Potential Heritage Conservation Districts – Neighbourhood Consultation

Erie Avenue is a historic road the runs through the heart of the Eagle Place community. Like other historic roads in Brantford, Erie Avenue was a focus of early development in an around Brantford. Historic development along Erie Avenue can be tracked back to the Early 1800s, and the street displays trends from that period through the 1950s to the present day. In some stretches, the historic character of Erie Avenue (both residential, and commercial) has been maintained for over a century.

Neighbourhood Open House details are provided below; if you can’t attend or want to talk to Staff about this project, feel free to send an email to heritage@brantford.ca.

Neighbourhood Open House Details:

• Date: Monday, November 4th
• Time:
  • Afternoon: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
  • Evening: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
• Location: Doug Snooks Eagle Place Community Centre (333 Erie Avenue, Brantford, ON)

Responses:

A consultation summary will be added here after the Neighbourhood Open House.

Staff anticipates reporting to the Brantford Heritage Committee and to Council by December 2024. Links to the Reports will be added here when they are published, and updates will be provided regarding when Council considers those Reports and makes a decision.

Neighbourhood Consultation Area:

Yes, they are considered designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Some properties have individual designations that are specific to that one property, under their own designating by-law. In a heritage conservation district, the area is designated for the collective value of the properties within it, under one designating by-law and a heritage conservation district plan.

This project is simply asking the residents of these specific neighbourhoods if they are interested in having the neighbourhood recognized through heritage conservation district designation. None of the neighbourhoods are scheduled to be designated at this time.

Staff will consult the neighbourhoods and then report back to Council on whether or not there is widespread interest in the neighbourhood being designated. Refer back to the individual neighbourhood listings above the Frequently Asked Questions for details on consultation and reporting dates.

The exact recommendation will depend on the results of consultation, but two possible approaches are:

• If there is interest from only a small number of owners, and there is no clear pocket of interest, the City may offer those specific owners the opportunity to have their properties individually designated.
• If there is a smaller area of the neighbourhood where there is overwhelming support for a heritage conservation district e.g. one or two blocks within the larger neighbourhood), then staff may recommend a heritage conservation district that is scoped to the interested area.

Staff will outline the level of interest and would request a project budget from Council. Then, if Council provides direction to proceed, the project team would establish a project work plan and continue working with the neighbourhood through the designation process, including the preparation of a heritage conservation district plan.

Properties within a heritage conservation district can be altered and renovated.

Interior alterations to properties in a heritage conservation district do not require a heritage permit. If work would be both internal and external and a heritage permit is needed, then the permit only considers matters that deal with the exterior.

For exterior alterations, if a heritage conservation district is designated, then the City will also adopt a heritage conservation district plan as part of the designation process and it will include guidelines for maintenance as well as renovations and new development.

The guidelines will detail strategies and approaches that allow for renovation to occur, but in a way that respects neighbourhood character. Some work will require a heritage permit approval. The heritage conservation district plan will also outline work that does not require a heritage permit.

The City does not charge a fee for Heritage Permits.

If work on your property requires a building permit and/or a planning application (e.g. a minor variance), you will have to pay application fees. Building permit and planning applications fees apply to all applicants, regardless of heritage status.

No. Designation does not impose any additional maintenance requirements. Properties within the City of Brantford are subject to the same by-laws (e.g. Property Standards By-law, Noise By-law, etc.) whether or not they are designated heritage properties.

Please keep in mind that older buildings (whether or not they are designated heritage properties) can sometimes require more (or specialized) maintenance because of their age and/or materials.

Yes, for properties within a heritage conservation district as well as individually designated properties, the City offers a Heritage Grant Program to help property owners maintain their properties’ heritage attributes.

The program provides a grant for up to 50% of the eligible project costs, to a maximum grant amount of $20,000. You can find out more about the Heritage Grant Program by visiting the Build Brantford Heritage Planning webpage.

A heritage conservation district does not increase property taxes.

Property taxes are set by property class, using the assessed value calculated by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (“MPAC”). Assessed value is often different than market value of a property when it is bought and sold.

We have heard this story as well, and it’s a legitimate concern. Owning property is often the largest investment that someone will make.

This claim has been investigated and in many cases, it turns out to be untrue. You can look at these links below for more information including case studies (please note, the links below will take you to sites that are not affiliated with the City of Brantford):

Ontario Real Estate Association:

• “Three things REALTORS should know about heritage properties”.
• “Correcting three prevalent myths about heritage properties”.

Canada’s Historic Places: “Property Values and Taxes”.

McMaster University: “Investigating the Impact of Heritage Property Designation on Real Estate Value” (via MacSphere – McMaster University Libraries Institutional Repository).

Civic Plan: “The Economic Value of Heritage”.

A heritage conservation district should not increase your insurance costs. Some insurance providers may choose not to insure buildings over a certain age or they may have questions about the type of wiring (e.g. knob and tube), lead waterlines, or the age of some appliances like a furnace or boiler.

We have received questions about fire damage, new construction, and total losses in the past too: heritage conservation district designation does not require that a building be restored exactly as it appeared.

The Government of Ontario also has an webpage on heritage properties and insurance.

Yes, there are two heritage conservation districts in the City:

• Brant Avenue Heritage Conservation District (designated in 1988)
• Victoria Park Square Heritage Conservation District (designated in 1991)

You can see details about each district by referring to their respective District Studies as well as Brantford’s Heritage Register.

The Ontario Heritage Trust maintains the Ontario Heritage Act Register and has records of all heritage conservation districts in the province. They also maintain a heritage conservation district webpage that notes there were 134 heritage conservation districts in Ontario as of March 2020