Downtown Heritage Conservation District - Study and Plan
Part 1: The Study
Criteria For Establishing District Boundaries
Principles
The Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture has prepared guidelines respecting the delineation of a Heritage Conservation District. In part, the guidelines provide as follows:
“Boundaries should be drawn to include not only the buildings or structures of interest but also the whole property on which they are located. Vacant land, infill sites, public open space and contemporary buildings may also be contained within the district where it is desirable to ensure that their future development is in keeping with the character of the area. Boundaries may follow distinctive topographical features such as rivers, roads, walls, fences, tree lines and slopes. Less visible elements such as property or lot lines, land use designations in official plans or boundaries for particular uses or densities in the zoning bylaw may also influence the delineation of the boundary, especially as they may effect its eventual legal description in by-law form.”
The Ontario Heritage Foundation’s Manual, Well Preserved, offers additional guidance, parts of which are quoted below:
“…a district of particular heritage importance may be a collection of pleasant residential streets with solid Victorian houses (or) a main street lined with commercial blocks of many different eras… Such areas are more than the sum of their parts and are demonstrably unique. They may be amenities for local people as well as attractions to visitors from near and far. They serve as a tangible focus for community pride…”
“Provide for diversity as well as consistency in assessing and planning districts. Include vacant lands within district boundaries where their development offers opportunities that may either enhance or damage the character of the district, and make explicit criteria for the quality of development on such lands – especially on frontages facing heritage properties.”
“Boundaries are based on a combination of factors, including physical situation, visual perceptions, patterns of historical evolution, and various definitions of property and land use regulations.”
Applying The Principles
In recognition of the above, a series of goals specific to the Town of Collingwood has been identified as criteria for establishing the boundaries of the Heritage Conservation District:
1) To establish a sense of continuity and to make the District readily identifiable, the boundaries should encompass a contiguous area.
2) Properties Designated under Part IV of the Heritage Act as having historical or architectural value or interest cannot be included in the Heritage Conservation District. However, such properties that are within or near to the contiguous area serve as indicators of the dates and architectural styles and features that the District should seek to preserve.
3) The District should include areas that are architecturally and historically significant in the development of the Town centre, including buildings, landscape elements, transportation routes, vistas, and urban open spaces.
4) The District should encompass an area sufficient to ensure that redevelopment or expansion of the central business area, including supporting infrastructure such as parking facilities, will occur in a way that maintains and enhances the heritage character that the District Plan seeks to preserve.