Elements of the former Guelph reformatory property should receive heritage protections, but not the entire property. That’s the recommendation city staff will present to council later this month – a proposal which falls short of urgings from Heritage Guelph and other heritage advocates.
A staff report, released Thursday afternoon, encourages council to designate a series of individual elements of the provincially owned York Road property for protection under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, with additional features added to the city’s heritage registry but not formally designated.
“This recommendation respects the landowner’s request, implements council’s approved (Guelph Innovation District) secondary plan policies for the conservation of cultural heritage resources, provides for the designation and protection of individual heritage attributes and features, is expedient and protects the property in a timely manner with the full support of the property owner,” states the report.
The recommendation will be discussed by council during a planning meeting set for June 14, beginning at 6 p.m. and streamed live at guelph.ca/live.
City officials began the designation consideration process earlier this year at the request of the province, as it’s required before the land can be sold for redevelopment.
The former Guelph reformatory lands consist of about 90 hectares of property that include a set of buildings constructed in the 1910s and 1920s for detention and rehabilitation purposes.
During a its April meeting, Heritage Guelph unanimously approved a motion calling for the property and surrounding areas to be studied for potential designations under parts IV and V of the Ontario Heritage Act, the latter of which covers the site as a whole.
At its next meeting, the advisory committee passed a motion asking city council to either prioritize studies for a heritage cultural district for the former reformatory lands ahead of one for Ward West (approved by council earlier this year), or do the studies concurrently.
The former Guelph reformatory lands consist of about 90 hectares of land that include a set of buildings constructed in the 1910s and 1920s for detention and rehabilitation purposes.
The deadline to register as a delegate or make a written submission for the June 14 council meeting is June 11 at 10 a.m. To register, visit guelph.ca/delegation, call 519-837-5603 or email [email protected].
