Battle of Rockcliffe Park
Residents of stately community are split over plan to add on to 90-year-old house
A proposed modern addition to a 90-year-old house overlooking McKay Lake in Rockcliffe Park has become the battleground for residents who fear city hall is being willy-nilly with the heritage character of their stately community.
Daniel Weinand, the prospective buyer of the Tudor Revival-style house on a bluff at 551 Fairview Ave., wants to build a two-storey addition made of stone, wood and glass. The proposal includes other changes to the property, such as moving the driveway, but it’s the contemporary addition that has raised the ire of some in the neighbourhood.
It has been an eye-opener for Weinand learning the politics of Rockcliffe Park, where residents are frequently trying to reconcile the introduction of contemporary architecture in a city-established heritage conservation district.
Weinand, who is the co-founder of Shopify, sat in the gallery of a built-heritage subcommittee meeting at city hall on Friday watching neighbours and others in the community rally against his architect’s design for the proposed addition. Weinand has been told his application is among the most controversial in the village.
There have been outcries at the built-heritage committee about changes to the character of Rockcliffe Park. It’s the classic debate over how far the city should go to enforce community heritage plans on private properties.
Architect Julian Smith, who said he doesn’t have a stake in the application, but who helped produce the 1997 Rockcliffe Park heritage conservation study, blasted city heritage staff for accepting the design of the addition. It would “obliterate the architecture” of the house’s facade, which multiple delegates considered to be the public face of the building.
“I think this is cultural heritage in danger,” Smith said. “Rockcliffe can’t continue this way.”
The addition would alter the facade of the house on the side of the lake and a path, known in the neighbourhood as the “dog walk.”
Brian Dickson, vice-president of the Rockcliffe Park Residents Association, said the addition would bring a “significant negative impact” to the facade of the house and the “experiential qualities” of the dog walk.
“Tacking a glass box on that public face … cannot be consistent with protecting the heritage character,” neighbour Gouhar Shemdin told the subcommittee.
“We should just leave things as they are,” recommended another resident, Alex Macklin.
There were a few of supporters who stood up for Weinand.
The strongest words came from the current owner of the property, Louise Malhotra, who said there has been a “smear campaign” in the community because of the application.
(There’s a conditional sale on the house, pending the planning approvals).
Malhotra lamented the criticisms by vocal residents who don’t want changes to the community. People can’t throw roadblocks in front of families who want to move to the area, she said.
“We need to look at this as a dynamic, thriving neighbourhood,” Malhotra said
Peter Thompson presented on behalf of his daughter, who lives across the street from the house.
“Is this a tasteful design? I would suggest the answer is yes. Nothing wrong with it,” Thompson said.
But Weinand’s planning consultants and architect couldn’t convince the subcommittee to accept the design.
Subcommittee vice-chair Barry Padolsky said an addition to the house could fit, just not that one.
“It’s not a matter of taste,” Padolsky said. “There’s very little that shows honest respect for the Tudor Revival design.”
Padolsky won unanimous support from the subcommittee to make Weinand and his consultants work with city heritage staff to revise the design of the addition to better reflect the heritage character of the house.
After the meeting, Weinand said he’s open to the subcommittee’s recommendation, which will be considered by the planning committee on Nov. 28. jwilling@postmedia.com twitter.com/JonathanWilling