A stone farmhouse on the edge of the former Guelph Reformatory lands deserves to be protected for future generations, city council agreed on Monday when it passed a bylaw to designate it for protection under the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA).
The bylaw was approved 10-2, despite objections from the owner of 919 York Rd. who argues the site would cost too much to make the space usable given the level of deterioration. Coun. Dominique O'Rourke was absent from the meeting.
“It’s a very rich property, uniquely rich,” P. Brian Skerrett, chair of Heritage Guelph, told council of the building’s heritage value, noting it has connections to both the reformatory and the area's agricultural past. “We’re very keen to see it designated.”
The property, which sits west of Watson Parkway, contains a stone farmhouse built in 1860, as well as a stone gate and stone shed associated with the adjacent former Guelph reformatory lands. It was purchased by the provincial government in 1910 and used to house reformatory staff whose duties included watching out for escapees, a staff report notes.
In a letter of objection to designation sent to the city on behalf of owner Brodie Limited, lawyer Kevin Thompson explains his client bought the property from the Royal Canadian Legion in 2011 and that the legion planned to renovate the farmhouse after buying the property in 1975 but “it was in such bad shape” it opted not to and instead began using it for storage.
The house has sat unoccupied ever since.
During an inspection after buying the property, the objection letter continues, Brodie Ltd. decided the “only solution” was to apply for a demolition permit and tear it down.
In December, after city staff turned down a demolition permit application, council unanimously approved a motion to advertise intent to seek heritage designation for the property, a precursor to formal designation bylaw approved on Monday.
As outlined in a December staff report to council, the property has been the subject of numerous property standards bylaw orders in recent years.
“A structure in any state, as long as it’s solid and this is a solid structure, it can be repurposed,” commented Coun. Leanne Caron. “I’ve seen lots of great examples of dwellings repurposed for a number of uses – anything from education, a demonstration site, residential, cafe. I think exploring those uses is an important … discussion.”
With the bylaw now approved, the city is obligated to issue a notice of council’s decision. It’s at that point the clock starts to tick on a 30-day appeal period which could debate over whether or not heritage designation is appropriate argued before the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Inglis Berry, the owner of Brodie Ltd., recently told GuelphToday he’s “probably” going to file an appeal if the site is designated under the OHA.
City staff is in the midst of a comprehensive zoning bylaw review which could impact the property’s future use.
It’s currently zoned for natural heritage but staff intend to recommend that be changed to mixed use commercial when the review is presented to council in July, Krista Walkey, the city’s general manager of planning and building services.
“Council has the final decision, but we’ll certainly be recommending something different,” she said in reference to the current zoning in place.
In response to a question from Coun. Christine Billings, Stephen Robinson, the city’s senior heritage planner, said without the expected rezoning in place the building’s use would be “very limited, but added, “I don’t believe this is a reason to remove the building.”
Ward 1 councillors Bob Bell and Dan Gibson cast the sole dissenting votes regarding the designation bylaw.
“I think it will be very difficult to find an adaptive reuse for this,” Bell said.
