By Helen Braithwaite and Pennie Mathers
In an earlier post (Heritage Status in Toronto, February 9, 2009), we discussed heritage status for Toronto homes and neighbourhoods. While such status, established either by conservation district or designated to individual dwellings, helps preserve and maintain an area’s character, we felt is was important to shed a little more clarity on the Toronto Preservation Board and a few pertinent points that you may not know about heritage.
First a little about the Toronto Preservation board….
- The Toronto Preservation Board is made up of 3 City Councillors, 7 Council appointed members of the public who have professional experience in a field related to heritage conservation and the 4 chairs of the Community Preservation Panels
Important points to note…..
- Always enquire with the Heritage Preservation Services prior to beginning any renovations to get a clear understanding about the limitations with your property.
- The Toronto Preservation Board looks at each home on a case by case basis. Taking the approach of minimal intervention as called for by The Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, as adopted by City Council for all listed and designated structures. However heritage staff will review each application on its own merits to determine if the proposed change is acceptable.
- A Heritage designation on a property can sometimes have an effect on value and it is important to discuss valuation with a realtor knowledgeable about the area.
- Just because a home is not rated within the heritage area does not mean the homeowner can demolish and rebuild a home without approval from the Toronto Preservation Board. In a heritage Conservation District, unrated or non-contributing buildings must adhere to council adopted design HCD guidelines to ensure that new designs and changes do not conflict with, or diminish, the identified heritage characteristics, values and attributes of the district.
- Other constraints such as ravine, normal setbacks, and buildable areas can come into play that will also limit what can be done on a property.
- Keep in mind there will always be the neigbourhood anomaly. There will be situations where the heritage status is over ruled, and plans that are not in keeping with the character of the neighbourhood are approved. Obviously there will be circumstances where, on the surface it seems the decision should be one way, yet turn out to be another. It is best however to assume that your plans will be under the full scrutiny of Heritage Preservation Services.
Food for thought. But just because a property is rated Heritage does not mean that you can’t touch it… what it does mean is that you need to do a bit of homework. Check with Toronto Preservation Services BEFORE you start on drawings, and renderings. Seek the help of your realtor and the city to get the answers to your questions before you start on your dream home.
Sites to help get you started:
www.historicplaces.ca
www.toronto.ca/heritage-preservation
www.heritagetoronto.org
Helen Braithwaite and Pennie Mathers are both Sales Representative with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd./JOHNSTON AND DANIEL DIVISION, Brokerage. Helen and Pennie are regular contributors to the Muddy York blog. Their website is located at www.twoperspectives
