Demolition of 1920s-era home concerns heritage advocates
Residents fear their neighbourhood’s character is at risk
WATERLOO — Residents in one of Waterloo’s oldest neighbourhoods are calling on the city to do more to protect its original homes after a George Street property was demolished following years of neglect by an absentee landlord.
The house at 16 George St. had long been a headache for city staff since former owner Terry Good abandoned the property and allowed it to crumble. But some in the historic Mary-Allen neighbourhood are concerned after a developer bought and tore down the 1920s-era building — arguing development is changing the character of their community.
“This neighbourhood is vulnerable and we need to protect what we have,” said Marion Weber, who has lived in the neighbourhood for 29 years.
“I don’t like to see a home like that go down. These older homes are why people choose to live here.”
The George Street property was sold this past spring to a numbered company. The same developer also bought the neighbouring brick house at 12 George St. — another former Good property — but the city says it hopes to work with the new owner to preserve it.
Neighbours began to complain when most of the trees at 16 George St. were cut down, the land severed, and plans for a new semi-detached and detached home were revealed.
But for bylaw officials, the sale of the troubled George Street property was good news. It’s meant an end to repeated calls for the city to come in and clean up graffiti, haul away trash or stop people from breaking into the abandoned home.
Good, who still owns a network of abandoned homes in Waterloo, has a track record of allowing his buildings to fall into disrepair until municipalities are forced to act. In January 2016, the city had to shut off the water supply and board up 16 George St. after pipes burst and began flooding the home.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” said Shayne Turner, director of municipal enforcement services for the City of Waterloo.
“In any situation where a property owner doesn’t have the ability to manage a property and keep it maintained to the standards of the neighbourhood, it’s time to move on.”
Others say the demolition proves there’s a need to establish a heritage district in the neighbourhood to protect older homes like the one that was torn down.
“I don’t think the city of Waterloo values heritage buildings as much as it says it does,” said Ed Koenig, who lives a few doors down from 16 George St. in a house that was built in the 1850s.
He said redevelopment is a “slippery slope” that can change a neighbourhood in negative ways. The house at 16 George was in terrible shape, he agreed, but it would have been nice if it could have been saved.
“In a perfect world, I would want to preserve it. It’s shame, because (demolition) seems to be the easy way. There’s money to be made tearing the place down.”
City Coun. Melissa Durrell, who lives in the neighbourhood, said the city doesn’t
take demolition lightly, but she shares residents’ concerns about the loss of a nearly 100-year-old home.
“I understand it, and I think the reaction to this is absolutely warranted,” she said. “I live in a heritage home, and I totally understand the importance of keeping these homes and trying to preserve them as much as possible.”
Durrell said the city has tried to protect the neighbourhood’s character. It added dozens of homes to a list of protected heritage properties, and Mary-Allen will be studied as a “cultural heritage landscape” this fall — a process that could open the door to the creation of a heritage district, a move that was rejected almost 20 years ago.
“I feel really strongly that private property owners should have a say in what happens on their property. But we have to understand the impact to the whole neighbourhood as well,” she said.
“We need to strike a balance. It’s a conversation that we need to have in these neighbourhoods, and Mary-Allen is really starting to feel it right now.”
Weber thinks the city needs to be even more proactive to protect these homes. She’s worried more old homes will be lost in the Mary-Allen neighbourhood before anything can be done.
Homes like the one at 16 George St., once owned by a prominent local bank manager, help tell a neighbourhood’s story — stories that will be lost if they’re replaced by new buildings, she said.
“We’re the only area that the city doesn’t have a plan,” Weber said. “I just think the neighbourhood is fragile. The developers aren’t just on our doorstep, they’re starting to come in the front door.”