Fighting for the heritage of Ancaster Village
Proposed seven-storey condo is not compatible with secondary plan or design guidelines
The Phillipo-Marr House at 398 Wilson St. in Ancaster Village at is one of only five buildings in Ancaster designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, RSO 1990.
The documentation supporting the designation of the PhillipoMarr House explicitly refers to its location on Wilson Street in the Reasons for Designation ... “the building is of great importance to the Wilson Street streetscape” because of its contextual relationship to “several other important build- ings on Wilson Street” — the build- ing is in great condition and it is part of a cluster of similar pre-Confederation stone buildings that contributes to the historic character of the village, including landmark buildings such as the Old Ancaster Hotel and the Rousseau House, that are directly adjacent to the development site. Such a collection of pre-Confederation stone buildings is unusual in Ontario. Are we, as citizens, willing to let this unique cluster of buildings be destroyed? What are we prepared to do about it?
The adjoining stone house and other buildings situated west along Wilson Street have already been replaced by a parking lot. There is now a proposal being processed to move the Phillipo-Marr house to the back of this extensive lot and replace it with a seven-storey condo tower.
This development is not compatible with the Ancaster secondary plan nor with the design guidelines for the village core. However, intensification within existing urban boundaries has proven on many occasions to trump existing local plans. The Ontario Land Tribunal (formerly the Ontario Municipal Board) may support greater heights than the secondary plan allows because of conflicting policies in the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) which champions growth. If we want to protect the greenbelt, we need to support intensification in existing neighbourhoods. But is this the way to do it?
The city’s heritage permit review committee reviewed the proposal on Aug. 31. The subcommittee members rejected the proposal to move the building to the back of the lot, passing a motion to relocate it on Wilson Street where it will be available for viewing by pedestrians and traffic, and where it will continue to enhance the heritage character of Wilson Street. The Hamilton Municipal Heritage Committee will review it again Sept. 24 and make its recommendations to city council. Should council decide to uphold the Heritage Permit Review Committee recognizing the importance of keeping a designated heritage property on Wilson Street when that contextual relationship is clearly stated in the designation bylaw, then the developer has only one recourse, the OLT. Through designation, the community has made its interest clearly known with respect to this building and it has used resources to protect this building. Will that be enough?
The massing for the proposal for the Phillipo-Marr house would do more than obliterate the old stone house. The seven-storey unit, despite any sympathetic neo-historical detailing, will transform the entire west half of the street. It will mark a watershed change for Ancaster.
The environmental assessment site indicates that the soil below of the Phillipo-Marr house is contaminated because of the former gas station on the corner. Remediation of the soil is now required because of the proposed zoning change to multi-residential, meaning that the building must be moved. Where it will be moved is the question.
The village core is identified as a cultural landscape and a special character area in the Ancaster secondary plan. Heritage resources should have been inventoried and described as part of that process, but they weren’t. That’s why volunteers had to take on that work and Coun. Lloyd Ferguson had to request an emergency addition of 18 properties to the municipal heritage register. This being done, it is now time to demand that subsequent development must follow strict guidelines with regard to building height, setback from the street and sympathetic design. It should not be impossible to maintain the character of a village, despite its proximity to Hamilton.
In the 1960s, volunteers identified Ancaster Town Hall as a significant piece of built heritage. Subsequently, with the passing of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1975, other buildings were identified by the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee as being of significance. Due to the concentration of significant buildings on Wilson Street, the village core has been identified as a cultural landscape and a special character area. Why do we have these plans if they are not enforced?
Generations have worked hard to protect the built heritage in our area. Let’s add our voices to this chorus and make sure Wilson Street maintains its original character with the Phillipo-Marr house a prominent visual feature.