City of Kitchener -- Ward 2 Steven Cage, Dan Graham, Chris Letzi, Wasai Rahimi, Dave Schnider, Grayson Zeilstra What value to our community is preservation of heritage properties? The preservation of heritage properties allows the community to save its most historic buildings for future generations to cherish. It was a major loss to the City when the old City Hall was allowed to be demolished, with little retained other than the clock tower (moved to Victoria Park). Preservation of Built Heritage presents an authentic and unique city that WE can all be proud of for this generation and the next! Preservation of heritage properties demonstrates the character of our community and is symbolic of our past and our history. This creates value in our community demonstrating our strong foundation and the strength of our past. I value the preservation of heritage properties. It is a way to connect to our past and give us a sense of familiarity and pride. It is great to see a classic design withstand the test of time and give us a sense of pride and of who we are. I believe the preservation of heritage properties helps to tell the story of our community. This is true for houses, factories and landscapes. It is important to understand the history and the factors that played a part in shaping our city and region. There is also the aesthetic value with many properties and the appreciation for the architectural styles and materials that were used. The Doors Open Waterloo Region was a great chance to visit and appreciate many of these properties What have you done to save built heritage in your municipality? I have attended Kitchener Heritage Committee meetings in the past, have regularly vocally supported heritage, and have visited various heritage properties in the annual Doors Open Waterloo. As President of the Confederation Club of Waterloo Region (www.confederationclub.ca) for the past 2 ½ years, I preside over the annual Confederation Club Student History Awards, which for the past 34 years has recognized the top history students at each high school in Waterloo Region, with a complimentary luncheon, certificate and bursary. The speaker at each annual luncheon is chosen by their ability convey the sense of importance of history, with May 2014 speaker University of Waterloo professor Dr. Geoffery Hayes speaking on the provocative topic Who Killed History? Hopefully, young history leaders are encouraged by the Confederation Club recognition to become the community leaders of the future in preserving history in our community. I have attended past city council meetings to voice my concerns and lend spend when Built Heritage was being threatened and spoke out about the
preservation of the Rockway Centre. I am active as a vocal supporter of heritage properties and have always stressed the importance of maintaining our heritage buildings as not only a vision of our past but as the art and beauty of the city. [no response] As a member of the Heritage Kitchener Advisory Committee for over 7 years, I have been directly involved in the 4 step process for listing many properties. This involvement has been a hands-on approach visiting and researching properties. I have also participated in many discussions regarding modifications and alterations to ensure the heritage attributes are preserved. How will you balance land development pressures against the need to preserve significant landscapes, heritage structures and older neighbourhoods? Heritage properties and older areas can mix well with newer structures. I would work with residents and heritage specialists to ensure our heritage is not lost with any new development. A balanced approach, with consultation from all parties must occur before any decisions are made. Creative adaptive re-use by blending old with new often times is a pleasing and rewarding solution to the issues. I think it s referred to as heritage development. ALL development in heritage areas should fit in to the neighbourhood. Historic parts of the city deserve special attention, need to be preserved and older neighbourhoods need to stand still in time, as if they were in a time capsule to allow us to appreciate our the work of our ancestors and the past styles of architecture. While working with architects, historians, planners and our heritage committee as well as gaining feedback from our citizens I would advocate for protecting our older neighbourhoods and building to preserve historic features. This would mean ensuring proper zoning around our old neighbourhoods, designating important properties and if redevelopment is needed using innovative designs to incorporate the old into the new. Balance is the key word. I would press to see that any new development would mix in well with current heritage structures. The will of the people must be heard and paid attention to. Heritage neighbourhood citizens must be consulted and have their input heard and utilized. This needs to be done before any development decisions are made. Under the right circumstances a new development could mix in and co-exist with heritage structures if it respects and honours the heritage look and feel of the area. As the city looks to focus on intensification, it is important take a balanced approach. Heritage districts help in terms of preserving the overall neighbourhood and future development within it. With new development taking place throughout the region, we have an opportunity to enhance these landscapes and structures by making them a focal point. A good example of this is a new proposed development in South-West Kitchener which has a few historical buildings that will be incorporated into the newly built neighbourhood. This allows new development while telling a story of our history. Many studies have shown the environmental advantages of retrofitting heritage buildings vs.
demolishing them and building new buildings, even new energy-efficient, LEED certified buildings. (e.g. The Greenest Building: quantifying the environmental impact of building reuse). Would you encourage the adaptive reuse of your community s built heritage? How? Absolutely. Retrofitted buildings like the former Arrow and Tannery buildings (which I toured both prior to and after their retrofit) are great examples of saving heritage buildings for residential use. YES! City grants could continue to be provided to developers who demonstrate that they are interested in adaptive reuse / design and construction methods. I know that saving old construction materials from landfill and re-using materials of good quality so as not to have to spend energy in manufacturing new materials are both good. Adapting and reusing old buildings is beneficial in preserving our historic areas but it can also provide for monetary and environmental savings. By voicing these opinions with colleagues and on council I will advocate for using best practices regarding the design and redesign of old buildings. I like how buildings like The Registry Theatre, Kaufman Lofts and Arrow Lofts have been re-purposed for residential use while maintaining the visual integrity of each building. This fit the needs of the developers and the intentions of Heritage Preservation. I would support projects that can do this. Both sides of any issue must be considered. For the city to encourage reuse, it is important to first look at what use the property is zoned for. Using the Tannery and Arrow buildings as examples, these are now being used for a completely different purpose and would need approval for a zone change. There are several benefits for retrofitting buildings like these including saving the heritage value, fewer building materials required, infrastructure costs etc. I would like to see more projects like this that enhance the historical aspect while improving the quality of life in the community. What two additional heritage landscapes/ properties/ districts would like to see protected through listing or designation? I would add Rockway Gardens and several of our historic downtown churches (that are not already listed) Victoria Park, St Mary s Veterans Housing, Central District @ Ahrens & Queen North. I would like to see the original front of St.Johns School at 99 Strange Street and the current City Hall at 200 King Street West protected by designation. I would need to see a list of properties being considered to make an informed choice. I would like to see a new district added south-east to the Civic District. This would include the area from bordering Lancaster, East Ave, Ottawa and King. As well, I would like to see Rockway Gardens to be listed at a minimum but preferably designated as a cultural heritage landscape.
Will you support a grant to those who seek to conserve and restore their heritage properties? Yes. Yes. The City of Kitchener has done this in the past and it seems an effective way to foster Built Heritage and its upkeep. (Example - Exterior Façade improvements etc.) It is important to preserve and maintain our heritage properties. We must understand and recognize there is a greater cost involved in maintaining and restoring heritage properties due to the specialized nature of the craftsmanship and materials involved. I would support researching what other municipalities have done regarding heritage properties and would support a grant program being created based on the feedback of our residents. Kitchener does have a grant program in place and I would continue to support that. There is also the Heritage Tax Refund for properties owners under the Ontario Heritage Act where one could receive up to a 40% rebate on municipal and school taxes. Yes. We need to encourage property owners to conserve and restore their properties to prevent deterioration. How large a grant would you offer to property owners to preserve a heritage building? I support the existing heritage grant of up to $3,000, coupled with the existing Heritage Tax Refund program. Dependent perhaps, on the size of a project and demonstrated need for assistance. The average household could receive up to $5,000 matching grant. A type of grant structure I would consider potentially would be a matching grant available for a limited time to assist with maintaining and restoring our heritage properties. Grant amounts must fall within the city s budget allotments. Up to 50% with a minimum of 500 dollars to a maximum of 3,000 dollars. Currently, under the Ontario Heritage Act, grants are available for 50% of the cost up to a maximum of $3,000.00. I would like to see this increased to $5,000.00 but would like to see this implemented over a 4 year period. Are financial incentives important to encourage home owners to invest in heritage properties? Yes. While most owners of heritage properties cherish the role that they have in maintaining their properties, there is a financial cost. Financial grants or savings on property taxes can be effective in convincing some property owners to re-invest in the heritage aspects of their buildings.
I feel financial incentives are important to ensure the properties are not left to decay. I would prefer that someone who is passionate enough about heritage property to personally invest in it would purchase it. I feel incentives could possibly work the opposite way in that a person gets help to invest in a project but may not be motivated to keep it up to standards. The current grant program should remain. Yes. In many cases, the work required for restoration and renovations requires certain materials and skills. The financial assistance helps property owners in terms of affordability and also shows the city s commitment.. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, listing and protecting heritage properties is a municipal responsibility, not a private responsibility. A heritage property may be designated by the municipality over an owner s objection, and the owner may appeal the designation to the Conservation Review Board (for individual property designations) or the Ontario Municipal Board (for heritage district designations). Do you agree that a municipal council should act if necessary to designate a heritage property even when the owner disagrees? Yes, however the property owner should be given a full opportunity to make their case before any decision is made. Yes. This falls under the thinking that WE are acting for the greater good of the community through property city planning / zoning and other related ways to protect us from bad development. Council should always be mindful to protect the heritage and history of the city because once it s gone it can t be replaced. Yes, I believe that a municipality is responsible to preserve its heritage and that it must takes steps to protect its past. However, there can be financial implications to these decisions and if they are going to designate a property against an owner s wishes then we should look at policies that will give the owner the right to sell the property or be financially compensated for the loss. Balance again is the key. The property owner must be informed of the process and involved in it right from the start of even considering the property for heritage designation. Good communication and education could make them open to the designation. Heritage property owners have restrictions on what they can do to their property and how they can do it. This can be costly. The re-sale of their property can be affected as not everyone will want to accept the limitations a heritage designation has. There will be some who embrace purchasing a heritage property. I would prefer to not designate a heritage property against the owner s wishes. Yes. There are many decisions made on a government level that a particular home owner may not agree with. It is up to council to follow the provincially legislated act using the information provided by the Heritage Planning staff and Heritage Advisory Committee, weighing the concerns of the property owner, neighbourhood and city as a whole. The most important aspect is to make an educated decision taking all necessary factors in mind.
Under what circumstances would you vote against the recommendation of the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee to designate a building as a heritage landmark? Each situation should be reviewed individually on its merits. Any decision made by the Heritage Advisory Committee comes before Council, at which time community members/property owners can come before Council as a delegation to make their case before a decision is made. I honestly can t think of a reason why any councillor would vote against the recommendation of the MHAC as they are our experts in the field and we should trust that they are advising us to do what is best. That being said, I will always look at each case and issue on ALL topics on a case by case basis so I would only vote against it if there was overwhelming evidence to contradict the committee s recommendation. Following the direction of our experts is very important and voting against a decision made by the Heritage Committee would not be considered without much consideration to all sides. This situation would only happen with strong opposition from our community, the opinions of experts who determine if the property is truly historic depending on if this type of architecture is frequently present in the municipality. When it would go against public opinion and the will of the citizens. The same can be said for the case of voting in favour of listing or designating. All factors must be taken into consideration before a decision can be made. There have been a few cases where feasibility played a major part in the decision to list or designate. Heritage listing should not be seen as a deterrent to property owners but rather as an opportunity to appreciate the historical value.