Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "New lessons learned":
The present scaremongers' fear tactics were addressed in the 2005 study for the North-East Heritage District by Michael Seaman (the Town's then heritage planner).
Designation does not:
1. Prohibit change (alterations or additions)
2. Impose obligations or additional expenses beyond those expected by any property owner
3. Restrict the use or resale of your property
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 1 April 2014
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!. Designation requires preservation of external features of the home.
2. Owners are obliged to maintain the building in authentic condition.
3. Heritage homes are a niche market. Marketability is therefore reduced.
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If designation does not have impact ,as argued by Michael Seaman in the 2005 study for the North-east Heritage District:
What is the purpose of designation
Why is designation adopted by bylaw?
Why is designation registered against the title of properties?
Why are arguments opposing designation described as fear-mongering and scare tactics?
If there is no validity to the arguments , why are they so described?
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The town is not without experience in the field. Church Street School is a designated property.
Renovations have been carried out. Grants received. Requirements are spelled out.
Windows had to be replaced with single diamond glass.
To conserve energy, interior storm windows had to be designed for the purpose.
False ceilings installed to keep heat where it was needed , had to be removed .
Windows were installed in rotting frames . Window sills ,that should be stone .are wood and rotting. Paint constantly peels and must be repainted frequently.
I'm fairly confident these are not the only features of preservation required . Certainly Ontario Heritage approval must be obtained to carry out restoration. They, because of designation share
responsibility for authenticity.
They would not allow Petch House to be re-located on Sheppard's bush property because rotten boards had to be replaced and as a result it would no longer be authentic.
Tuesday 1 April 2014
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24 comments:
I have not seen any scaremongery at play here.
What I have seen is genuine anger that an entire neighbourhood would be declared " designated " in order to mitigate the over-blown fears of some of the residents about the intrusion of " monster " homes.
Hmmm, good question...naked self-interest, perhaps?
In this proposed designation zone, all the large stands of trees are carefully outlined. I assume from the emphasis that those are going to be " heritage trees " subject to the sort of whimsical rules we saw go so wrong over the 3 trees of one property owner.
And if someone decides they would like a bright blue house ? Or requires a large unsightly vehicle in order to drive residents ? Or gets tired of cleaning up the debris from around an ancient ailing tree and wants to remove it ?
Edited version: What I have seen is overblown anger that an entire neighbourhood would be declared "designated" in order to mitigate the genuine fears of some of the residents about the intrusion of "monster" homes.
It was the same with the last council - a last busy period passing items that had to be fixed by the in-coming council. It is unfair and presumptuous. This projects looks like it will certainly involve legal challenges. Sheesh...do we want more of that ?
Habitat for Humanity got a Heritage home donated to them. Let’s just say…the next one will probably be Thanks …but No Thanks. Many of these homes are competed by volunteers, but unfortunately they had to hire “heritage” trades people for much of the renovation. Between expensive custom material costs and special trade costs. It cost them a bundle.
Team baseball has already been banned from the Town Park as ' disruptive ' or some such adjective. The Town Park is for all residents including noisy ones. We put up with the Jazz thing for years. Next it will be restricted to chess matches on sunny days.
Have a good evening, E. Still nippy so no lingering to chat in doorways.
"The Town Park is for all residents..."
Yes, as is the neighbourhood surrounding it. Which is why the historic core of Aurora should be designated.
There is some funny stuff being said tonight. /Seems there is a problem about candidates taking town publications & communications material to use in an election. There is not an over-whelming amount of either available for pilfering. What communications ? What publicity materials ?
Cllr Gaertner says there is nothing in the Master Plan for the tennis facility so she opposes it. There is nothing in the Master Plan about the proposed new park but she supports that ?
Don't you just love politics ?
Cllr Ballard was hell-bent to bring Power-Stream to the table after the ice storm to ream them on their performance..... Until he found he lacked the power to do it. Now he is congratulating them on their award for excellence.
Remember, 08:31, as he said, he did learn from the master.
Thank you, Councillor Buck, for asking the question that resulted in the information that Aurora has 44 parks ! 44 ! That sure puts the demands of that one group for a new one of their very own into perspective. Not only is there no such park in the Master Plan, or holy Grail, but there is also Mr Stronch's park coming onto the scene.
8:44
Yeah, I see the Master scuttling about town periodically. Gives me a chuckle every time.
Now her disciple just wants us to forget about all that nonsense, to forget about his lack-lustre single term on Council & to let him move on bigger & better turf.
Mr Pullano is busily reassuring Cllrs Gallo and Ballard that a move to a ward system will result in a 2nd regional rep. Like, we would be paying for yet another individual to attend without having any influence more than we have now. One has to wonder why these people twit such nonsense for all to read.
I'm sorry, but I just can't resist 11:07.
Does moving onto bigger & better turf include a new "let the games begin" opening statement? Will that be the catch-phrase for provincial politics? I am sure we'll be hearing a lot more about how one councillor "fought" for the local neighbourhoods & citizens and how that spirit will be brought to Queen's Park.
A few minutes ago there was a new post dated today reporting on last night's in camera discussion about a possible university campus in cooperation with Newmarket on a 21 acre piece of land owned by the town on the far east side of town. There were other references to possible joint ventures. Also there are apparently other properties within Aurora owned by the province directly or indirectly through a Trust. This provincially owned land generates no tax revenue to the town and I wonder if a university campus would do otherwise. And then the post disappeared. Did you pull the plug willingly or were you forced to?
Probably the land would have to be deeded to the university so there go untold other millions.
I don't know whether the majority members of Aurora council have completely lost their heads, certainly they appear to have lost their brains. This somehow reminds me of THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS, and WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE.
The premier of Ontario at the moment has to deal with the accusation by the Leader of the Opposition that information was purged from 24 computers and is threatening to sue him, while the OPP investigates. With all the police investigation in Toronto and also by the RCMP in Ottawa it seems that our country is not so much being governed as it is being investigated.
This does not portend well for the future.
I think all present members of council should not be allowed to seek re-election, including the mayor.
This latest mental exercise has obviously cooked their grey cells and they are incapable of performing any of the functions for which they were elected.
Perhaps Councillors could bring themselves to the mere more mundane things and arrange to fix the damn roads.
@14:03
He will not have my assistance.
"I think all present members of council should not be allowed to seek re-election, including the mayor."
Erm, you do know who else that would include, right?
17:55
You quibble. No one is writing school essays here. The Lady is unique.
20:28, I believe in the maxim 'say what you mean, and mean what you say.'
There is an ad in the papers for ideas on Petch. There have been numerous suggestion - no one has the guts to move on any of them.
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