holbrook, Planner (Urban Design) REVIEWED BY: Leon Bensason, Interim Manager of Long Range and Policy Planning Brian Page, Supervisor of Site Plan Development ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, Interim General Manager Development and Technical Services 5-4