Heritage conservation designation being studied for Kettleby
By Bill Rea

People attending last Tuesday's meeting in Kettleby took a walk through the hamlet at its conclusion.

By Bill Rea

There are still a number of details to be ironed out, but there is a lot of apparent interest in turning Kettleby into heritage conservation district.

About 15 members of the community were on hand last Tuesday at a public meeting to discuss the issue, along with several Township councillors, staff members and consultants.

The idea behind this designation is to recognize that heritage in Ontario goes beyond individual buildings to actually include the space in between, along with surrounding landscape.

Township Planning Director Stephen Kitchen said the Kettleby Village Association (KVA) and Heritage King expressed interest in exploring this, so the project was incorporated into the department's work plan for the year.

In a report that went to council earlier this year, planners stated applying this designation would enable "council to manage and guide future change in the district through the adoption of a district plan with policies and guidelines for conservation, protection and enhancement of the area's special value and character."

"The designation allows a community to protect and enhance groups of properties within its community that collectively demonstrate distinctive heritage value and character," the report added.

Consultant Paul Oberst is working on the project in a joint venture with Phillip H. Carter Architect.

This process is expected to take about eight months. Planner Jennifer Best said the Township's role will be to work with the community, while looking at the policy aspects, and to make sure other related policy documents are up to date.

Local resident Bert Duclos told the meeting the designation will allow the community to recognize its values and attributes.

"It's not just the individual faces that make up the village of Kettleby," he observed. "It's how it all comes together."

He also asked the residents if they had not had a friend or relative from out of town tell them how lucky they were to live in a place like Kettleby, adding that's something people tend to take for granted.

Duclos also pointed out something like this will encourage residents to maintain their properties. People tend to get their noses out of joint if their neighbours don't keep their places up to standards.

He also said there are a number of myths about a heritage conservation designation. There are people who believe it could harm insurance rates, property values or one's ability to obtain a mortgage. Not so, Duclos said.

He also stressed they want this to be an open, public process, and he encouraged people to ask questions. "There's no such thing as a stupid question," he declared.

Oberst told the meeting giving a community a heritage designation addresses factors like historic importance.

"It has a distinct character," he said. "It is a place that is different from its surroundings."

He added it considers an area as a whole.

The project will consist of two phases. The first will establish the boundaries and components of the study area. The other will look at the creation of a heritage conservation district plan. Oberst said that plan will be one for the future, but he said it won't say that there can never be any changes in Kettleby.

It will have heritage as its basis, addressing what things will look like. This is different from officials plans and zoning bylaws, which delve more into numbers and densities, etc.

There are about 74 of these districts designated in Ontario, and Oberst said five of those designations were created in the last year. Some municipalities have more than one. Markham has three and is working on more, and Vaughan currently has two and is looking at others. There are nine such districts in Toronto, five in Hamilton and three in Oakville.

Oberst said the designation usually leads to community stability, which can help property values. He added there are no studies that show a decline in property values from it, and there are some that indicate the opposite.

The study will start by looking at the hamlet, and Oberst said there's a lot of great things to see in the case of Kettleby.

"It's such a spectacular, beautiful place," he declared. "I have to say it just knocks my socks off."

The work will include creating an inventory of what's in place now, including photographs and research on the buildings.

He also stressed there will be constant consultation with the public.

As well, Oberst said that in order for this to work, the designation has to carry with it a permit process that is simple, efficient and fair.

He also said the plan must be a made-in-Kettleby one.

Duclos said the inventory will enable Oberst to define what it is that makes Kettleby unique, and can help determine what policies are needed in the area.

Oberst added the plan will be a governing tool for the Township and York Region, outlining matters

like what roads will look like, street lighting needs, etc. He also said if there are conflicts between the heritage plan and a municipal bylaw, the plan will generally prevail.

Duclos told the meeting this is the only planning tool in Ontario that gives residents the chance to say what goes into their community.

It's still not certain that the designation will be applied. Oberst said council has to approve it, and Duclos pointed out if there's a lot of opposition, council probably won't.

"There has to be a groundswell of support shown," he remarked, adding if there's a lot of opposition, there must be something wrong with the whole idea.

Oberst told one man at the meeting how much clout the plan has depends on what people decide to put in it. In some cases, these heritage plans even govern colours of houses, although he said most do not.

"It's your decision," Duclos added, commenting most communities don't care about colours because they can be easily changed.

One man was concerned about what could be planted in such a designation. Oberst repeated that a lot will depend on what goes into the plan, although he said most plans don't regulate planted material, except when it comes to preserving natural trees.

Duclos said a steering committee will be formed, including membership from the community, Township and other stakeholders, to carry on with the work. He added that will be instrumental in the communication process.

There will be further public meetings.

Duclos advised people to regularly check the KVA Web site - www.village.kettleby.on.ca

"I encourage you to stay tuned," he said.