Saanich council pulls home from heritage registry to allow development
Abstract Developments cleared a hurdle Monday night in its quest to build a townhouse project in the Quadra and Tattersall area.
Saanich council agreed to remove from the heritage registry a 1911 house at 3579 Quadra St. so it can be demolished to make way for the development.
Highfield, a 2½-storey home, was on the heritage registry but is not a designated heritage building, which means it is not a legally protected heritage property.
Coun. Karen Harper said there is a lot the district can do to preserve its heritage without having to maintain the building on the site. “This is, I think, an important first step in terms of helping us to continue with our current housing policies while still recognizing our heritage. I think our settler ancestors were pragmatic, and they understood the needs for housing the community,” she said.
Harper noted that the motion passed Monday asks Abstract to provide photos and other documentation of the history of the building. It also asks the company to consider retaining elements of the house in the new development, salvage heritage elements and deconstruct and salvage the building or allow interested parties to move the building to a new site to be preserved.
Councillors Judy Brownoff and Nathalie Chambers opposed removing the home from the registry. Brownoff suggested moving heritage buildings from where they were significant makes little sense.
“I’d rather see some of the parts of the building built into the project that will fit there,” she said. “We are losing more and more of our heritage structures. We need to protect our history as well.”
Several residents voiced their disapproval of removing the home from the registry, noting its loss also represents the loss of seven reasonably priced rental suites in the home.
When Abstract conceived of the project in 2018, the goal was to wrap new townhomes around the original house. Since then Abstract has acquired the lots on either side of the heritage building, and has suggested the original concept is no longer feasible.
Abstract’s Trevor Smith told council their plans for the site dovetail with the district’s plans for housing densification along major corridors. “This site, located within the Four Corners Village and on a major corridor, presents an excellent opportunity to add much-needed housing while simultaneously advancing the goal of developing our villages and compact walkable places,” he said.
Smith said the structure has been neglected and the heritage value in this property is not in the structure, but in the story of its original owner, Catherine Edgerton and her family.
“While heritage preservation is an important aspect of our history and cultural identity, it’s also important to ensure that our communities can grow and thrive,” he said.