Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ottawa’s built heritage committee is recommending to council that 465 properties be removed from the city’s municipal heritage register to comply with the Ontario Heritage Act.
Recent changes to the provincial rules mean any properties left on the register would be automatically removed at the end of 2024 and could not be re-listed or designated as heritage properties for a period of five years.
Removing them in advance will provide the city with more flexibility to protect these properties in the coming years, the committee stated.
The report is the first of several that will remove the majority of the 4,600 non-designated properties listed on the Municipal Heritage Register. The register provides protection from demolition for the properties listed, all of which have been deemed to have cultural heritage value.
Once removed, properties can be re-added at any time, for a two-year period.
The committee also recommended approving the application for new construction and landscaping at 235 Mariposa Ave., within the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District.
A two-and-a-half-storey, stucco-clad house that was built in the mid-1950s was recently demolished at this site, without the appropriate permits. The building had been serving as the High Commission Residence for Uganda.
Council approved an earlier application for alterations and additions to this property in 2020. The current application was submitted because the owner wishes to proceed with construction using the approved 2020 design, but with increased ceiling heights and minor modifications for Building Code compliance.
The design continues to meet the policies and guidelines in the heritage district. The enforcement process resulting from the unapproved demolition will proceed separately.
Council will consider the recommendations today.